Friday, July 5, 2013
1:22 A.M.
Even though I'm writing this post on Friday, this post is about Thursday and July 4th.
Today was a pretty chill day. As a nice break, we went to the U.S. embassy in Kolonia for a 4th of July party. There were American flags, patriotic songs sung by adorable kids, Polynesian dances by the cutest 5 year old girls you've ever seen (and some older teenage ones as well), hot dogs (they didn't have any veggie dogs, so I ate one), cupcakes, and even some Mormons. Don't worry, they didn't try to convert me.
My afternoon was spent with my mom discussing the logistics of my return home. Apparently, Peter Moran, the chief guy of the IPE (International Programs and Exchanges) department at the UW, ordered Julian to send me home. This was pretty hard to take... but I gradually accepted it, and my mom and I looked at flights going back to Seattle. I would like to stop in Guam cause I've never been there before and I know a cool Homo sapien from there, and then my mom and I were planning to see if we could sneak a couple days in Hawaii before we take the final flight back to Seattle. My return has been deemed a "medical evacuation," so the flight will be completely paid for my the HTH insurance we were required to buy. I'll have more info on all this stuff later and there is still an infinitesimally small chance I will stay, but I'm almost certainly coming home early and not finishing the class, whether I like it or not. My doctor has cleared me to stay, my parents are fighting for me to stay, the professor and kids want me to stay, and I want to stay, but none of us have the final say... that power belongs to Mr. Moran. And even if Moran changes his mind, this whole event has been so stressful on my mom that she expressed her desire to leave regardless of the outcome of the situation. This whole situation has been a mess, but that is a topic for another blog. In the meantime, I've still got some time here, and I intend to spend it to its fullest extent.
Tonight, I drank some sakau. For those of you who don't know, sakau is a beverage that tastes like dirt, has narcotic effects, and is used widely throughout Micronesia and many other Pacific islands for recreational and spiritual purposes. I didn't feel any of the effects, but that's ok. It was something I definitely wanted to try, and I got to try it.
Tomorrow (technically today), I'll be checking out seagrasses in some estuaries, and I'm very excited. On Friday night, all of Saturday, and Sunday morning through afternoon, everybody else will be at homestays at various places near Kolonia on the island. Mr. Moran has forbidden me from any homestays even though I will have to be here until at least Sunday evening because that's when I can get plane flights to Guam. Instead, I expect my mom and I to do some touristy stuff. I may show her Nan Madol, and I really want to take her to a mangrove swamp in some way, shape, or form. I also really want to see if I can organize a deep-sea fishing trip or a trip to Ant Atoll, which is a 30+ mile open-ocean boat ride from Kolonia. The chances are slim, but it's worth a shot.
My mom has recited this quote since my infancy:
"As you travel along life's highway,
Let this motto be your goal.
Keep your eye upon the doughnut
And not upon the hole."
I expect to be eyeing a lot of doughnuts before I leave Pohnpei.
Charlie
Finished 1:46 A.M.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Micronesia: Day 12 - Hi Mom! :)
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
11:54 P.M.
Sacrifice. Do you know what that means? Well, for those who don't know, it means Sara Robertson.
My mom flew all the way over from Seattle to Pohnpei just to see me after my two back to back seizures. I'll be seeing her in two hours at the Pohnpei air strip, and I am super excited.
Right now, I am in a state of purgatory. In the likely event that I will be forced to go home, the trip leaders and students hosted a surprise party for me. It was absolutely fantastic... I had no idea there was a party... I thought we were learning how to graph our estuary data. Well, unless graphing estuary data involved cake, a slide show of pictures of me, and people telling embarrassing stories of me, we didn't graph anything.
Since the cat is out of the hat, I might as well tell you the beans that were spilled. And since those who told the story didn't hold back any details, I won't either.
One night while I was chilling in my room blogging or working or doing something antisocial (I believe I was writing up a field report, which I later learned from the professor was the best in the class), I received a message from Madison Shipley, another girl on the group, telling me to tell other kids to stop stealing all of another, >21 year old student's non-water beverages right now. Knowing that this was an extremely urgent message, I ran to deliver the message as fast as I could. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
I was in my white boxer-briefs (they are NOT whitey-tighties, and they are the only white underwear I have, thank you very much), and I was feeling adventurous (when am I not?). Since time was short at hand, I neglected to put on any additional clothes and began hopping over balconies to get to the balcony where the drinking of non-water beverages was occurring.
