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BAUE Shale Island Project
August 26,
2006
Objective
Project
Management - Main Tasks
Special
Tools/Software Used
Project Research
Project Mapping Data
Transects and Species Count
Macro shots of the surrounding area
Links to
Video and Photos
Project Participants
Objective:
The objective of the Shale Island Project was to expand our group
capacity to explore and document off-shore sites from a boat, while
using more complex and sophisticated strategies for collecting data and
documentation information.
The site we chose for this endeavor was easily accessible by charter
boat, requiring only a short (10 minute) ride from the loading dock in
Monterey to the target location, a half mile north of Del Monte
Beach. Shale Island is a distinct underwater plateau, whose
flat
top sits 6- 8 feet off of the surrounding sandy bottom of the ocean
floor at a depth of approximately 60 ft. The structure forms
an
oblong shape, 400 ft long and 120ft across at its widest section.
Building upon the skill base we established on our previous group
project, we added a few components to our data collection
process. We implemented the use of specified quadrants for a
more
accurate study of fish and marine life. We also combined a
GPS
tracking technique with dynamic underwater video footage taken while
scootering.
Preliminary project dives on the site indicated that the structure was
too large for an in-depth study of the island in its entirety to be
completed as a one-day event. Therefore, we targeted a
specific
area for focused study, on the west side of the plateau.
The teams followed a dive sequence created to maximize our data
collection efforts. The first team of scooter divers
completed
the GPS/survey-video sweep of the island before additional divers
entered the water. The next team, the
‘set-up’
divers, established the designated study area, by laying lines for use
by the photo documentation and species counting teams. Some
of
these divers used 3 X 3 ft quadrant markers to delineate areas of study.
In addition to the divers in the data collection target area, we
devoted two teams to explore the remaining portion of the
plateau. These teams gathered GPS coordinates and took
photographs of noteworthy structures or features on the site, including
a giant anchor, and a few solitary metridiums who inhabit the structure.
Each team conducted two dives on the site. One of the
exploration
teams used scooters for the second dive, to explore outlying areas in
the vicinity of the plateau. The final dive of the day was
conducted by the set up team, whose final task was to remove all lines
and traces of exploration activity.
The results of our project are presented below. Enjoy!
Project
Management - Main Tasks:
l
- Selection of participants
- Selection of a project coordinator
- Project Research
- Pre-Dive Project Meetings
- Practice sessions (pool)
- Practice dives (boat)
- Project Dive Day
- Post Dive Activities
- Project Data Reporting and Sharing of Data via Website
Special
Tools/Software Used
Garmin GPS housed in a waterproof container
RIFFE float
Software (GPS sofware, Global Mapper)
Transects (Size - 3x3, two plastic lengths, 2 string lengths)
Project Research
Powerpoint
presentation on the geology of Shale Island (MS PowerPoint)
Research completed by Anibal Mata-Sol - Science Director.
Project Mapping Data
GPS Track Image 1 (click on the video
track camera to launch the movie)
Transects and Species Count
Team: Jason, Sandra, and Dionna
Identifying
area & picture |
Species |
Clickable
thumbnail |
Section
1, Photo 8,9 |
- Lower
right 25% covered in common algae
- Lower 30% covered in corynactis
- 1 spiny scallop
- 2% coverage of yellow staghorn bryzoan
- 1 blood star
- 1 bat star
- 1 ring top snail
- 1 Cadlina lueteomarginata
|
 |
Section
2, Photo 10 |
- 2
Cadlina lueteomarginata
- pink and orange encrusting sponge in center of
transect – 10%
coverage
- Right 30% covered in common Algea
- Lower 50% covered in corynactis
- Entire general area covered in clam holes
- 1 visible geoduck clam
- 1 coonstripe shrimp
|
 |
Section
3, Photo 13,14,15 |
- Lower
right 25% had most visible life
- Pink correline algae
- 1 Peltodoris nobilis
- iridescent algae beside nudibranch
- orange cup coral surrounding algae
- orange encrusting sponge 10% coverage
|
|
Section
4, Photo 18, 19 |
- Entire
bottom 50% covered by moss animal hydroid
- Border of entire square transect ringed by
corynactis
- Center 10% covered in pink encrusting sponge
- 1 Doris montereyensis
- small clump of yellow staghorn bryzoan beside
nudibranch
- top 30% covered with moss animal hydroid and
yellow staghorn sponge
- 1 piddock clam and 1 horseneck clam next to
each other
|
 |
Section
5, Photo 25, 26 |
- Corraline
sculpin
- 10% algae coverage in lower right corner
- 40% total yellow staghorn bryzoan
- 5 piddock clams
- pink encrusting sponge 5%
- corynactus 5% coverage
- 1 purple urchin
- 1 blood star
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Section
6, Photo 29, 30, 31 |
- 1
small decorator/kelp crab
- 30% coverage corynactus
- 1 jewel top snail
- 10% coverage yellow zooanthids near corynactis
- 5% yellow sponge coverage
- common algae in center <5% coverage
- pink encrusting sponge <5% coverage
|

