Sturgeon City Institutes 2004
Coverage by the Media Institute.

Digging for critters.

Science Institute
Let The Waves Roll In
By: Brittany Starzynski, Matt Robinson, Alexa Dixon

Catching fish in the surf.

SHARK! Everyone out of the water! Oh wait, that’s just Daniel.

Students of the Marine Science and Advanced Marine Science Institutes traveled to Onslow Beach June 8. Upon arrival Daniel Norris, a biology instructor at Cape Fear Community College, was first to jump head first into the waters.

The students experienced the shocking force of the rip currents and heavy beat down of which they received from every breaking wave. While at the beach, students both worked and had fun. From sand sifting the beach to seining the water students explored both land and sea in this environmental experiment.

Students were encouraged to try various activities to explore the habitat of the many organisms of the area. They found an assortment of organisms including small fish that swam in and out with the tide, and sand fleas that were buried beneath the sand.

“Most of the activities at the beach involved sifting through the sand at various locations ranging from near the dunes, to the middle of the beach, to right at the waters edge,” Brooke Harris, of the stars group.

What a conch!

The groups used hula-hoops to determine a known surface area of the beach; they dug within the radius of the hula-hoop and sifted the sand in search of organisms. They used the data there to create an idea of the type of organisms that make the shores of Onslow Beach their home.

They also used wooden frames with a mesh wiring on the bottom to sift through the sand and even took advantage of the waves to disperse of sand that was insignificant to the experiment.

During the sand-sifting students found various types of shells and homes of organisms that had moved on. They also found the ever so famous “shark’s teeth” which varied in size.

“You are less likely to find organisms closer to the dunes within the surface area of the hula-hoop than as if you were sampling closer to the ocean,” Amber Heckart of the Marine Science Institute.

A few students seined the waters only to come up empty handed, but none the less students endured the waters and learned the virtue of patience. It took some time before they could abandon water testing tools and dive into the waves.

What ya got in there?

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