I had to hop over three occupied rooms. These were: the office of the hotel owner, the room where my professor was staying at, and another room where the graduate student co-leading the trip and another older woman who was taking the class were rooming. I had to be extremely quick. Although my professor's room was curtained closed, the others were not. In fact, Sam, the older student, was on her computer just feet from the see-through sliding door.
So, I stealthily booked it across these rooms until I got to the porch in front of the room where the kids where playing card games and drinking. There was an immediate and drastic reaction. The guys laughed, and the girls looked like they had just drank sour milk.
They eventually let me in and I delivered my message, leaving them utterly confused. However, I think I got my point across. Afterwards, I made my mad dash across the porches back to my porch (still with the older student less than a yard from the sliding glass door). Unfortunately, I tripped on that porch, but adrenaline kicked in and I was able to get back to my room without anybody (else) noticing. Apparently, the graduate co-leader was confused by a big sound she heard that night outside her door and went to ask the trip leader what it was, but he said it was probably just some animal up in the rafters. Well, they both learned last night that it was me scrambling back to my room.
There were tons of other stories that included but were not limited to: my eating habits (I'm an "attentionitarian" ), my constant unbuttoning of my Hawaiian shirts, and my constant spaciness. My roommates made a point of explaining my annoying habit of always leaving any door open. But everything was in good spirit. I gave a couple speeches, and you can bet I'll come back to the states an advocate for epilepsy equality and an inspiration that epilepsy doesn't have to hold you back from having crazy awesome adventures. It sure hasn't held me back.
My friends are out collecting coliform samples out in the Kamar Estuary right in front of our hotel, and I'm here chilling, sweating, blogging, and drinking coconut juice. It's delicious, and I've been having a great time over the past couple days since the verdict was dropped. I'm still fighting, and I've got lots of support.
You can try to tame a dragon, but it's still a dragon, so your attempts at taming will likely be in vain.
I'm meeting my mom at the airstrip soon, and then we'll venture around Kolonia and get her settled in to the PCR Hotel. Peace, for now.
Charlie
11:54 P.M.
 |
| I love my mom |
Sacrifice. Do you know what that means? Well, for those who don't know, it means Sara Robertson.
My mom flew all the way over from Seattle to Pohnpei just to see me after my two back to back seizures. I'll be seeing her in two hours at the Pohnpei air strip, and I am super excited.
Right now, I am in a state of purgatory. In the likely event that I will be forced to go home, the trip leaders and students hosted a surprise party for me. It was absolutely fantastic... I had no idea there was a party... I thought we were learning how to graph our estuary data. Well, unless graphing estuary data involved cake, a slide show of pictures of me, and people telling embarrassing stories of me, we didn't graph anything.
Since the cat is out of the hat, I might as well tell you the beans that were spilled. And since those who told the story didn't hold back any details, I won't either.
One night while I was chilling in my room blogging or working or doing something antisocial (I believe I was writing up a field report, which I later learned from the professor was the best in the class), I received a message from Madison Shipley, another girl on the group, telling me to tell other kids to stop stealing all of another, >21 year old student's non-water beverages right now. Knowing that this was an extremely urgent message, I ran to deliver the message as fast as I could. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
I was in my white boxer-briefs (they are NOT whitey-tighties, and they are the only white underwear I have, thank you very much), and I was feeling adventurous (when am I not?). Since time was short at hand, I neglected to put on any additional clothes and began hopping over balconies to get to the balcony where the drinking of non-water beverages was occurring.
I had to hop over three occupied rooms. These were: the office of the hotel owner, the room where my professor was staying at, and another room where the graduate student co-leading the trip and another older woman who was taking the class were rooming. I had to be extremely quick. Although my professor's room was curtained closed, the others were not. In fact, Sam, the older student, was on her computer just feet from the see-through sliding door.
So, I stealthily booked it across these rooms until I got to the porch in front of the room where the kids where playing card games and drinking. There was an immediate and drastic reaction. The guys laughed, and the girls looked like they had just drank sour milk.
