Galapagos 2008

Floreana and Isabela Islands, June 3-25, 2008

Floreana Island

Overview of Flamingo Lagoon. Note the coring platform in the distance.	Solanda supervises Dan's skills with the saw.	Julian, Simon and Solanda work in the background as Flamingo Lagoon lives up to its name.
Flamingo Lagoon	Coring Platform Construction	Flamingos in the Foreground
Dan looks on as Julian and Simon leave the coring platform.	Finding good boats proved difficult this trip. This one was especially good for our needs.	Dan and Simon use the universal corer on Flamingo Lagoon.
Flamingo Lagoon	Working from the Small Boat	U-Core
Julian collects an Algae sample from Flamingo Lagoon.	Image shows the modern lagoon bottom covered by active microbial mats.	Sediment recovered with a Russian peat corer from the stiff near-shore sediments.
Algae Sample	Living Microbial Mats	D-Section Close-up
Each day on Floreana began with a boat ride from the Hotel Wittmer to the Lagoon.	Too busy feeding on brine shrimp to be concerned with the coring platform on their lagoon it would seem.	Simon displays the recovery from a short Universal Core.
The Daily Ride	Coring with Flamingos	Simon and the u-core
Julian holds up a microbial mat formation.	The volcanic rock and shallow microbial water gave the location an exotic feel.	Julian and Simon discover the hardships of having leg hair in the Galapagos.
Julian and the Microbes	Flamingo Lagoon Shoreline	Hazards of the Lagoon
	Frequent visitors of the beach at Flamingo Lagoon.	Just not the same as Seattle....
Satellite Image of Flamingo Lagoon	Sea Lions	Coffee?!
The small settlement on Floreana.	Dan and Simon inspect a sediment core from the lagoon.
The Wittmer Hotel	Coring the Lagoon	Geocoring
	Recovered "D-section" from a Russian peat corer in Flamingo Lagoon.
Floating Algal Mats on Flamingo Lagoon	D-section	Cross section

Microbial Mat	Water Filter

Isabela Island

Dan and Simon paddle the flotilla out onto the lagoon.	Dan works with the geocore equipment on the make-shift coring platform that we used on Isabella. A reinforced door from an old Hotel proved the perfect tool!	Alyssa measures the water column on Posa del Diablo.
Posa del Diablo	Dan on the Platform	The Data Sonde
Julian works to cap the recovered sediment core.	The volcanic rocks that lie below the organic sediment marked the end of our coring efforts on Posa del Diablo.	Returning to the coring platform on Posa del Diablo after a night away.
Julian and the Geocore	Coring to Bedrock	Coring Platform
Dan and Alyssa measure the water column on Posa del Diablo.	The water filtration hand-pump system worked well throughout the field season.	Alyssa measures the water in Posa del Diablo.
Measuring the Water	Water Filtration System	The Sonde in Action
The top of the first recovered sediment from Posa del Diablo.	The major change in sediment color near the top of this core may be the result of geomorphic changes in the basin in the late 20th century.	Most evenings on Isabella were spent sectioning the soft surface sediments for transport back to the lab.
Sediment-Water Interface	U-Core from Posa del Diablo	Late-night Core Sectioning
Another shot of sectioning U-core, here with the Hotel in view.	A temporary home for a partially sectioned U-core on Alyssa's coat rack while we catch dinner before all of the restaurants close.	Algae sample from Posa del Diablo. Characterizing the modern environment is very important for interpreting the sediment record.
Sectioning U-cores 2	Sectioning U-core 3	Algae Sample
More modern material from the Posa del Diablo catchment.	Dan and Alyssa transport the small boat from Posa del Diablo to Posa Verde.	On the platform at Posa Verde.
Vegetation Samples	Moving Between Lagoons	Dan on the Platform 2
Julian supports a U-core at Posa Verde for transport to shore.	Image of a Posa Verde U-core in Dan's hotel room. Note the dark color of the water overlying the sediment (sediment stops at the top of the tape).
Julian with a Core	Poza Verde U-Core	Sea lion

Geocoring	Poza del Diablo U-Cores	Mangrove Samples

Filtering Water at Poza Redonda	Coring Platform at Poza Escondida	Poza Verde U-Cores

Pelican	U-Core Sectioning Outside of Our Hotel

Expedition Science Goals

In June of 2008, Prof. Julian Sachs traveled to the Galapagos Islands with graduate students Alyssa Atwood and Dan Nelson. Prof. Simon Haberle of Australia National University joined the group upon arrival, and together the team worked to collect sediment cores and modern environmental water and vegetation samples from lagoons, lakes and ponds on the Islands of Floreana and Isabella.

