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TREC Virtual Base Camp _ Ask the Scientist (Lee) _ Questions

Posted by: Hannah May 25 2006, 06:10 PM

Hello. I am a 6th Grade student at The Oakwood School in Mrs. Barlow's class. I was wondering what you were studying and expierimenting with. What equipment do you use? Please reply as soon as possible.

-Hannah Smith 6B

Posted by: Lee_Cooper May 25 2006, 06:40 PM

Hi Hannah,

Just to give you one example, we are studying some of the materials that are in the ocean that are made by plants, such as chlorophyll, and how long it takes for that chlorophyll to get to the bottom of the sea, and then we are trying to determine how much of that chlorophyll is immediately used, and what effects that has on the animals that live on the bottom. These invertebrates are the ones that some of the big mammals like walrus and gray whales feed on, as do some of the ducks that dive to the bottom of the ocean, so it is important for us to study these connections in the food web. We use equipment for this part of the study, such as a fluorometer, which tells us how much cholorophyll is in the water, and filters, and pumps to force the chlorophyll and plant cells up against a filter. For collecting animals and sediments from the bottom, we use van Veen grabs and a HAPS corer. I think Mrs. Barlow told me that she has put some pictures of this equipment on the TREC website under pictures.

Thanks for writing and hope that answers your questions.

Lee Cooper