They eventually let me in and I delivered my message, leaving them utterly confused. However, I think I got my point across. Afterwards, I made my mad dash across the porches back to my porch (still with the older student less than a yard from the sliding glass door). Unfortunately, I tripped on that porch, but adrenaline kicked in and I was able to get back to my room without anybody (else) noticing. Apparently, the graduate co-leader was confused by a big sound she heard that night outside her door and went to ask the trip leader what it was, but he said it was probably just some animal up in the rafters. Well, they both learned last night that it was me scrambling back to my room.
There were tons of other stories that included but were not limited to: my eating habits (I'm an "attentionitarian" ), my constant unbuttoning of my Hawaiian shirts, and my constant spaciness. My roommates made a point of explaining my annoying habit of always leaving any door open. But everything was in good spirit. I gave a couple speeches, and you can bet I'll come back to the states an advocate for epilepsy equality and an inspiration that epilepsy doesn't have to hold you back from having crazy awesome adventures. It sure hasn't held me back.
My friends are out collecting coliform samples out in the Kamar Estuary right in front of our hotel, and I'm here chilling, sweating, blogging, and drinking coconut juice. It's delicious, and I've been having a great time over the past couple days since the verdict was dropped. I'm still fighting, and I've got lots of support.
You can try to tame a dragon, but it's still a dragon, so your attempts at taming will likely be in vain.
I'm meeting my mom at the airstrip soon, and then we'll venture around Kolonia and get her settled in to the PCR Hotel. Peace, for now.
Charlie
Micronesia: Day 11 - The End?
Tuesday, June 2, 2013
4:21 P.M.
There's been a change in plans. The UW IPE is ordering me to go home.
Of course, I don't want to go home, my professor doesn't want me to go home, my parents don't want me to go home, and the other kids on the trip don't want me to go home, so I've been put in a very unfortunate situation.
Sunday was a doozy. It was a pretty chill day in general, except I had two seizures in one day. I'm fine - one occurred in the shower and the other occurred at the dinner table - and the only injury I have is a slightly gnawed tongue from the second one, which isn't even that bad. My mom is on her way to come and pick me up... I believe she is flying to Guam right now.
This is too bad... I've put a ton of effort into this course and I never foresaw not being able to finish it due to a cluster of seizures. Although I haven't had two seizures in one day, I have had two seizures in one week, so something like this is not unheard of. Nobody who is making the decision has asked to talk to me, and although my teacher has been given orders, he has not had the time to express his opinion, nor have any of the other students who witnessed the seizures and want me to continue staying on the trip.
I don't believe hope is lost. Publishing a brilliant scientific research paper whilst working my way through all this crazy UW bureaucracy would not only be a win for me... it would be a win for epileptics everywhere. You can't let epilepsy prevent you from doing the things you love, but I cannot prevent other people from trying to do so in the name of safety. If they were truly concerned about safety, they'd ask how safe I feel and my plan for these next few weeks instead of forcing me to sign an emergency medical evacuation form. I didn't sign it... the agreement said that "I have consulted appropriate legal counsel prior to executing this Release Agreement," and I don't have time to find a lawyer in Micronesia.
Yesterday was interesting. At first, the UW IPE said that I was not allowed to leave the hotel for 24 hours when it was perfectly safe for me to do the day's activities (I may or may not have participated in all of them... I still had a bit of a headache), but then they told me to go to see a certain Dr. Bryan Isaac in Kolonia to run some blood tests and take my weight. Me and the trip co-leader and a graduate student in Oceanography, Ashley, set off on our adventure to go find this man. Ashley was supposed to be leading students on a sampling expedition in the Kapwalap Estuary, but she stayed behind with me instead.
First, we went to the Genesis hospital, which is the largest private hospital in all of Pohnpei. They said that they didn't know a Dr. Bryan Isaac, so we headed over to the state hospital across the street (I don't understand why they would have two hospitals affiliated with different organizations on different sides of the street, but whatever works, I guess). When we asked the guys at the front desk of the state hospital where Dr. Bryan Isaac was, they laughed at us and said "Bryan Isaac?!?!? This is the STATE hospital! trolololol!"
Thankfully, a kind Micronesian woman that we knew was in the hospital, and she led us to Dr. Bryan Isaac when she could. Dr. Bryan Isaac was a doctor for a family practice. We sat in the waiting room and waited for the doctor, who took a blood test and my height and weight. I guess he was looking for anything terrible in my blood or to see if I had suddenly ballooned up to 243 pounds. In any event, he was a very nice guy. He had a big, bald head that looked as though it could be used as some sort of wrecking ball and these thick glasses. When the blood tests came back, everything was alright, except one thing.
