Catalina Island Leadership Program

Phoenix Country Day School

Kelp Forest Information Links

Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries

Introduction: When people think of the ocean, they think of fish, sand, dolphins, and, of course, a relaxing vacation on the beach. Here is what people do not think about: what exactly is at the bottom of the ocean? In this essay, we will discuss the creatures that live on the sea floor, and where our best friends, the fish, live, as well as the information about the ocean itself, such as the water’s temperature and depth. Life at the bottom of the ocean is not as simple as we had thought; the lifestyle and ecosystem that we found there was far more complex than we had ever imagined.

Research: One of the key steps to gaining the proper information for our project was using the correct methods and materials. In our case, the materials that we needed to collect were related to bathymetry and the living habits of bottom-dwelling creatures- that is, water depth and temperature, and fish and plant population. During our kayak on Wednesday, October 17th, 2007, we used the VanDoran bottle out in Emerald Bay to collect water samples that would tell us water depth and the temperature at the bottom of the ocean. This was important to our study because we needed to discover what types of fish and plants lived in certain depths and how the temperature differs at the bottom of the ocean than at the surface. The VanDoran bottle itself is a short and hollow plastic tube with a whiffleball blocking off each opening on the side. When we used this device during our kayak on October 17, we raised the whiffleballs on either side to open the cavity and lowered it down by use of a long rope with a dot every meter running along its side. When we could not see the tube anymore, we gave the rope a sharp tug, thus closing the contraption by lowering the whiffleballs and sealing the tube shut, and raised it back to the surface, counting the numbers of dots as we went. This way, we could tell the depth in that specific area and the temperature based on the water sample that we took.While using the VanDoren tube, we began the first step to gain vital information concerning life at the bottom of the ocean.

The other way we gathered information about bottom-dwellers during our trip to Catalina was by using the REEF fish survey sheet. We used this sheet during our snorkels on Wednesday, October 17th, and again on Thursday, October 18th. We recorded the water depth, currents, and plant and fish population in Emerald Bay and Howland’s Landing on a sheet as we snorkeled. We used a waterproof pen and paper attached to a clipboard and recorded the marine life around us as we saw it up close. While counting the fish population, we had to use a certain key that told us how many of that species were in the area. This key included the following titles: Single (1), Few (2-10), Many (11-100) and Abundant (101 or more.) This was a useful way to record information because we got to see the marine life that we were studying firsthand and get a real mental image of what our project is all about. The REEF fish survey sheet helped us to uncover much information about marine life at the bottom of the sea.

The third and last main data collection method that we used was digital and disposable cameras. We took many pictures of marine life during our weeklong stay at Catalina, specifically bottom dwellers. We used waterproof disposable cameras and digital cameras in plastic containers. With pictures, we were able to add a physical description of the marine life that we had studied. Our readers will get a visual image of the multitude of marine life that we studied during our trip.

During our stay at Catalina, we had confirmed many of our ideas about the bottom of the ocean, and had also discovered several new concepts. One of the first discoveries we made was that the light is affected at he bottom. On our first snorkel, we learned that the deeper you go, the darker it gets. This happens because the light doesn’t penetrate through the mass of water above, and continues to grow darker and darker the deeper you go. The second thing we had learned on is snorkel was that the water is colder at the bottom. This also relates to the amount of light at the bottom of the ocean. The top of the ocean is warmed by the heat and light of the sun, but the light and warmth doesn’t reach the bottom, causing it to be colder. The marine life that live at the bottom is accustomed to and relies on the environment. One of the several fish we studied was the blue-banded goby. It lives at the bottom and needs cold water to survive, and spends most of its time near rocks at the bottom. The purple sea urchin lives in cracks in rocks and eats algae and other bacteria. The purple sea urchin is a major part of the kelp forest ecosystem and can change it dramatically if their population were to become scarce. The warty sea cucumber lives at the bottom as well, and is a detritivore, meaning that it eats the debris on the sea floor, such as fish waste and dead creatures. The wavy turban snail lives in the low interdial zone. When we were observing the snails, we noticed that they often have algae or other invertebrates living on their shell. We also decided to study the leopard shark. During our night snorkel, we saw several leopard sharks, and many of them swam in between our legs. Leopard sharks can grow to be seven feet long and eat a variety of fishes, crabs, clams, and shrimp. They live in depths between 20 to 300 feet. We learned many different things about the bottom and what kinds of animals live there during our stay at Catalina.

Conclusion:We learned that there is a diverse variety of marine life at the bottom of the ocean, as well as its varying depths and temperatures. The aquatic animals that we observed- the purple sea urchin, wavy turban snail, leopard shark, and blue-banded goby- proved to be a part of a fascinating and complex ecosystem. The data that we gathered during our trip concerning temperature and depth further deepened our understanding of life at the bottom of the ocean, as well as helped us to understand what forms of life live in what aquatic conditions. The bottom of the ocean was more fascinating than we had ever expected it to be.