Monthly Archives: October 2006

Temperature Changes Through Time

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BACKGROUND: With so much information in the media about Climate Change, it is important to be able to sort out and analyze the evidence first hand. From 1921 until the present, records of temperature of the sea water have been taken daily at Race Rocks. The question is, do we have evidence of an increase in ocean temperature over this time period?
OBJECTIVES: After doing this assignments, you will be able to:
a) Comment on the importance of maintaining a database of environmental factors over time.b) Compare the monthly temperature averages for the decade of the 1920’s with the last decade c) Examine data temperature records and determine if there is evidence of a change through time..d) Evaluate temperature change through time as an abiotic factor that affects the biodiversity of organisms in an ecosystem.e) Account for the geoclimatic reasons for similarities and differences of water temperatures, and indicate the implications for organisms living in these ecosystems.

PROCEDURE: 1. Describe how this set of sea-water temperature records have been obtained. This file provides examples of the records which have been submitted to The Institute of Ocean Sciences at Sidney, Vancouver Island.

The students from Lester Pearson College often stay at the island and take over the daily duties such as the water sampling for temperature and salinity. This video shows the process used in the manual determination of these factors.

When the records have been submitted, they are added to a database which is maintained by the Institute of Ocean Sciences. This link shows historic sets of raw data from IOS for the British Columbia Light Stations.
 Seawater temperature and salinity observations in the past few years:
See

2. Go to this file to obtain the Race Rocks Mean Monthly Sea Temperature 1921-present,a) open an excel workbook and save it as “Temperature records at Race Rocks. We will copy the data for the first ten years of the record and the last ten years of the record to an empty Excel file.

b) Highlight years 1921 to 1930 from the data, copy and paste to the open Excel file.

c) Cut out each year and paste it side by side so that you have the rows representing the months and the columns representing the years. Make a horizontal table of the data

d) highlight across the able, the temperatures for each month of the ten year group. Then click on the symbol in the menu line which produces an average. This average will appear to the right of the last years column.

e) Do the same with the last ten years set of data. You now have two sets of averages by month of the two decades.

f) Compare the monthly averages for the two decades. What do you find?
3. There are of course many ways of looking at this data. Try summing the total averages for each decade. Simply highlight the column of averages and click on the tool for SUM. What is your finding.4. You could also do the same for all the decades.Once you have a chart made up of the monthly averages of all the decades, It is easy to have Excel draw a graph for you. Click on the Wizard symbol and choose the type of graph.

5. After manipulating the data, and looking at it in several ways, write a statement which expresses your understanding of the whether or not there has been a temperature change in the Strait of Juan de Fuca as measured by daily samples taken at Race Rocks. Be sure that you do not generalize beyond the evidence provided by your data. Also discuss the assumptions that you must recognize before drawing a conclusion from this data.

6. For Extension work: Run a statistical program to determine if the difference you find is significant.
7. For Extension work: Read the review below and if possible, read the book! Present a summary to your class. The long-term Sea temperature record at Race Rocks has been pointed out as one of the pieces of evidence that has accumulated on global warming. Author Terry Glavin, in reviewing the book The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery ( Harper Collins Publishers, 2006) says :

” The Pacific Ocean itself is getting warmer. Measurements at the Race Rocks lighthouse near Victoria show an average rise in temperature of 1°C since 1921, which doesn’t sound like much until you remember that its only 10°C in the other direction that separates us from the deep freeze of the Ice Age. The ocean, absorbing increasing volumes of carbon dioxide, is becoming more acidic, too, inhibiting the production of plankton, the basis of all life in the sea.”

The rest of the article may be seen at http://www.straight.com/content.cfm?id=17132
8. Refer to the file: Sea Temperature as an abiotic factor . Several ideas are discussed in this file about how the sea water temperature affects marine organisms. Discuss how organisms adapt to changes in sea temperature.
9. Extension: Find out the monthly water temperature averages from your own area. Compare them with Race Rocks and discuss the geoclimatic factors which lead to the similarities and or the differences, and the implications for organisms living in the two ecosystems.

See also https://racerocks.ca/category/education/climate-change/

Dodecaceria concharum: Coraline-fringed tubeworm–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Below is a  close up view of a colony of Dodecaceria concharum emerging from Lithothamnion. On the left is a cryptically coloured sculpin that takes advantage of the background for blending in. See the complete picture below.

rmsculp13a

dodeca

Taken in 2009 by Ryan Murphy off the North side of Great Race Rock

dodecaceria

Photo by Dr.A. Svoboda Typically, this Terebellid tube worm appears as a slight fuzz on the surface of the pink lithothamnion or on the hydrocorals.