The potassium levels in my blood exceeded the maximum value his instrument could read. This means that he likely lysed the blood cells in the preparation. Therefore, he sent us to the state hospital to get another blood test and an EKG.
The state hospital was unlike any state hospital you would find in the U.S. It was crowded with people, with huge lines and not enough chairs. Since we were told by Dr. Bryan Isaac that we needed to get some tests done, we headed to the place where tests were done and waited in line. When we finally got to the front of the line, the man in scrubs looked at Dr. Bryan's notes and told us that they were incorrect. We lacked a test form.
We called Dr. Bryan. The last thing we wanted to do was go all the way over to his place and lose our spot in line. He told us that we needed to go to the X-Ray department. So we went to the X-Ray department, and to our relief, we had finally reached the right place. A big, beefy, cheery man led me to a room, put some stickers on me, and gave me an EKG. This was the first thing that had gone right. My EKG looked normal.
Then, we went back in line to wait for a blood test. The wait wasn't horribly long, and I got my blood taken safe and sound. But the worst part was yet to come.
The blood-takers told Ashley and me that they would scan the results over to Bryan Isaac as soon as possible. "Great!" we said, and we headed back over to the kind, stumpy man with a head like a wrecking ball. He told us that the hospital hadn't faxed over the report yet, so we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
4:21 P.M.
There's been a change in plans. The UW IPE is ordering me to go home.
Of course, I don't want to go home, my professor doesn't want me to go home, my parents don't want me to go home, and the other kids on the trip don't want me to go home, so I've been put in a very unfortunate situation.
Sunday was a doozy. It was a pretty chill day in general, except I had two seizures in one day. I'm fine - one occurred in the shower and the other occurred at the dinner table - and the only injury I have is a slightly gnawed tongue from the second one, which isn't even that bad. My mom is on her way to come and pick me up... I believe she is flying to Guam right now.
This is too bad... I've put a ton of effort into this course and I never foresaw not being able to finish it due to a cluster of seizures. Although I haven't had two seizures in one day, I have had two seizures in one week, so something like this is not unheard of. Nobody who is making the decision has asked to talk to me, and although my teacher has been given orders, he has not had the time to express his opinion, nor have any of the other students who witnessed the seizures and want me to continue staying on the trip.
I don't believe hope is lost. Publishing a brilliant scientific research paper whilst working my way through all this crazy UW bureaucracy would not only be a win for me... it would be a win for epileptics everywhere. You can't let epilepsy prevent you from doing the things you love, but I cannot prevent other people from trying to do so in the name of safety. If they were truly concerned about safety, they'd ask how safe I feel and my plan for these next few weeks instead of forcing me to sign an emergency medical evacuation form. I didn't sign it... the agreement said that "I have consulted appropriate legal counsel prior to executing this Release Agreement," and I don't have time to find a lawyer in Micronesia.
Yesterday was interesting. At first, the UW IPE said that I was not allowed to leave the hotel for 24 hours when it was perfectly safe for me to do the day's activities (I may or may not have participated in all of them... I still had a bit of a headache), but then they told me to go to see a certain Dr. Bryan Isaac in Kolonia to run some blood tests and take my weight. Me and the trip co-leader and a graduate student in Oceanography, Ashley, set off on our adventure to go find this man. Ashley was supposed to be leading students on a sampling expedition in the Kapwalap Estuary, but she stayed behind with me instead.
First, we went to the Genesis hospital, which is the largest private hospital in all of Pohnpei. They said that they didn't know a Dr. Bryan Isaac, so we headed over to the state hospital across the street (I don't understand why they would have two hospitals affiliated with different organizations on different sides of the street, but whatever works, I guess). When we asked the guys at the front desk of the state hospital where Dr. Bryan Isaac was, they laughed at us and said "Bryan Isaac?!?!? This is the STATE hospital! trolololol!"
