​In order to do this Genoa (Tristin, and I) conduct lab experiments that help us generate photosynthesis vs irradiance curves. Irradiance is a measure of light; we expose algae to different light levels, from total darkness to full irradiance, and measure the amount of dissolved oxygen either produced or consumed. Once we get the data we can plot it as a curve, a P vs. I curve, which helps us visualize the relationship between light and dark, and oxygen consumed versus produced. We can then couple that with the data from the surveys in Genoa’s plots, which gives us a nice pairing of field and laboratory data.
 
Genoa also does incubations in the field with blades of giant kelp; because giant kelp blades are so big it’s more efficient to measure their productivity directly rather than generating a P vs. I curve. These kinds of “in situ” measurements give us a really good understanding of what giant kelp is doing in its natural environment.

So, for Genoa’s work we’re up at 6am flushing the chambers, surveying the community and keeping the experiments running. Since Genoa’s site is so close to the field station, we have the option of running back in between dives to get out of our wetsuits/drysuits, and grab some food before getting back in the water. A luxury we're not typically used to. 
 
In terms of diving, just to give you an idea of what we’re working with, imagine trying to hike through really, really dense shrubs when you should be strolling through a forest. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve gotten stuck in giant kelp on almost every dive I’ve been on. But hey, it happens. Sargassum is a whole different beast. The winter months are the peak growing/reproducing time for this annual species; across the reef at Genoa’s site the Sargassum covers just about every surface, from rocks to buoy lines, and even other algae. Not only does is grow in dense, bushy clusters, right now it can be over two-meters tall, blocking almost all of the light on the bottom! 

As we drove towards San Pedro we were informed that the Miss Christy, Wrigley’s small ferry, couldn’t operate in the channel between the mainland and Catalina due to the thick, persistent fog. As a grey dawn broke we started scrambling for solutions. We only had a limited number of days at Wrigley before we had to get back to San Diego and graduate school obligations. As it turns out, the commercial ferry operator, Catalina Express, doesn’t run between San Pedro and Two Harbors, the small “town” near Wrigley, on Thursdays. They do, however, operate between the Port of Long Beach and Avalon, Catalina’s little town. With minutes to spare we got to Long Beach, unloaded all of our gear (seven large totes, six chambers and personal gear), parked the cars in San Pedro and then loaded all of our gear on the Catalina Express just before it departed for Avalon.
 
As we steamed across the channel Genoa ran logistics, trying to figure out how we were going to get from Avalon to the field station. Thankfully Wrigley had sent a van to Avalon to pick up another stranded passenger; we caught the driver just in time to load all of our gear, once more, into the van. An hour later, over muddy roads and running creeks, we made it to the field station. Just before the sun set all of Genoa’s chambers were in the water, we made it!