Day 10 - A Day at the Beach. Well, sort of

We had a great weekend, and this morning after breakfast we were ready to get back at it.

Today's topic is sandy beach communities...of marine life, that is.

Beaches are probably the part of the shore that people know best, but biologically beaches are pretty boring compared to most other intertidal habitats.  Budding marine biologists, however, still need to know about beaches, so off we went.

Our first stop wasn't exactly what I had in mind...a wrong turn put us at the foot of the point where the US Coast Guard has an "Aid to Navigation" station.  This is just above the channel leading into Coos Bay.  Growing on the breakwater was the sea palm Postelsia palmaeformis.  This alga grows only where there is extreme wave action, so if you spot these where you are standing, move to higher, safer ground, ASAP, especially if there is the chance for heavy wave action.

Sea palm, Postelsia palmaeformis

Coos Bay channel breakwater, Charleston, OR

(c) 2013 Alan Holyoak

The plan for today was to try to find a few characteristic marine animals that live in sandy beaches and collect samples of sand to use in comparing beaches with different amounts of exposure to wave action.  The trend is that the heavier the wave action, the steeper the beach slope and the larger the particle size.

What was supposed to a set of rather short stops at four beaches turned into a 3-hour tour including a long stroll along Bastendorf Beach as we looked for evidence of mole crabs.  That beach was a bust though...sigh.

The crew headed for the water's edge at Basterndorf Beach, south of Coos Bay, on a gray Oregon day.

Bastendorf Beach

Our next stop was Lighthouse Beach, south of Basterndorf Beach,where we finally found mole crabs (thanks Patrick) and olive shells.

Cape Arago lighthouse this morning

Success!  These little crabs can dig like you can't believe.  Check out the video below, shot by us this morning at Lighthouse Beach, OR.

Video: Mole crab digging into the sand

(c) 2013 Alan Holyoak

Daniel and Tony collect a sample of sand to be analyzed later.

Our next two stops were at Sunset Bay and South Cove Beach, Cape Arago.

The low clouds above the shoreline really add to the beauty of South Cove, Cape Arago, OR

(c) 2013 Alan Holyoak

After lunch we gathered for a marine biology lecture on sandy beaches.  Walking for three hours on the beach followed by a nice soup and salad and sandwich lunch made up all tired, and I think that everyone in the class fought the drive to drift off to sleep during class.  Everyone pulled through nicely though.

We had our first "Readings in Biology" discussion tonight after dinner.  Everyone had an assignment to share something they read recently from the scientific literature.  It was a good meeting.  We will have one of those meetings each week.

Today was "another great day at BYU-Idaho", well, not exactly AT  BYU-I\, but you know.

Until tomorrow when we are off to see South Slough estuary and salt marshes.