Thankfully, a kind Micronesian woman that we knew was in the hospital, and she led us to Dr. Bryan Isaac when she could. Dr. Bryan Isaac was a doctor for a family practice. We sat in the waiting room and waited for the doctor, who took a blood test and my height and weight. I guess he was looking for anything terrible in my blood or to see if I had suddenly ballooned up to 243 pounds. In any event, he was a very nice guy. He had a big, bald head that looked as though it could be used as some sort of wrecking ball and these thick glasses. When the blood tests came back, everything was alright, except one thing.
The potassium levels in my blood exceeded the maximum value his instrument could read. This means that he likely lysed the blood cells in the preparation. Therefore, he sent us to the state hospital to get another blood test and an EKG.
The state hospital was unlike any state hospital you would find in the U.S. It was crowded with people, with huge lines and not enough chairs. Since we were told by Dr. Bryan Isaac that we needed to get some tests done, we headed to the place where tests were done and waited in line. When we finally got to the front of the line, the man in scrubs looked at Dr. Bryan's notes and told us that they were incorrect. We lacked a test form.
We called Dr. Bryan. The last thing we wanted to do was go all the way over to his place and lose our spot in line. He told us that we needed to go to the X-Ray department. So we went to the X-Ray department, and to our relief, we had finally reached the right place. A big, beefy, cheery man led me to a room, put some stickers on me, and gave me an EKG. This was the first thing that had gone right. My EKG looked normal.
Then, we went back in line to wait for a blood test. The wait wasn't horribly long, and I got my blood taken safe and sound. But the worst part was yet to come.
The blood-takers told Ashley and me that they would scan the results over to Bryan Isaac as soon as possible. "Great!" we said, and we headed back over to the kind, stumpy man with a head like a wrecking ball. He told us that the hospital hadn't faxed over the report yet, so we waited.
And waited.
And waited.
After two hours, the results were finally sent in. Everything was fine... except my potassium and sodium electrolytes were a little low. So the doctor prescribed me a banana and a teaspoon of salt, and we were on our way.
_________________________________________________________
I'd never really thought about how epileptics were treated and about being some sort of activist. Now, I can't think of anything else. This whole experience (I don't want to talk about the week before the trip, but I felt manipulated, demoralized, and defeated, and it's a wonder I gathered up the strength to even go on this trip in the first place after that week) has really made me think about the way we treat people with disabilities. Yes, I have epilepsy. Yes, I risk death every day (my first seizure on Sunday took place in the shower, but I had turned the water off while I was scrub-a-dub-dubbing, and this simple action could have prevented a much worse outcome.
But I must live my life. And the people on this trip LOVE me here. My mom flew all the way from Seattle to San Francisco to Hawaii to support me on this trip, and now she is on the plane to Guam. After an overnight layover, she'll head to Pohnpei and stay in the same hotel as me.
The students won't, the teacher's won't, and I won't go home without being heard. You can't always win, but you can always try.
Fingers X'ed.
Charlie
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Micronesia: Day 8 - Storms and My Mangrove Report
June 30, 2013
11:43 A.M.
I know I didn't do a very sizable blog post yesterday... this was because I was working on a field report for the data we collected in the mangrove swamps. I told you I'd post some of the data and an analysis once I analyzed it, so that's what I'll do. Here's a summarization of my report.
For part 1, we hypothesized how mangroves would change as a function of salinity. Based on my data, I made the assertion that mangroves change because some are more effective at growing in freshwater but can't survive a salinity that other mangroves can thrive beyond. This was partially true, but there was hardly a straight correlation between the two estuaries we sampled (Sapwalap and Soundau) and salinity, indicating that while salinity is a factor, there are many, many other factors at play (which is to be expected. This is a tropical estuary, not a lab).
For part 2, we identified the different mangroves we saw. I already did this in excruciating detail on my day 3 post, so I'll save you from having to read even more of my overly verbose diction.
In part 3, I talked about the methods we used to find the distribution of mangroves at certain salinities. To make sure our data was comprehensive and scientifically applicable, we took the exact time of our stop at a certain location and took the coordinates with a GPS. Once we did that, we measured the salinity of the water. We took salinity measurements only at the entrance of the estuary going in and going to see how the tidal flux affected salinity, but for all other measurements, we actually headed into the mangrove swamps.
After we headed into the swamps, we found a partner to pair up with (the same partner for all sites on one estuary) and each of us would survey the number of mangroves in a 20-30 meter radius. More specifically, we would count the number of each genus we could find. We wrote down these numbers and the genera in our Rite in the Rain notebooks with their associated Rite in the Rain pens, hopped into the boat,went to the next station, and repeated the process.
