{"id":368,"date":"2014-11-11T04:15:51","date_gmt":"2014-11-11T04:15:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/?p=368"},"modified":"2014-11-12T09:36:17","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T09:36:17","slug":"isbw11-day-three-fieldtrip-fun-at-xincun-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/368","title":{"rendered":"ISBW11 Day Three: Fieldtrip fun at Xincun Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mike van Keulen shares his thoughts about the field visit we had to Xincun Bay. <\/p>\n

Photos and text by Mike van Keulen
\n—————————————————————————- <\/p>\n

As part of the ISBW11 activities, we were privileged to visit the Special Seagrass Protection Area in Xincun Bay near the Workshop location on Hainan Island. The bus ride to the site provided an interesting glimpse of the countryside near Sanya, with extensive areas of agricultural land. The bus trip was made more interesting by the disconcerting high temperature alarm that sounded throughout much of the trip; however both buses completed the journey successfully and the alarm was dispelled from our minds. Disembarking, we then boarded a small ferry for the short journey across Lian Port, bustling with commercial vessels and houseboats to Nanwan Monkey Island (no monkeys were observed in the making of this blog).<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0463.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_0462.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A short walk through the forest brought us to the shores of the Bay. The huge number of houseboats and aquaculture facilities was immediately striking as we emerged onto the beach. The Bay is semi-enclosed, with a relatively small opening to the open sea, which resulted in large amounts of rubbish accumulating in the shallows and on the beaches.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0464.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Not far from shore were many structures used in aquaculture and fish handling, as well as houseboats and other vessels. Clam harvesting from the intertidal using rakes was also in evidence, resulting in a very disturbed intertidal shoreline. <\/p>\n

\"IMG_0467.JPG\"<\/a> <\/p>\n

\"IMG_0466.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The pollution from the densely populated waterway and the aquaculture activities was very evident, with very turbid waters inshore and a high amount of particulate matter in the water column. The fine particulate matter was easily resuspended and doubtless compromises the light regime for the benthic plants. Nonetheless, there was significant seagrass growth in the shallow inshore waters, with an extensive meadow of Enhalus acoroides<\/em> and Thalassia hemprichii<\/em>. The smaller Halophila<\/em> species (H. ovalis<\/em> and H. beccarii<\/em>) were reported to occur further along the shore near the mangroves; however we didn\u2019t make it that far. After a little hesitation, the seagrass enthusiasts ventured out into the shallows, inspecting the seagrasses growing only a few tens of metres from the shore.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0468.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_0469.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_0470.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"IMG_0465.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While the high nutrient levels in the water resulted in very turbid water conditions and high quantities of epiphytic and benthic macroalgal growth, particularly of Ulva<\/em>, the seagrasses appeared reasonably healthy. In between the clumps of seagrasses were actively photosynthesizing benthic algal mats that were being grazed by gastropod snails, resulting in sandy patches on the seabed.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0471.JPG\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Following our wander through the seagrass meadows on Xincun Bay we reboarded the ferry to return to the mainland. The field trip provided a great opportunity to see the local seagrasses and provided a remarkable insight into the issues facing some of the seagrass meadows in southern China.<\/p>\n

Back on the mainland a filling lunch was provided, that included a diverse and delicious variety of traditional Hainanese dishes, sustaining us for our return trip to Sanya. The bus ride provided an opportunity for some to snooze while others had plenty to discuss about the seagrass ecosystem we had just witnessed. For many it was a great opportunity to chat to new friends or catch up with friends from previous ISBW meetings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mike van Keulen shares his thoughts about the field visit we had to Xincun Bay. Photos and text by Mike van Keulen —————————————————————————- As part of the ISBW11 activities, we were privileged to visit the Special Seagrass Protection Area in Xincun Bay near the Workshop location on Hainan Island. The bus ride to the site […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-conferences-workshops","tag-isbw"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Cwsq-5W","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":343,"url":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/343","url_meta":{"origin":368,"position":0},"title":"Evamaria Koch Student Travel Grants","author":"Ainsley","date":"3 September, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The application deadline for Evamaria Koch Student Travel Grants to attend the 11th International Seagrass Biology Workshop has been extended to 10th September 2014. On behalf of the World Seagrass Association Inc. and the ISBW11 Organising Committee, a limited number of student grants will be made available to help students\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Conferences & Workshops"","block_context":{"text":"Conferences & Workshops","link":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/category\/conferences-workshops"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":316,"url":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/316","url_meta":{"origin":368,"position":1},"title":"11th International Seagrass Biology Workshop – Sanya, China","author":"Siti","date":"17 February, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The ISBW11 will be held from 7-10 November 2014 in Sanya city, Hainan Province, China, organized by South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Registration and call for abstracts opens March 21st 2014. More information can be found on the ISBW11 website: http:\/\/isbw11.csp.escience.cn\/dct\/page\/1 \u00a0","rel":"","context":"In "Conferences & Workshops"","block_context":{"text":"Conferences & Workshops","link":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/category\/conferences-workshops"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":339,"url":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/339","url_meta":{"origin":368,"position":2},"title":"ISBW11, early bird closing soon, abstract submission extended","author":"Ainsley","date":"26 August, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The ISBW11 will be held from 7\u201310 November, 2014 at Sanya City, Hainan Province, China. The workshop schedule will include scientific symposia for both oral and poster presentations and a field exploration. Several successful and fruitful scientists are invited to give keynote speeches. As an integral part of this exciting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Conferences & Workshops"","block_context":{"text":"Conferences & Workshops","link":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/category\/conferences-workshops"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":348,"url":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/348","url_meta":{"origin":368,"position":3},"title":"11th International Seagrass Biology Workshop – Sanya, China","author":"Siti","date":"7 November, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello from ISBW11 in sunny Sanya! Prof. Xiaoping Huang and the local organizing committee welcomed us and officially opened the ISBW this morning with welcome addresses from representatives from the South China Sea Institute of Ocenanology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, World Seagrass Association and local representatives. The two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Conferences & Workshops"","block_context":{"text":"Conferences & Workshops","link":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/category\/conferences-workshops"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_0298.JPG","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/IMG_0298.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":354,"url":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/354","url_meta":{"origin":368,"position":4},"title":"ISBW11 Day Two: Photos from the conference.","author":"Siti","date":"8 November, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Because a picture is worth a thousand words, here's a bunch of photos: From the talks: Making new friends at tea break: And from the workshops:","rel":"","context":"In "Conferences & Workshops"","block_context":{"text":"Conferences & Workshops","link":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/category\/conferences-workshops"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":225,"url":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/archives\/225","url_meta":{"origin":368,"position":5},"title":"“Seagrass meadows in a globally changing environment” WSA Special Issue in Marine Pollution Bulletin","author":"Siti","date":"17 September, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Dear Members We would like to invite all members of the World Seagrass Association to submit articles for a WSA special issue of the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin titled \u201cSeagrass meadows in a globally changing environment\u201d. A description of the special issue and its proposed content is listed below. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wsa.seagrassonline.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}