Wednesday at Solarte

Weds. Nov. 10 – Today we went to the Solarte site, which was a dense dwarf mangrove that was particularly difficult to navigate (see photos).  Imagine walking in dark, knee-deep water tripping over unseen roots and seemingly impenetrable trees while carrying large buckets full of gear, and later, when you are hot and tired, buckets filled with heavy samples.  While it looks worse than it is, it takes a lot of time and patience and a huge sense of humor to do field work here, because a few trips in and out of the mangrove carrying these buckets can’t be done gracefully or in a hurry. You just keep clearing the trees gently out of your way while trying not to damage them as you pass, and trying not to trip or break your ankle when stepping into dark water where you can’t see the bottom.  While it may seem we are in a tropical paradise (true), we are still working hard in the heat and sun.  I’m just setting the record straight, not looking for sympathy, and I know it is cold back home!  This is incredibly interesting and challenging and I am very pleased to have the chance to experience this and learn so many things.  I’m a geologist working with biologists, and there is no better way for me to gain firsthand knowledge of these ecosystems.

The entry fringe zone at Solarte.

The interior, dense dwarf Rhizophora forest at Solarte.

Grad student Caroline working with her coring device.

Rhizophora prop roots hanging into the lagoon outside the forest.  The roots are an ecosystem all their own.  See the mangrove oysters and red fire sponge, among other species, that live only on those roots.

We had a nice dinner out in Bocas. We sat right at the water’s edge in an open-air restaurant where we ate coconut rice, fish with Creole sauce and veggies.  While we were eating a huge barracuda jumped out of the water and stayed where we could see it swimming near the dock.