Hello Herpetologists!!
That's right--herpetologist. A herpetologist is a scientist who studies reptiles and amphibians, and each one of you is an amateur herpetologist because the loggerhead sea turtles that you are studying are reptiles.
Our favorite professional herpetologist, Dr. Ed Standora, has sent in a new set of data on the movements of the turtles, and we have put that new data below. As before, be sure to chart the movements of the turtles in this week's data and compare it to their movements last week. Do you notice any interesting changes in the path or direction of the turtles?
In last week's update, we challenged you to find out if there are any well-known ocean currents that might have influenced where the turtles appear to have travelled. We also asked you to tell us as much as you could about the currents. Many students sent in answers and we have put those below. We asked Dr. Standora about the ocean currents, here's what he had to say:
"It looks as though the turtles have been riding the Gulf Stream. There are some on-line WWW photos showing the position of the Gulf Stream on almost a daily basis. I think they are National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) files. This is a great time for the students to learn about major ocean currents!! "
"As a young graduate student crossing the Gulf Stream off the Florida coast I was most impressed with how distinct the Gulf Stream body of water was from the surrounding water mass. You could easily see the difference in the water clarity and feel the difference in water temperature. At the higher latitudes parts of the Gulf Stream will break off and leave cores of warm water. "
For this week's challenge question, we want you to find out a little more about the ocean area where the turtles appear to have been in the last several weeks, and what they might find to eat out there.
Challenge Question # 45
"What is the Sargasso Sea, where is it located, and what is unique about this area of sea? "
(Instructions on how to respond to this Challenge Question are at the bottom of this update).
New Migration Data
Turtle # 09037
Feb. 1: 36.575N, 68.281W
Feb. 2: 36.735N, 68.508W
Feb. 3: 37.087N, 68.777W
Feb. 4: 37.111N, 68.624W
Turtle # 09038
No data received
Turtle #09039
Feb. 1: 39.294N, 57.322W
Feb. 2: 39.288N, 56.948W
Feb. 2: 39.309N, 56.905W
Feb. 3: 39.420N, 56.601W
Turtle # 11462
Feb. 1: 39.519N, 51.151W
Feb. 2: 40.228N, 51.039W
Feb. 3: 40.742N, 51.001W
Feb. 4: 41.030N, 50.789W
Students' Answers to Challenge Question # 34
From MINNESOTA:
Yes, the turtles are swimming in the Gulf Stream! The Gulf Stream is an
ocean current that has speeds up to 4 to 5 knots. (A knot is one nautical
mile per hour. A nautical mile is a little longer than a land
("statute")mile.) The Gulf Stream moves clockwise toward the northeast off
the eastcoast of the USA. The Gulf Stream temperature is very warm.
Thanks for printing our answer to Challenge question number 33!
Sonnesyn Elementary School,
Megan, Jimmy and Keir, Third Graders
Katie Wilson (kwilson@metro2.k12.mn.us)
From OHS SCIENCE LAB:
One student in our class talked with a turtle expert who said that the
young turtles use the north flowing North Atlantic Gyer to Europe and the
older turtles return on the Lower Gyer. Looking at a map of currents and
the location of the turtles, our class theorized that these turtles are
using the Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current that flows from the Carribean
to England at a flow rate of as fast as 5 mph. Are we both correct?
OHS Science Lab (ohssci@gnv.fdt.net)
How to Respond to Journey North Challenge Question # 45
1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge@learner.org
2. In the Subject Line of the message write: Challenge Question # 45.
3. In the body of the message, give your school's name and location and answer this question:
"What is the Sargasso Sea, where is it located, and what is unique about this area of sea? Have the turtles been swimming in the Sargasso Sea? "
We'll share your ideas and those of other students in future reports. You can also see students' answers to Challenge Questions on Journey North's WWW site.
The Next Loggerhead Turtle Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 27, 1996.
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