The purpose of this sampling effort was twofold. A component of the laboratory analyses at our University of Washington lab will be directed towards refining understanding of the relationship between salinity, water D/H and the D/H of molecules synthesized by aquatic organisms. However, the primary driver of the sampling effort was to collect suitable material to reconstruct rainfall variation over the past few thousand years in this region, which may vary both as a result of migrations of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, as well as variations in the El Niño/Southern Oscillation system.

Congressional Demonstration

In addition to the sample collection work the team paused to provide a two-day demonstration of field methods for members of the United States Congress House Committee on Science and Technology. Prof. Gabrielle Rocap, also from The University of Washington, joined the science team for this component of the trip to contribute to the Congressional visit. The members of Congress were given an opportunity to experience first-hand the nature of the work conducted by the Sachs lab, and to ask questions and make their own observations on the effects of climate change in this fragile ecosystem.

Island Logistics

The station would serve as our base of operations and home during our time on Santa Cruz, the main population center in the Galapagos.	Julian steps out of the truck.		Marine Iguanas love the surf...
Entrance to the Charles Darwin Research Station	Arriving at the Charles Darwin Research Station	Marine Iguanas	More Marine Iguanas
	Here we are preparing to depart for our first sampling destination on Floreana Island.	All personal items and science equipment must be inspected prior to travel between islands in order to ensure that no invasive species are introduced to the unique ecosystems.	Here we prepare to leave the Island of Santa Cruz for Floreana.
"Dan with Tortoise"	Loading up the Truck	Quarantine Procedure	Julian, Dan and Simon
Getting the gear onto the boat for Floreana.			Loveable beasts actually.
Loading the Solmar	Julian, Alyssa, Solanda, and Dan (and the boat guy)	Transportation to Isabela	Snuggling Iguanas
Giant tortoises can grow to be 550 pounds and 150 yrs old!	Sparring tortoises can be quite aggressive.
Giant Tortoise on Santa Cruz	Sparring Tortoises

Congressional Delegation

Julian shows a sediment core to the group and explains how information about past climates can be preserved.	Rep. Brian Baird en route to Flamingo Lagoon to observe the coring of sediments for climate reconstructions.	Simon Haberle and Rep. Bob Inglis listen to a Darwin Station scientist discuss the Galapagos.	Dan, Alyssa and Simon prepare to demonstrate how we measure the physical properties of water bodies in the field.	The Congressional delegation heads to the island of Floreana for the sediment coring demonstration.
Julian Discusses a Core	Rep. Baird en route to Flamingo Lagoon	Discussing the Islands	Dan, Alyssa and Simon	Arrival on Floreana
	Dan and Simon demonstrate a method of sediment coring.			Alyssa & Dan prepare to brave the waters off Cormorant Point
Science Discussion with Simon	Sediment Coring Demonstration	Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) & Julian	Transportation to Floreana	Diving is cool
Dan demonstrates the technique for fending off hammerheads that ply the waters off Cormorant Point.
Practicing shark deterrance

Acknowledgments

None of this work would have been possible without generous funding from the US National Science Foundation and the University of Washington College of Ocean & Fisheries Sciences.

Nor could we have accomplished our research objectives without the support and assistance of the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station to whom we are greatly indebted. Together they preserve and protect 90% of the Galapagos Islands so it will remain forever a place of wonder.

We would like to thank individually Mr. Washington Tapia, Dr. Mark Gardener, Ms. Ruth Boada, Ms. Solanda Rea, Ms. Sonia Cisneros, Don Ramos, and Ms. Carolina Herrera for their assistance in making our trip a success.