I didn't go into some of the mangrove swamps, so I did my surveying with Ashley Maloney (a grad student on the trip) from the boat. For the last three stops on the Soundau estuary, I surveyed around three boat lengths (20-30 meters) for different species.
Alright, here's the moment you've all been waiting for: the data. The tables above each graph are the actual raw data we used to make that graph. Unless you have really good eyes, it's hard to read the tables, so just click on them for the original version or zoom in on your computer.
I'm trying to upload some videos of the storms yesterday but they aren't working. I am assuming that this is because of the slow internet connection. I'll give it another shot, but I doubt they will be able to upload. In the future, I will take shorter videos.
Finished 2:47 P.M. 6/30/13
And here is the thunderstorm. You only see one flash of lightning, but I heard they are pretty rare in Pohnpei, so I'm glad we got to see one.
Done!
Charlie
11:43 A.M.
I know I didn't do a very sizable blog post yesterday... this was because I was working on a field report for the data we collected in the mangrove swamps. I told you I'd post some of the data and an analysis once I analyzed it, so that's what I'll do. Here's a summarization of my report.
For part 1, we hypothesized how mangroves would change as a function of salinity. Based on my data, I made the assertion that mangroves change because some are more effective at growing in freshwater but can't survive a salinity that other mangroves can thrive beyond. This was partially true, but there was hardly a straight correlation between the two estuaries we sampled (Sapwalap and Soundau) and salinity, indicating that while salinity is a factor, there are many, many other factors at play (which is to be expected. This is a tropical estuary, not a lab).
For part 2, we identified the different mangroves we saw. I already did this in excruciating detail on my day 3 post, so I'll save you from having to read even more of my overly verbose diction.
In part 3, I talked about the methods we used to find the distribution of mangroves at certain salinities. To make sure our data was comprehensive and scientifically applicable, we took the exact time of our stop at a certain location and took the coordinates with a GPS. Once we did that, we measured the salinity of the water. We took salinity measurements only at the entrance of the estuary going in and going to see how the tidal flux affected salinity, but for all other measurements, we actually headed into the mangrove swamps.
After we headed into the swamps, we found a partner to pair up with (the same partner for all sites on one estuary) and each of us would survey the number of mangroves in a 20-30 meter radius. More specifically, we would count the number of each genus we could find. We wrote down these numbers and the genera in our Rite in the Rain notebooks with their associated Rite in the Rain pens, hopped into the boat,went to the next station, and repeated the process.
I didn't go into some of the mangrove swamps, so I did my surveying with Ashley Maloney (a grad student on the trip) from the boat. For the last three stops on the Soundau estuary, I surveyed around three boat lengths (20-30 meters) for different species.
Alright, here's the moment you've all been waiting for: the data. The tables above each graph are the actual raw data we used to make that graph. Unless you have really good eyes, it's hard to read the tables, so just click on them for the original version or zoom in on your computer.
I had a 1774 word scientific discussion and analyzation
of this data that you all would probably find boring. We identified
explanations for differences in our data and the class average, and we listed
things such as miscounting, different approximate radiuses, not counting small
trees, etc. Most of this stuff is stuff you can infer from the graphs; I just
spelled it out specifically in this report.
Lastly, I gave some reasons why mangroves are
important and should be preserved on Pohnpei.
1.) They
are great for climbing. I’m not trying to be sarcastic here… I’m a big fan of
obstacle courses. And mangrove swamps, particularly the mud, are obstacles to
human penetration. Rhyzophera, with
their prop roots, are probably the best for climbing. This could be extended to
all recreational activities that humans do with mangroves.
2.) They
are a great source of wood, particularly Xylocarpus.
One could obtain a whole bunch of wood by chopping down a whole bunch of trees
really quickly, but you will have the biggest returns in the long run if you do
so in a sustainable way. This isn’t exactly “preserving” the mangroves, but it
is a means of reaping their benefits while keeping them healthy.
3.) They
extremely protective and high in nutrients, so they make great habitat for fish
and crabs, especially if they are juveniles or are spawning. As a result,
biodiversity in these areas is high.
4.) Mangroves
are not only protective for organisms, but they protect the coast from eroding.
