Monday, September 24, 2012

Station maintenance

Station maintenance  was conducted a week after our planned September 10-17 date due  to some rainy and stormy weather conditions and some meetings for the update of the STXEEMP management plan. On a clear  almost flat day on September 21, 2012  Jose Sanchez, STXEEMP Interpretative Ranger and myself ( Marlon Hibbert) journeyed out to Salt River.

Pleasant conditions 
                                         
Before-deep CTD 
                                         
                                           
After - deep CTD 
                                             

Jose-roped to his work
                                         
                                               .

Jose - chipping away
                                                 
                                                   
Main  column - before
                                                 


Main column-after 
                                                   
The big picture
                                                   


Cleaning brought us many friends hunting for scraps



Spectators doubling as security guards
                                             
                                       
                                               
Cleaning has pitfalls -we saved this one. 

                                       
Jose's handiwork

                                                                                         
Paling of corals 

Pale Montastrea sp

Diseased-Meandrina sp 

Connected groundtruth CTD



The groundtruth CTD was connected at about 10:56 am and ran undisturbed for at least two hours. Jose cleaned and changed the mesh on the top CTD, but for the most part none were disturbed. The groundtruth CTD was disconnected at about 3:20p.m. just before our departure from the site.

A week before going to the site , a check on the data revealed conditions conducive to bleaching, on a brief swim around, we did observe some minimal paling that did not appear widespread and  was mostly species specific.

Next planned visit, Week of October 15, 2012.