OCEANOGRAPHY of the GULF of MAINE:
BIOSM 1600
SHORE COMPONENT: Monday, July 2 - Monday, July 10, 2012 @ Shoals
You do NOT need to make a boat reservation. PLAN TO ARRIVE AT THE DOCK IN PORTSMOUTH BY 11:30 AM. THE SML VESSEL DEPARTS PORTSMOUTH AT 1:00 PM
SEA COMPONENT: Tuesday, July 10 - Thursday, July 19, 2012 @ SEA
CREDITS: 3 semester credits
TOTAL COST: $5,720 (includes room, board and tuition)
Students will pay Shoals for the entire sum - see Forms and Instructions
Prerequisites: Two year-long high school courses in science, and completion of grades 10, 11 or 12.
General program description: Introduction to the biology and ecology of marine environment of the Isles of Shoals and Gulf of Maine from aboard a Sea Education Association (SEA) ship, and from Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island. This course focuses on blue water oceanography and rocky intertidal ecology. Offered jointly with SEA, Oceanography of the Gulf of Maine offers high school students the opportunity to experience life on board a sailing vessel and on an island off the coast of Maine. This program has TWO components:
SHORE COMPONENT: At Shoals Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island, Maine.
SEA COMPONENT: Aboard the SSV Corwith Cramer; ends in Woods Hole, MA.
FULL program instructions and details will be sent to ACCEPTED students.
SHORE COMPONENT AT SHOALS MARINE LABORATORY, APPLEDORE ISLAND
From Portsmouth, NH students are transported to Shoals Marine Laboratory's
(SML) field station on Appledore Island, Maine. This component includes: Introduction to the scientific
method (students analyze data collected from sites located along
Appledore's rocky intertidal zone); and field trips to visit seabird and harbor seal communities. Lectures
and lab activities provide exposure to the fundamentals of
coastal marine ecology.
THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Daily schedules a the Shoals Marine Laboratory are flexible
in order to accommodate predictable events (e.g. tides), to take
advantage of unforeseen opportunities to experience the marine
environment (e.g. observing the nearby passage of migrating whales),
and to participate in campus-wide marine science lectures and
field opportunities.
Depending upon tides and weather, each day may
include collecting trips to the intertidal zone, lectures, lab exercises, and field trips on the island or aboard the R/V John M. Kingsbury. During meal times and between required activities, students are encouraged
to carry on informal discussions with visiting faculty, work in
the labs, or study.
Days on Appledore are filled with academic endeavors, but students do have free time around meals, during which they can use the island's volleyball court, swimming area, or library. SML encourages all participants to interact with the entire island community; musicians should feel free to bring an instrument to the island and share a song with other students, faculty and staff.
Three meals are served on the island each day, except Sunday, when schedules are somewhat more relaxed and begin after a mid-morning brunch. One morning or afternoon each week, students join in a general cleaning of the island and its facilities.
SEA COMPONENT ABOARD the SSV CORWITH CRAMER
Students are transferred to the SSV Corwith Cramer, from from Appledore Island (on July 10th). The oceanographic voyage takes students to the waters surrounding Cape Cod, then into the "blue" waters of George's Bank and the Gulf of Maine. Working alongside professional scientists, students collect data and conduct marine research, emphasizing the interrelationships of the biological, geological, chemical, and physical characteristics of the Gulf of Maine. Students are introduced to the basics of nautical science as they participate in the routine operation and navigation of the ship. This component ends in
Woods Hole, MA and represents the end of the entire OGM program.
THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Students are assigned to a "watch"; a group of eight people with whom they rotate through the 24-hour daily schedule. While the watch is on duty, each person is assigned to a particular area of the vessel for the duration of the watch period: in the lab, on the deck, or in the galley.
During lab watch, students participate in oceanographic activities led by the scientist on duty. They deploy oceanographic instruments at scientific stations conducted each day at sea to determine characteristics of the water column, the sea floor, and the biological organisms of the area. They assist in analyzing the biological, geological, and physical data collected during the cruise. These data may include sea temperature, salinity, chemical nutrients, water depth, plankton samples, sediment samples, and weather observations.
During deck watch, students participate in navigational exercises led by the mate on duty. These exercises include opportunities to maneuver the vessel under sail and power, record hourly weather observations, plot courses, learn about navigational stars, and for near-shore piloting with charts, radar, and compass.
SHIPBOARD LIFE
Life at sea is fast-paced, as all watch activities continue on a 24-hour schedule throughout the oceanographic voyage. In addition to routine watch standing duties, students prepare and present group projects. There is always something to see, to learn, to do, and plenty of ways to pitch in.
Accommodations are comfortable, but cozy. The food is excellent and plentiful � three meals plus three snacks each day. At least once during the cruise, students join in a general cleaning of the ship. They have enough free time to make friends with the rest of the crew, to keep a journal, to climb aloft, to make music (bringing instruments is encouraged!), and to enjoy the sunrises, sunsets and the night sky.
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