Caretta Research Project

Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge

Procedures

• Tagging the turtle on front flippers with a inconel tag or P.I.T. tag

• Classifying and recording the observed turtles

• Nest Protection and Relocation

Nest Protection and Relocation

• If the nest needs to be relocated due to the high water mark, then the eggs are carefully removed, counted and relocated

• For protection of all nest, screening is placed over nest sites and secured with metal stakes

• Conditions of the nests are monitored throughout the incubation period

Hatchlings

• After a 45-day incubation period the nest are monitored 24 hours a day for emerging hatchlings

• Nest are excavated three days after 1st emergence to examine the remaining eggs

Dawn Turtle

Some of the Other Wild Life at Wassaw

Decked Out in Turtle Patrol Gear

Wassaw Lodging

Fellow Volunteers

Taking A break At Wassaw

REEF COMPONENTS

• Animals

• Plants

• Algae

• Animals, plants, and algae that produce calcium carbonate

• Limestone produces from algae

REEF DAMAGE

• Damage from storms takes up to 10 to 25 years to recover

• Divers fins and collecting• Boat anchors• Chemicals• Oil spills• Over fishing, which creates overgrowth in algae

and kills the corals• Reef still trying to recover from El Nino from

1983, and the global climate is crucial during development

REEF DAMAGE FROM ANCHOR

RATE OF GROWTHMETHOD OF EVALUATION

RATE inch/year YEARS TO GROW A 1,400-METER REEF

Carbon-14 dating 0.6 233,000 -93,300

Coral growth and potential estimate

2.98 1,550,000 -18,900

Carbon-14 dating 0.04 1,400,000 -<70,000

Growth rings (and maximum)

0.03 2,000,000 -424,000

Potential estimate 3.23 17,500

Soundings 11.31 5,000

CO2 system 0.2 700,000 -280,000

CO2 system 0.04 1,750,000 -1,270,000

Soundings 16.73 3,380

Acid Rain

• Produced from sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides

• Comes from burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas, and oil

• Acids made from the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides meeting with the combo of moisture in the atmosphere to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid

How does this affect the reef?

• Changes the acidity of the water

• Low pH

• Chloride cells are impaired

• Gills can’t osmoregulate