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MarineQuest X—USGS Supports Florida Marine Research Institute's Open House
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)'s Center for Coastal and Watershed Studies in St. Petersburg, FL, participated in the 10th annual MarineQuest, an open house hosted by the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) on April 3 in downtown St. Petersburg. A group of children and adults eagerly waited their turn to learn about the similarities between Florida's geology and the dissolving of sugar cubes by water from an eyedropper. USGS hydrologist Ann Tihansky and her daughter Tasia explained that limestone is porous, and after many years of water running through the pores, the holes typically increase in diameter as the limestone dissolves, just as sugar dissolves (much more quickly) in drops of water. A popular ground-water model was used to demonstrate how porous zones in limestone can rapidly transport contaminants from the land surface into the Floridan aquifer. USGS microbiologist Christina Kellogg fielded questions about African dust and other areas of ongoing research in the USGS. A hurricane video played in the center of the display, to increase awareness of the destruction hurricanes have caused in the past. Teacher packets, buttons, handouts, USGS bags, and USGS Open-File Reports were popular items for the public to take home. The USGS and FMRI have a history of assisting in each other's open houses; for example, a representative from FMRI participated last year in the fifth annual USGS Open House in St. Petersburg.
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in this issue:
North Carolina Submarine Groundwater
Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative Forensic Geology Assists Investigation Submarine Groundwater Discharge
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U. S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
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