As waves crash against the mangrove swamp, their energy is dissipated and very
little energy actually hits solid land.
5.) The
mangrove swamps accumulate around 1 mm of sediment per year. This is much lower
than the expected rate of the ocean to rise due to global warming, but it
mitigates damage. As a result, the coastline will shrink up around Pohnpei at a
slower rate. This is closely tied to soil erosion.
6.) According
to a BBC article I read, mangrove swamps are five times more efficient at
capturing carbon than tropical rainforests, so having a lot of them could be a
way to mitigate the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is currently being
researched.
7.) The coolest thing is that the Rhysofera stylus can be used to defog a snorkel mask and keep it defogged. I didn't believe it until I tried it myself. It's amazing.
7.) The coolest thing is that the Rhysofera stylus can be used to defog a snorkel mask and keep it defogged. I didn't believe it until I tried it myself. It's amazing.
It also rained pretty darn hard at times yesterday,
and at night, there were some amazing flashes of lightning in the distance.
There was one point during the day when it rained incredibly hard and the wind
really picked up, but I didn’t get that filmed, unfortunately. It was right
before the video I took during the day. Of course, all this rain is extremely
heavy compared to that in Seattle. I can never call Seattle rain heavy ever
again.
I'm trying to upload some videos of the storms yesterday but they aren't working. I am assuming that this is because of the slow internet connection. I'll give it another shot, but I doubt they will be able to upload. In the future, I will take shorter videos.
Finished 2:47 P.M. 6/30/13
____________________________________________________________
It's now 1:21 A.M. PDT 7/23/13, and I can upload those weather videos I was talking about. Here they are!
Above is a video of the first event in the afternoon. Notice how rapidly the rain picks up and dies down.
And here is the thunderstorm. You only see one flash of lightning, but I heard they are pretty rare in Pohnpei, so I'm glad we got to see one.
Done!
Charlie
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Micronesia: Day 7
Saturday June 29, 2012
3:07 P.M.
So I have this big assignment that I got to write up tonight, but this is good because I can just change a few words and stuff and use it for my blog as well. Or, I could write it in my blog, publish my blog, and then change a few words to do the actual assignment. I'll choose the former.
I just wanted to mention that there was a huge tropical rainstorm at around 2 P.M. It reminded me of the rainstorm Seattle experienced around 4:30 P.M., Thursday, December 14, 2006 (it was a convective squall passing through the same storm that brought high winds to the coast and Puget Sound region, known colloquially as the "Hanukah Eve Storm."
Update: 10:51 P.M.: There is a massive, massive rainstorm... even more intense than the one this afternoon. A few bolts of lightning as well. Absolutely fascinating stuff. Rainfall rates are easily over an inch per hour.
Update: 11:49 P.M.: It is still raining a little, with the very occasional lightning bolt in the far distance. None of the lightning bolts were close... they were over some mountains and at least 15 miles away in most cases. There are dogs fighting, but nowhere near as intense as a dog fight earlier this night. Feral dogs are vicious.
This is all for now... today was a work day, and I've still got a lot of work ahead of me.
Until next time,
Charlie
3:07 P.M.
So I have this big assignment that I got to write up tonight, but this is good because I can just change a few words and stuff and use it for my blog as well. Or, I could write it in my blog, publish my blog, and then change a few words to do the actual assignment. I'll choose the former.
I just wanted to mention that there was a huge tropical rainstorm at around 2 P.M. It reminded me of the rainstorm Seattle experienced around 4:30 P.M., Thursday, December 14, 2006 (it was a convective squall passing through the same storm that brought high winds to the coast and Puget Sound region, known colloquially as the "Hanukah Eve Storm."
Update: 10:51 P.M.: There is a massive, massive rainstorm... even more intense than the one this afternoon. A few bolts of lightning as well. Absolutely fascinating stuff. Rainfall rates are easily over an inch per hour.
Update: 11:49 P.M.: It is still raining a little, with the very occasional lightning bolt in the far distance. None of the lightning bolts were close... they were over some mountains and at least 15 miles away in most cases. There are dogs fighting, but nowhere near as intense as a dog fight earlier this night. Feral dogs are vicious.
This is all for now... today was a work day, and I've still got a lot of work ahead of me.
Until next time,
Charlie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)