Hello world! I bet you've been wondering, "jeez, where's Baillie been! Total radio silence is probably not the best." Don't fear, we've been plenty busy, just with an alarming lack of wifi connection to update this project's page. In mid-June, I travelled down to the Florida Keys to meet with my advisor and aunt, Maria LaPointe, to discuss any issues that may have arisen when she built a version of the LADI trawl earlier this year, as well as outline my goals for the project. We decided to slightly modify the size and length of the initial design of the net so that it would be easier to travel with. While the initial design of the trawl recommends a net with a mouth diameter of 50 cm and that is 150 cm long, we instead decided it would be easier to travel with (and afford) a 30 cm mouth, while maintaining the 150 cm length. I ordered a simple plankton net from Aquatic Research Instruments (see below picture) which I will be modifying to better suit the frame. I decided on this net because I am not a great seamstress, and unlike the suggested Bongo net, the simple plankton net comes complete with a detached cod end, meaning it will be significantly easier to both collect my samples as well as clean the trawl itself. While in Florida we also rented a boat and mapped out the route we will follow when I collect my samples. We decided it would be best to collect samples on both the Atlantic and Gulf sides of the Keys, because that will provide an interesting contrast between the brackish water of the Chesapeake Bay, the slower moving water in the Florida Bay, and the cleaner salt water of the Atlantic Ocean. I will be collecting samples just south of Islamorada because it is fairly close to the center of the Keys, and I am still trying to determine if I should also take samples in other Keys that might be farther south and/or north.
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AuthorJust doing her best to find out more about micro-plastics! Hope you enjoy these fun pictures of me! Archives
May 2020
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