ON THE BOAT - HIGH SCHOOL

Thames River Transect (5 hours)
Students will use a wide range of oceanographic equipment and field chemistry kits to take vertical and longitudinal profiles of water quality along the entire length of the Thames River, a tidal estuary that flows fifteen miles from the junction of the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers down to Long Island Sound.  The Thames River supports critical cultural, economic, and national security infrastructure, including revolutionary war-era fortifications, the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Nation reservations, General Dynamics’s Electric Boat submarine shipyard, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the Port of New London, a U.S. Navy Submarine Base, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.  Measurements will include temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, CO2, and nutrient concentrations (phosphates, nitrates, and ammonium).  Students will use their data to study how the estuary varies physically from the mouth to the headwaters, and also to examine human impacts on the estuary. Suggested lab: Quantitative Plankton
 
Sewage Plant Study or Power Plant Study (2.5 hours)
Students will explore human impacts on marine habitats using water chemistry.  We’ll sample nutrient levels and test for fecal coliform bacteria near a sewage treatment plant, or characterize the high temperature water plume in the discharge stream of a power plant.  We’ll also measure temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, and CO2.  Typically taught with a strong focus on water chemistry and physical oceanography.
Suggested lab: Water Filtration
 
Seal Population Study (2.5 hours; seasonal)
Project Oceanology has been monitoring the seal population in Fishers Island Sound for over 15 years. Participants will census seals at several locations in Eastern Long Island Sound, and also collect data on seal activity levels. Discussion and analysis will focus on seal population distribution and trends in Long Island Sound, and on the behavioral ecology of seals. Suggested labs: Seal Thermoregulation, Pinniped Power
 
Gull Rookery Study (2.5 hours; seasonal; 30 students max)
Project Oceanology has been monitoring the nesting activity of gulls and other seabirds in Fishers Island Sound for more than 30 years. Participants will work in small teams to count nests, eggs, and chicks on a gull rookery. Discussion and analysis will focus on gull population trends, seabird conservation biology, and the ecological role of seabirds in Long Island Sound. Suggested shore: Marine Debris Shore Program
 
Nautical History, Plotting, and Navigation (2.5 hours)
Students will use a compass and a nautical chart to take bearing fixes, find their location, and calculate their course, speed, and time.  They will tour the wheelhouse of the vessel to learn about modern navigation, and learn some of the basics of navigation.  This program may be combined with a tour of historically/nautically important sites, including Fort Griswold, Fort Trumbull, New London Harbor Light, and Ledge Light.  Tours inside Ledge Light are sometimes possible courtesy of the Ledge Light Foundation.