Kasitsna Bay Laboratory

For Marine Biology Lab, I went on a field trip across Kachemak Bay, to the Kasitsna Bay Lab. The area was absolutely beautiful, and so are the facilities. Due to the extreme tidal ranges, it is a hot spot for intertidal research, which was also our purpose for being there.

On Saturday, the first day of our study, we went to Jakolof Bay. Each group was randomly assigned an area to survey, which consisted of a detailed list of the types of organisms present, as well as the quantity.

Jakolof was beautiful, however, no one was kidding about the quick tides. The plot of land that my group was randomly assigned ended up being completely underwater in about an hour. This made data collection very difficult, to say the least. And very wet. All three of us in the group ended up being waist-deep in freezing cold water (which wasn't as bad as it sounds) while finishing our data collection. After a while, we stopped caring, and we were just laughing about it and having fun the entire time. It was quite funny, because we ended up getting trapped by the tide while walking along the beach to leave, and everyone ended up having to get in the water. Everyone else was super annoyed that they had to get wet, but my group was just having fun still and enjoying the adventure.

Later that day, our friend let us borrow her kayaks and paddleboards, so we took them out into the bay and paddled around. I saw so many lion's mane jellyfish swimming around, and there was an otter friend that was chilling around the dock all weekend. It was a really cool experience, especially since the water was so clear. I hope to get the chance to go out on the water again.

That night, once it was finally dark, we discovered bioluminescent plankton in the water off the dock. The bioluminescence is a result of disturbance, so we were able to move the water around with a kayak paddle to see them glow. It truly is magical. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the science of it. That they were organisms, not just pretty lights. They looked like pixie dust that was shimmering in the water. And above us, in the night sky, was the most beautiful Milky Way I have ever seen. There is such a lack of light pollution that the stars shine so brightly. Lights glimmering from above and below, it was a magical night, to say the least.