Field Site 3
Panama Liquid Jungle Lab, Pacific Coast
The Liquid Jungle Lab (LJL) is located on Canales de Tierra, an island off the Pacific Coast of Panama. Operated in cooperation with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the station’s environment includes mangroves, tidal pools, intertidal zones, and coral reefs. Typical of tropical open ocean environments, the island shelf is home to a wide range of gelatinous grazers and microbes. Panama’s warm waters range from 75°F to 84°F year-round. During the dry season, tradewinds and coastal currents cause upwellings of nutrient-rich water. Resulting plankton blooms make this an ideal season to study gelatinous grazers.
LJL provides a wet lab, biology and chemistry dry labs, diving lockers, boats, and a conference room. Amenities for researchers include dormitories, meals, and wireless internet. LJL’s laboratory sampling and in situ SCUBA diving methods eliminate challenges typical of studying fragile organisms far offshore. Since 2007, the team has been observing and collecting an abundance of pelagic tunicates, pteropods, and other gelatinous grazers onsite.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Kelly Sutherland
Map data ©2020 Google
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