My name is Catherine Roberts and I have taught seventh grade life science
at W.E. Waters Middle School for 24 years. I am a member of the SHARK
Team. We 'Take a bite out of learning'. I am also an adult volunteer is
scouting. My other interests include sailing, canoeing and backpacking. I
have even snow-shoed in Canada. I spend a lot of time outdoors. My students
are also involved in many environmental projects such as growing oysters
and raising American Shad.
The Antarctic Peninsula region in which Catherine will be conducting research.
R/V Gould. Photograph courtesy of Besse Dawson, Pearland High School (TEA 1997/1998).
Impact of Phytoplankton Blooms on the Sea Floor Ecosystem
Dr. Craig R. Smith, University of Hawaii
We will be investigating the summer accumulation of organic
material on the Antarctic continental shelf floor (the Benthos). We will
evaluate this accumulation using core samples. We will then use our
findings to assist our understanding of the energy transfer events which
follow: the increase of benthic plankton and then the increase of
macrobenthic detritovores.