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Annelida
Class Polychaeta
Subclass Palpata
Order Canalipalpata
Suborder Terebellida
Family Cirratulidae
Genus Dodecaceria
Species concharum
(Oerstad,1851)
Common Name: coralline fringed tube worm
This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of
Lester B. Pearson College
 2006   Garry Fletcher

Heteropora pacifica: Staghorn Bryozoan–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The arms of brittle stars are tangled among the horns of this Heteropora cluster–photo by Ryan Murphy

Heteropora pacifica , the yellow staghorn bryozoa are shown in these pictures .surrounded by the typical associated invertebrates. This bryozoan occurs frequently in small clumps sub-tidally at Race Rocks.

amcurdyheterropora

Heteropora pacifica. beside the hydrocoral Allopora sp. and brooding anemone – Photo by Andrew McCurdy.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Bryozoa
Class Stenolaemata
Order Cyclostomatida
Suborder Ceriopoina
Family Heteroporidae
Genus Heteropora
Species pacifica (Borg, 1933)
Common Name: Staghorn byozoan
This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of
Lester B. Pearson College

Numenius phaeopus: Whimbrel–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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whimbrelraisasept272010

Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus photo by Raisa Mirza

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Raisa Mirza took this image on May 9, 2010 as the whimbrel were migrating through the area. See her Flickr images here:

Raisa Mirza took these mages  on May 9, 2010 as the whimbrel were migrating through the area.
See her Flickr images here:

This video was taken by PB on the remote camera at Race Rocks on July 17, 2007.Of special note here is the nictitating membrane which shows as the bird doses off to sleep.

On June 4th 2006, I received two e-mails at the same time: The one from Pam Birley from England included pictures of an unidentified shorebird, taken at some distance from the remote camera. The other from David Alison from the Rocky Point Bird Observatory had the following observation:

Hi Garry,
On Thursday 31st, Rocky Point recorded its first Long-billed Curlew over the lower field right at the banding shack (#299 on our checklist!). This morning (Sunday 4th), two of us were lucky enough to observe via spotting scope no doubt the same (or perhaps a different?!) Long-billed Curlew on the North Race Rock. Not sure if you have recorded that species from Race Rocks before?
I’ll check your website’s video cams later to see if we can capture it on film (as we last saw it flying towards Great Race Rock)!
Cheers,
David Allinson
It turns out that the pictures were of another type of curlew, the whimbrel, not a long-billed curlew. It was from the second set of pictures that I made this slide show above.

After David saw the pictures, he wrote “Interesting…perhaps we jumped to the conclusion on our distant bird as the bird in the photo is clearly a whimbrel, not a Long-billed Curlew..? This has been a good spring for both species locally. Or perhaps indeed both species were present.…I know it may seem like coincidence, but I am still strongly inclined to “keep” our sighting from Sunday at 1115 on North Rock as a Long-billed Curlew (it was a large shorebird, big bill, and cinnamon wash which is not consistent with whimbrel ). As I mentioned, there have been good numbers of whimbrel  this spring (as many as 33 were at the Victoria Golf Course one day in May!), and both species are known to associate.
Whimbrel are annual at Rocky Point both in spring and fall migration, but particularly in “fall” (July to September, and November in 2015), and they presumably occur on Race Rocks regularly. However, there are less than a dozen accepted Long-billed Curlew records for Victoria, but 1-2 birds are reliably reported on the south island every spring during the last few years (the Victoria Golf Course in Oak Bay seems to be a best spot along with whimbrel and marbled godwits congregating on the green at the 5th tee).

David Allinson
Thanks to these two observers for their assistance in recording this species for Race Rocks.Further Reference:
A good reference on the tracking of migratory routes of whimbrels can be found at http://www.wildlifetracking.org/index.shtml?project_id=369

See other posts on whimbrels on racerocks.ca.
em>Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.
 Oct 2006 Garry Fletcher

Phalacrocorax auritus: Double crested cormorant

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Double Crested Cormorants are winter residents at Race Rocks. They nest on other islands off Victoria.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Pelicaniformes
Family Phalacrocoracidae
Genus Phalacrocorax
Species auritus
Common Name: Double Crested cormorant

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Terebratalia transversa: the transverse lamp shell– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The only time we have seen one of these was in 1999 when several grab samples were taken by researchers using a dredge in water over 30 metre depth.

