Overview

On Saturday, May 27th, 2023, The International SeaKeepers Society hosted Sea the Reef and Surf Skate Science for a floating classroom. We met 12 students, 4 chaperones and 2 educators at Pelican Harbor Marina where we boarded DISCOVERY Yacht River Queen. As we headed out into Biscayne Bay we observed how clear the water was, which segued into our discussion about water quality in the Bay. We entered the mouth of Little River and noted the change in the appearance of the water- it became much murkier and greener in color. We discussed how Little River is a source of freshwater to the Bay, originating in South Florida’s primary freshwater source- the Everglades. Students were able to help identify possible sources of pollution in Little River, such as the inactive construction sites we cruised by. Before returning to Biscayne Bay we filled a bucket with water to test for pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen level and turbidity using our EarthEcho kits. The students worked in groups to determine values for each of these parameters and we compared them to determine our precision. We went over the implications of some of these values, such as low dissolved oxygen level, which can be fatal to many marine organisms. We ended our day with a cleanup at Pelican Island and collected an impressive 50 lbs of trash which we removed from the island. After wrapping up with a discussion about lifestyle choices we can make to reduce our plastic use, we headed back to Pelican Harbor Marina. We want to thank Sea the Reef and Surf Skate Science for joining us on this beautiful day and to DISCOVERY Yacht River Queen for making it happen!

Outing Goal

The goal of this outing is to improve the students’ knowledge of scientific parameters used to evaluate water samples and to raise awareness of the dangers of ocean pollution.

Partner Sites

Sea the Reef

Surf Skate Science