Kennebunk High School - Day 2

Monday the Kennebunk students started the day exploring the intertidal zone at Indian Point.  It was a great low tide and the students found lots of interesting animals such as terebellid worms, little sea cucumbers, slipper limpets, sea urchins, sea stars, and green crabs.  After heading back to campus and getting the animals safely into the tanks in the lab the group went for a tour of the aquarium.  They got to see Snorkel and Loki, the harbour seals have their lunch, watch a video about the high tides of the Bay of Fundy, see the seahorses, and play in the invertebrate and skate touch pools.
 
In the afternoon the students visited the lab to learn about seaweed and then headed out on the Huntsman research vessel, the Fundy Spray.  While on the boat we conducted a plankton tow, took temperature and salinity readings, tested the light penetration, visited a herring weir and a salmon aquaculture site, and conducted a number of scallop drags.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the water and learning a bit more about the marine environment.
 
In the evening the group convened in the aquarium lab to study the plankton that had been collected while on the research vessel.  They had a great diversity of phytoplankton and zooplankton.  Through the microscopes they were able to see different species of diatoms, dinoflagellates, and copepods.  Also, the students saw the specimens of whale baleen that are kept in the lab, including the beautiful North Atlantic Right Whale baleen.       

 

Exploring at Indian Point.

Playing in the touch pool at the aquarium.

Studying seaweeds.

The collection from the scallop drag.

brittle star

Excited to visit Canada!

Viewing their plankton collection.

Copepod under the microscope.