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Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem History Project Hosts Dartmouth College Field Geology Program
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Sidescan sonar image of wreck of WWII submarine in the lower Patuxent River. The deck and conning tower (shadow) are at the top. The bow is believed to be at the left.
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During the first week of September, the Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem History Project conducted a field
operation in the bay from a station based in Solomons, MD. In addition to follow-up sampling and
acoustic-data acquisition for the project, Steve Colman and Dave Nichols (WHFC) teamed up with
Dartmouth College professors Max Zhao and Jim Aronson to teach a segment of Dartmouth's field geology
program.
The program, known as the Stretch, is unique. Students spend an entire semester in the
field, working in different places for two-week intervals. The combination of geology in the
Appalachian Piedmont and in Chesapeake Bay is the first segment taught in the eastern U.S. in
many years. This year's course was the largest ever and included 36 students and four teaching
assistants.
The best and brightest sample of Chesapeake Bay mud.
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Each day after short morning lectures, the students split into two groups. One worked aboard
the R/V Aquarius (Chesapeake Bay Laboratory, University of Maryland) focusing on water sampling
and estuarine-circulation measurements. The group measured salinity and dissolved oxygen, among
other things, in order to learn about mixing and stratification in the estuary, as well as the relation
between productivity and anoxia. The second group used the R/V Kerhin (Maryland Geological Survey) to
learn about sidescan-sonar, seismic-reflection, and coring methods.
Proximity to the Patuxent River
Naval Air Station provided spectacular targets for sidescan-sonar imagery. Seismic-reflection profiles
in the main part of Chesapeake Bay in this area show remarkably well the relations among modern
bathymetry, the river channel of the last glacial lowstand of sea level, and older paleo-channels.
Finally, the students operated coring equipment to obtain samples of Chesapeake Bay sediments and
examine them closely.
| INDEPENDENT INTERPRETATIONS OF THESE IMAGES ARE WELCOME. |
Seismic-reflection profile across the axial channel and paleochannel of the bay. |
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Sidescan sonar image of ship wreck in lower Patuxent River. It is believed that the stern is missing at the top of the image and the bow is toward the bottom. |
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In addition to hands-on experience with scientific operations, the students were exposed to the
beauty of Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystem from a vantage they might not have enjoyed otherwise.
Only a few mild cases of seasickness were reported. A group dinner with fresh steamed blue crabs
provided a memorable finish to the experience.
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November 2000
in this issue:
Delmarva Coastal Bays—Hoverprobe
cover story:
St. Pete Open House
Cub Scouts
JC Students Visit St. Pete
Teachers Learn About Rocks
Chesapeake Bay—Dartmouth College
Seafloor Mapping
Leadership in Scientific Research
British Antarctic Survey
FWS, USGS Honored for Restoring Refuge
Student Achievement Awards
ECO Photo Contest
ESRI 2000 Conference
Expert Witnesses at Environmental Trial
Two Long-Time Geologists Retire
November Publications List
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
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