Monday, June 4, 2012

International Travel Days and Arrival at STRI

Checking out pictures from La Selva at the Airport in Costa Rica

The tired crew at 4am as we boarded the bus to the airport in Panama City

Boarding the plane for Bocas del Toro this morning


Authors:  Kris, Brittany, Jamison and Kelly

Word of the Day: Zooxanthellae- dinoflagellates that live within tissue of the coral polyp body

Culture Focus:  We were sad to say goodbye to La Selva but very excited about arriving at our new home for the next 4 days, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Station in Bocas del Toro in Panama!  We left Costa Rica on June 3rd and made it to Panama City last night.  We stayed at a hotel overnight and were lucky enough to hear a Colombian band who decided to have a jam session right where we were.  Great atmosphere and a great way to welcome us into Panama.  We had to start our day today extremely early (4am) to make our puddle jumper plane from Panama City to Bocas.  We arrived at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Station around 8am and were delighted to be served breakfast and shown our dorms for the next 4 days.  Today was spent settling in, unpacking gear and attending lectures by Dr. H and Dr. J about the coral ecosystems we will be exploring over the next few days.

Question of the Day: What types of coral reefs have you visited? Were they affected by the rising problem of coral bleaching due to climate change?

1 comment:

  1. Hey, Rob, are you on Carrie Bow Island? Your dad, Karen, and I visited a Smithsonian research station there. It's just across a small strait from South Water Caye where my trips always stayed, so I'd been there often.
    Aunt Maggie

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