Caroline and Bethany on Blackbird Caye

Caroline:
My internship week was amazing! I worked as a research assistant for Sadie Waddington, a masters candidate from California. She is studying the mangroves and coral reefs off the coast of Belize on Turneffe Atoll. Mangroves are a natural way of protecting the coral reef because they act as a holding place for sediment. Unfortunately, mangroves are being cut down in order to make room for resorts and white sandy beaches. Sadie’s study consists of two parts: one on erosion in the cut and intact areas of mangroves and one on the amount of sediment on the coral reef near these areas. My job for the week included living on a beautiful island, snorkeling every day, and tromping through the mangroves! It was an incredible week. The mangrove roots are really strong so we easily walked on them; it felt like a jungle gym! My favorite part of the research was snorkeling on the coral reef. While snorkeling, I saw barracudas, a stingray, a shark, and the most beautiful fish imaginable! Bethany, the other student with whom I worked, and Sadie were scuba divers. My job was to snorkel on the surface and scout out the sediment traps. I then took compass readings so the traps could be easily found the next time. Bethany and Sadie retrieved the sediment-filled traps and replaced them. Later, we removed the sediment from the traps and put them in an oven to dry. I am so thankful for this week because it has definitely sparked an interest in me for a marine-based career!

Bethany:
As research assistants to Sadie Waddington, a Masters candidate from California, Caroline and I had a rather adventurous internship! Our work consisted of measuring erosion at sample sites in the mangroves of Turneffe Atoll, and measuring sedimentation on the reef of the Turneffe system. It was fascinating work, and exhausting-we fell asleep shortly after dinner each night! We spent the first half of the week in the mangroves, had a day off to snorkel, and then spent the last half of the internship on the reef study-a total of eight days. Working with researchers gave me a new respect for the work they do, and the frustrations they face, especially in marine environments-Sadie and I seemed to always have new jellyfish and fire coral stings, and the various other bumps and bruises that occur from working underwater. Using scuba to complete research was a new experience for me, as was climbing through the mangroves searching for the PVC pipes that marked our sites. I feel as if this internship was a real learning experience for me, and has helped me to understand how research works. I’m even hoping to go into marine research in the future. What a fantastic week!