Today's class began at 9am where we met at the Long Wharf. Today's task was to identify and observe what we see along the water front of the Boston Harbor. My first initial observation of the area where the class met was that it was a very clean and tourist friendly area. It was very apparent that the city of Boston has taken great pride in maintaining this area. The first observation that we made as group was that the location of Long Wharf and Christopher Columbus Park the temperature was approximately 80 degrees and the time was 9:42am. During this time the tide was low and the wind was light, which could have an effect on the visibility of the water. The visibility of the water was fairly clear to almost good and I could see 3 to 5 feet in to the water. Describing the the site I observe that there was a rocky sea wall and the tide was so low we actually could see pebbles, cobbles, and sand near the base of the sea wall. I remember yesterday around the afternoon observing the same location and noticing there was a difference between yesterday and today's tide level. The tide level today was very low and the time of day has a direct effect on that.
The most common types of seaweed I observed were seaweeds growing on the rocks, which are called rock weeds. The colors ranged from black or brown, and there was an abundance of rock weeds along the rocky sea wall. Rock weeds need to be in the Intertidal Zone to grow. The second most common plant that I observed at this location was the green seaweed in the water that looked like lettuce. I also notice that along with the plant life there was a fair amount trash located along the sand and cobble stones and pebbles. Clearly the site of trash was evidence that humans were here. I also learned that the area where we were observing was also known as the Intertidal Zone, this area is primarily used by humans. The area below the Intertidal Zone is the Subtidal Zone. For sea life I observed green crabs, seagulls, and clam shells. I also learned the green crabs are red in color and have been in MA for about 300 years.
The next thing I observed was the floating dock I observed that there was extremely rich color( and vegetation in the Subtidal Zone. The cause of this is because it is always under water, but also exposed to the sun most of the time. The organism I observed on the floating dock were called Orange Sheath Tunicate and they are located near low-tide line and below in shallow water.
The next location at about 11:18am was at the Rowes Wharf by the side of the docks and we observed pillars that were designated for each group. I observed that my pillar had barnacles that had risen all the way to the top of the pillar. This was a result of high tide. I then observe more Orange Sheath Tunicate an blue muscles attached to the pillar.
At 12:20pm we arrived at the Barking Crab where my group and I observed Green Kelp and Reddish to Purple Kelp. We also observed a Northern Sea Roach and Craw Fish on the Green Kelp. I then reached inside the water and pulled out some vegetation from the dock. I observed what I believed to be a Linear Skeleton Shrimp after much research and deliberations amongst my group we came to the agreement that it was what we believed to be a Linear Skeleton Shrimp. I then observed some more Orange Sheath Tunicates and some Golden Star Tunicates, along with a green female crab. The way to tell the difference between a female and male crab is because the bottom of the females triangle is broader then that of the males. I learned a lot of things today on our walk on the water front.
Source:
National Audubon Society Field Guide to Seashore Creatures North America
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