New Fluorometer Meter Boosts Oceanography Studies at Fishers Island School

Fishers Island School Oceanography students use fluorometer donated by FIConservancy. Carol Giles Photo

FIConservancy has provided a grant to Fishers Island School to purchase a fluorometer, already in use by Oceanography students.

The meter will enable these students to measure phytoplankton population density. Quantifying seasonal changes in density will spark student discussion of how environmental factors such as temperature, fertilizer runoff and light intensity affect growth. This, in turn, will engage student learning and awaken their concern for the environment, said science teacher Carol Giles in a letter to FIConservancy.

“FIConservancy has supported the Fishers Island science program for many years,” Mrs. Giles said in her letter. “Your past purchase of binoculars has allowed our Oceanography class to enumerate the FI seal population and graph its variance throughout the year. The carbon dioxide and oxygen probes are again being utilized to further explore fauna carbon sequestering.”

The fluorometer grant comes from FIConservancy’s 25th Anniversary Grant Fund founded in celebration of 25 years of preserving and protecting our Island’s environment.