Lampshells belong to the  Brachiopods. They resemble bivalves but are unrelated . A good example of convergent evolution. Lampshells appear commonly in the fossil record ,  and although, both bivalves and lampshells have two shells, however they are not related. Bivalves have shells that are symmetrical mirror images of each other, whereas with lamphells, the two shells and the internal structures are very different.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class  Brachiopoda
Order
Family
Genus Terebratalia
Species transversa
Common Name: Transverse lamp shell
This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, volunteers, researchers and staff  of
Lester B. Pearson College
  2006 Garry Fletcher

Calidris alpina: Dunlin–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Dunlin, Calidris alpina … photo by Rod King March 18, 2021 ( click to see size comparison with a Canada Goose)

Dunlin?

Dunlin, Calidris alpina in winter plumage, photo by Anne Stewart, Ecoguardian, October 14/2014

Dunlin?3

Dunlin photo by Anne Stewart, Oct 14, 2014

Dunlin

Dunlin in summer breeding plumage ( May 2, 2012-Mike Robinson)

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Genus Calidris
Species alpina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common Name: Dunlin

The video shows the typical feeding pattern of the dunlin, probing the debris at the bottom of tidepools for crustaceans, insects and larvae.

raisablkturnand-1In this picture taken by Raisa Mirza in December 2011,  you can compare the Dunlin in it’s winter plumage with the Black turnstone. They often feed together in the winter months around the tidepools and over  the rain-saturated lawn areas.

 

See other references on Dunlins posted on this website

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by a website  observer, faculty, staff and students  of Lester B. Pearson College Date:
Oct 2006		 Pam Birley

Phalacrocorax penicilatu: Brandt’s Cormorant–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Brant's cormorants

Brant’s cormorants:  Phalacrocorax penicilatu -photo by Alex Fletcher

This cormorant is numerous in the winter, with much of the British Columbia population present at that time, as it is a relatively rare bird. In 1987 a survey that reported 3 nests was done on 15 July by Wayne Campbell and was reported in: Campbell, R.W., and Preston, M. 1988. British Columbia nest records scheme. Thirty-first and thirty-second annual report 1986-1987. British Columbia Naturalist 26:12-13.

Here are the links to the Christmas Bird Counts.

In 2014 and for several years previous, there have been no cormorants nesting at Race Rocks.  The only still-thriving colonies are at Mandarte Island.

This is a  Blue-listed species in BC. This list includes species not immediately threatened, but of concern because of characteristics that make them particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Sub-Phylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Pelcaniformes
Family: Phalacrocoracidae
Genus: Phalacrocorax
Species: penicilatu
Common Name: Brandt’s cormorant
other Brandt’s Cormorant posts at Race Rocks

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. —–Garry Fletcher

 

Arctonoe pulchra : The red commensal scale worm–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmscaleworm011-11-18 at 5.00.26 PM

Arctonoe pulchra Photo by Ryan Murphy

rmscaleworm2012-03-26 at 11.39.25 AM

Scaleworm in the arms of a sea star

We frequently see the red commensal Scale worms on the ventral surface of sea cucumbers, and sea stars.

Kingdom Animalia (animals)
Eumetazoa (metazoans)
Protostomia protostomes
Lophotrochozoa
Trochozoa
Annelida (segmented worms)
Class Polychaeta
OrderAciculata
Family Polynoidae
Genus Arctonoe
Species Arctonoe pulchra

Common name: Red commensal Scale worm
Classification from: Animal Diversity Web

 

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty, staff and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College
 2006: Garry Fletcher

Melospiza melodia: Song Sparrow

Aside

Song Sparrow in October, 2007 at Race Rocks. (Photo by David Sacks.)

Song Sparrow from the remote cam 5 (image by Pam Birley March 06)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Song Sparrows are winter visitors to Race Rocks. See the Christmas Bird Count File for other records.

1997 0 1999 0 2001 0 2003 na 2005 1
1998 4 2000 0 2002 3 2004 3 2006 na

On the Ecoreserves.bc.ca website , there are several posts about Song Sparrows. They have been the subject of research on other Ecological reserve Islands in BC.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Sub-Phylum Vertebrata
Class Aves
Order Passerifomes
Family Passeridae
Genus Melospizia
Species melodia
Common Name: Song Sparrow

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Garry Fletcher 2006