Andrew Douglas' Diary
2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
It was early February, a Monday morning. Work was progressing as normal…that is, until I checked my inbox. I opened an email that instantly injected some serious excitement into the day (and coming months)—I had been accepted to participate in an Earthwatch expedition in Belize. Fantastic, I thought. Great news! My mind was racing. I had a thousand questions, but the first one was “Where on Earth is Belize?”.
Hi, my name is Andrew, and I’ve been employed with Alcoa since 2004. My current position is as a mechanical engineer at Alcoa’s Kwinana alumina refinery in Western Australia.
I was very excited to discover I had been accepted to participate in an Earthwatch expedition. This would be such an amazing opportunity to not only help research a distant part of the world, but also contribute to the sustainability of Belize and hopefully have some fun while we’re at it!
I had mixed feelings of excitement, a little disbelief that I was actually going, and also a little nervousness since I had no idea what to expect. After the initial excitement had calmed, I began to get as much information about Belize and the expedition as I could.
Monday, March 17, 2008
I have got my travel books, searched the Internet, and spoken to lots of people—I now know a lot more about the tiny country of Belize. Here’s a summary of some interesting facts about Belize:
- It’s located in Central America.
- The country borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south and west.
- It’s home to about 300,000 people whose official language is English—this is unique in the region.
- Belize is a very small country. It has a land area of about 22,800 square kilometers (8,800 square miles).
- To put this in perspective, Belize is slightly larger than Wales. For those familiar with Australian geography, Belize is less than one-third the size of Tasmania and can fit into Western Australia more than 118 times!
- Belize may be small, but it compensates for this with an extraordinary array of biodiversity.
- The barrier reef that sits just off Belize’s shores is the second largest in the world (after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef). The reef is home to a wide variety of sea life, including fish, rays, and whale sharks.
- Seven sites in this barrier reef have been recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
- There are only four atolls in the western hemisphere, and three of these are located in Belize’s waters.
- Belize’s rich biodiversity is not just confined to the water. The country has more than 4,000 species of flowering plants and about the same number of tree species as the United States and Canada combined.
- Belize is home to 600 species of birds, 60 species of snakes (thankfully, only a few are poisonous), and animals such as jaguars, iguanas, and howler monkeys.
With all this natural biodiversity, it is encouraging to read that more than 40% of Belize’s national territory is under some kind of environmental protection.
In short, Belize is a tiny country with a small population. However, it has remarkable natural assets, such as forests, reefs, and abundant wildlife. So, why am I traveling to Belize for Earthwatch, and what do we hope to achieve from our trip? I’ll cover this in the next diary entry.
Monday, April 14, 2008
The Earthwatch operations in Belize are designed to ensure the amazing natural diversity of the area can be managed sustainably.
Our Earthwatch expedition is the second of 10 teams working on “Sustainable Southern Belize” expeditions in 2008. Earthwatch and the local Toledo Association for Sustainable Tourism and Empowerment group have developed a monitoring program to evaluate the extent of coral bleaching in the shallow back reef at the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve. This is where we will spend the majority of our time—either with our heads down snorkeling or on a boat recording data.
When they are under stress, coral can bleach (i.e., turn white when they lose their symbiotic zooxanthellae algae, which gives the coral its color). Bleaching doesn’t always kill the coral—the zooxanthellae can be regained. However, prolonged or intense stress can lead to the death of the coral.
The increasing number of coral bleaching events around the world over the last 20 years is thought to be linked to increasing sea temperatures as a result of global warming.
Our expedition will focus on setting up study sites for the following expeditions and collecting information from these sites. To do this, we need to be able to identify 20 different coral species with names like Stephanocoenia mechelinii. I have laminated the identification cheat sheet to take with me!
Our expedition team will run transects, take underwater photos, install temperature and light loggers, and conduct water quality testing. The 2008 teams will add data to that already collected by Earthwatch teams in 2007.
The effects of bleaching on key coral species will be documented, and the key influences on these bleaching events (e.g., water quality, temperature, light intensity) will be recorded. This will allow a greater understanding of the impact and extent of coral bleaching within the cayes.
An understanding of the extent and potential influences of bleaching in the area will allow the local managers to effectively conserve and protect the coral reef ecosystem within the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve.
Ultimately, Earthwatch research in this area will identify key physical and biological factors that influence coral bleaching. This will facilitate the development of a strategy to monitor, provide early warning, and possibly mitigate future coral bleaching events.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
My Earthwatch adventure begins tomorrow morning when I fly out of Perth. It will take a long 48 hours to get to Belize (25 hours in the air) and 34 hours to get home (26 hours in the air).
I have visited the travel doctor three times to get my required vaccinations and (hopefully) packed all the required equipment.
We will be living on an island in the Sapodilla Cayes Marine Reserve during the expedition. These cayes are remote—around 60 kilometers (37 miles) offshore from the town of Punta Gorda. There is no regular transport passing the cayes and no communications (mobile phone reception, Internet, etc.) on the island where we will stay except for use of a VHF radio (for emergency use only). Hopefully, we won’t need it!
It will be an amazing experience to live in such a remote area, and I am looking forward to the trip.
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Earthwatch Institute
Learn more about this international nonprofit, which supports scientific field research worldwide.
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Sustainable Southern Belize
Learn more about the expedition and its scientists.
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