The grade 11 science students visited Barber’s Point Beach Park on Tuesday, but they weren’t there to relax. The students were there to collect data on the abundance of species in the intertidal zone. “We are working with an education group called OPIHI (Our Project In Hawai’i’s Intertidal) that has been collecting data on all islands for the past decade,” explained Michelle Bradley, IPA’s Secondary Science Department Chair. “Our data that was collected today will be compared to data collected in 2006 by actual scientists at University of Hawaii,” Bradley continued. “How cool is that?!”
To get an accurate count of the plant and animal species that occur at the site, the students spent three class periods learning specific skills: proper sampling techniques, use of quadrats and transects, and species identification. “The intertidal zone is the least studied area in Hawai’i, yet it sees the most change on a daily basis,” explained Bradley. “Tides change two times a day making both dry and submerged conditions for the organisms, which is harsh.” Using their newly-acquired skills, the students used the transects to delineate specific areas from land to ocean, placed the quadrat along the transect at specific increments and collected data on the species directly within each quadrat. Ultimately, the scientists at UH will be able to compare the data collected on Tuesday with the data collected from the same location 10 years ago to get a better understanding for the impact of climate change over time on Hawaii’s intertidal zone.
Grade 11 students Justin Major and Jonah Bobilin practice identifying different species that they will encounter at the beach.
Justin Major positions the quadrat while Sean Alamar, Brycen Kawakami-Tabios and Alanis Sakuma identify species and record data.
