The Summer I returned to the Ocean: Interning at the Museum of the Earth

by Ben Malina

Page last updated June 29, 2020

My name is Ben Malina and I’ve been an Ithaca resident since the summer of 2014 after spending all my childhood in northern Virginia. I’m currently a senior at Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smiths, New York as an Integrative Studies major with focus areas in Biology and Environmental Studies.

Growing up in northern Virginia, I loved going to Washington D.C.’s zoo and the Baltimore aquarium. As a result, I developed a strong connection with animals, particularly marine life. The ocean made me feel calm and relaxed and I gained an appreciation for the animals. Furthermore, because I loved being on boats and becoming aware of marine life, I have gotten opportunities to go whale watching near Provincetown, MA and even off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Here in Ithaca, I’ve been able to continue to appreciate ocean life when I’ve visited the Museum of the Earth and enjoyed their exhibits.

This summer I am interning remotely at the Museum of the Earth with a focus on coral education and the coral aquaria exhibit. I will be writing a regular blog about my summer and some topical concerns of mine having to do with oceans and coral reefs.

Introduction to Coral Reefs

Each of the world’s ocean is distinctive. This makes it hard to define these magnificent bodies of water without getting very specific. They are large, diverse habitats that are home to vast numbers of species inside the ocean’s coral reefs.  Each ocean has unique environmental specifications that affect the organisms that live there, including geologic history, temperature, sunlight, and water quality. The Museum of the Earth is home to two tanks that represent the most diverse coral reefs in the world: those of the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific. The Indo-Pacific Ocean is larger than the Caribbean Sea and has more coral reefs. These reefs are home to 3,000 fish species and 700 corals. The smaller Caribbean Sea has 65 coral and 700 fish species. This smaller amount of diversity makes the Caribbean reefs endangered.

Museum of the Earth Coral Reef Exhibits for Public Education

In May 2013, Cornell professor Dr. Drew Harvell donated her research corals to the Museum of the Earth, where they found new permanent homes in the two coral tanks on exhibit. This was a difficult undertaking for the Museum because specific conditions are required to maintain the health of these unique ecosystems. After careful planning and months of preparation, the museum aquaria were put on display. Each holds approximately 500 gallons of saltwater that moves constantly, simulating the oceans waves. Added together, the aquaria have a water weight comparable to that of an elephant! Once you construct an aquarium, you need to be very careful of the types of species to place inside since they might be very sensitive to the chemicals inside the tank.

The Caribbean Tank

The Caribbean tank includes examples of stony corals which helped build the modern coral reefs in the Caribbean and Florida. In fact, this is one of the few natural exhibits in North America that’s home to these endangered species. In addition, this tank includes soft corals, anemones, sponges, as well as sea fans.

One reason why these corals are endangered is because the reefs are very close to shore and have been experiencing human-driven environmental changes such as pollution and overfishing. These impacts caused by humans not only alter the water, but also eliminate the stony corals and other species living there. Therefore, it is important that the Caribbean tank has healthy water and a sustainable number of species that will allow it to grow and survive.

The Pacific Tank

Similarly, the Indo-Pacific tank includes stony corals assigned to the genera Acropora and Montipora, as well as some soft corals, invertebrates, and fish. All of the animals in our aquaria have been acquired sustainably through aquaculture or tank bred species. This aquarium environment contains species from a much larger geographic territory (Indian and Pacific oceans) than the Caribbean Sea. The Indo-Pacific Ocean includes the largest and most biodiverse marine ecosystem: the Great Barrier Reef. Many Indo-Pacific reefs are going through severe environmental changes as a result of overfishing, introduction of invasive species, and rising temperature and ocean acidification associated with global warming.

Summary

Both aquaria are designed for maximum educational benefit. Through the physical tanks at the Museum of the Earth to online exhibits under current development, the Paleontological Research Institution hopes to raise awareness about the challenges facing modern coral reefs, as well as the history of ancient reefs on Earth. I hope to contribute that conversation with this blog.

You can find more about our corals at PRI here. You may also download free PDF copies of Cecil’s Guide to Coral Reefs (654 KB) and Cecil’s Guide to the Coral Reef Exhibit (633 KB).

Source

Cousteau, F. 2006. Ocean: The world’s last wilderness revealed. Dorling Kindersley, London.