*Official PCDS Website*

*Celp Camp*

*Kelp Creatures that we saw*

Students collecting data

Garbaldi in Kelp Forest

View from Emerald Bay

Celp Camp Overview

Catalina Report

On October 17, 2005, the Phoenix Country Day School 8th Grade class went on a fabulous trip to Catalina Island. We went to Catalina Island, which is located off the coast of California in the Channel Islands. We flew to California and then to a boat to Howlands Landing. The purpose of our trip was to take water samples, fish counts, etc. We did these activities by snorkeling and kayaking in the ocean. We collected our data by taking way points around the specific area of kelp. Our trip to California really helped with our scientific observations by being able to collect our own data.

Each lab group had to choose a question to research on the trip. Our question was, How does the area of kelp change over time? For our question we needed to collect precise data. On Friday, the last day of our trip, we went kayaking around the kelp forest. We brought our GPS and took way points all along the kelp forest. Basically, we traced the outside of the kelp forest. To answer our question we compared the area of kelp from 1980 and 2005. We found found out that the kelp forest had shrunk due to the current El Nino year at hand. Our question will require much though, but knowing about where the kelp forest is located, will greatly help. On MyWorld, we created a layer of where the kelp beds grow in 2005 and compared it to the area of kelp 1980. MyWorld is a computer program that allows you to compare layers of different data from any given period of time. We faced a few problems while collecting data. Our first difficulty was trying to keep the GPS facing the sky while paddling in our kayak. Next time, we should have strapped the GPS to the kayak on the inside rather than have it around our neck. Also, another suggestion would to be at Catalina longer so we would be able to map more of the kelp area. The lack of kelp might change the climate of the oceans in many ways. It can severely alter he food chain because kelp is the sturdy base of the chain. Kelp lays a very important role in the ocean, and if there is not a lot of it, the ocean will not be the same.