Photo
29, 31
|
Section
7, Photo 33, 34, 35 |
- 1
blood star
- 1 scalyhead sculpin
- 10% coverage of pink correline algae
- orange cup corals <5% coverage
- 50% coverage common algae
-
**water column near transect 7 and 8**
- 1 medium sized lingcod, column of about a dozen
fish including
vermilion, copper, blue and kelp rockfish
|

|
Section
8, Photo 38 |
- Generally
empty with exception of clam hole filled with algae
- 1 orange cup coral
- small group of aggregating nipple sponges
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Section
9, Photo 45, 46 |
- This
transaction section is where the line starts (blue weight marker)
- 10% coverage of staghorn bryzoan
- 50% moss animal hydroid
- 20% corynactis
|

|
Section
1, Photo 49, 50 |
- 1
orange puffball sponge
- 1 blackeyed goby
- 1 romquill
- 20% common algae coverage
|
Photo
50
Dive
2 begins here. We did a couple of different transect areas past the
start of the line and then went back to the previously counted areas.
|
Section
2, Photo 54, 55 |
- 1 Peltodoris nobilis
- several tribellid worms
- 10% pink encrusting sponge
- 5 piddock clams surrounding nudibranch
- 20% orange encrusting sponge with corynactis
growing on sponge
- 10% staghorn bryzoan coverage
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Team: Clinton and Andy
Identifying
area |
Description |
Clickable
Thumbnail |
Line 1,
Transect 3 |
- White Volcano Sponge - < 5% (1
small colony :right edge, middle, on line)
- Finger Sponge - < 5% (1 small
colony :top edge, middle)
- White Chalky Sponge - < 5% (1
small colony :top edge, middle next to
- Cystodytes lobatus)
- Unknown Tube Worms - 20-30 (mostly top
right corner)
- Chaceia ovoidea - 4
- Peltodoris nobilis - 1
- Corynactis californica - 35%
- Metridium senile - 10%
- Heteropora pacifica - 5%
- Bugula californica? - 5%
- Pisaster giganteus - 1
- Henricia leviuscula - 2
- Unknown Tunicate - <
5% (1 small colony :left edge)
- Cystodytes lobatus? - < 5% (1
colony : top edge, middle)
- Red Algae - 15%
- Encrusting Coralline Algae - 5%
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Various macro shots surrounding the transect area
Team: Mark and Kresimir
Description |
Thumbnail |
Scalyhead sculpin
Artedius harringtoni |
 |
Unknown |
 |
Blue Ringed Topsnail
Calliostoma annulatum |
 |
Red Octopus
Octopus rubescens |
 |
Sea Anemone and unknown crab
Corynactus californicus |
 |
Gopher Rockfish
Sebastes carnatus |
 |
Peltodoris nobilis |
 |
Tritonia festiva |
 |
unknown tunicate |
 |
Triopha catalinae |
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Link
to all video and pictures taken, including surface pictures:
Shale Island Photos
Shale Island Video
Project
Participants:
Name |
Roll |
Beto Nava |
Scooter, survey, Video, project organizer |
Susan Bird |
Scooter, survey, project support, project
organizer |
Nick Radov |
Project support |
Suzanne Baird |
Survey, project support |
Brian Gilpin |
Project support |
Gary Banta |
Scooter, project support |
Anibal Mata-Sol |
Scooter, survey, project
support, science director |
Paul Lee |
Scooter, survey |
Jason Warshawsky |
Photographer, project support |
Sandra Tullis |
Project support, species count |
Dionna House |
Photographer, species count, project support |
Clinton Bauder |
Photographer, project organizer |
Mike Jimenez |
Photographer |
Andy Mrozek |
Scooter, survey, project support, surface video |
Mark Lloyd |
Photographer, webmaster |
Kresimir Mihic |
Project support |
Jim Capwell |
Boat Captain |
Abigail Kennedy |
Surface director |
Eric Larsen |
Boat Captain |
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