Report on the Visit to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is the name of the location that was visited. It is a facility run by the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, and the aquarium enthusiasts are quite supportive of it. The location is highly revered and serves as a catalyst for exploration and marine life conservation in Southern California. Additionally, the facility provides a number of programs for both school groups and individuals. All ages, including children, teens, and adults, are also catered to. Most children enjoy the ocean-related events such as the origami lessons and gyotaku which is the Japanese art of fish painting.

Biodiversity is the variety and how life is variable in the universe. It also involves measurement of the variation at the species level, genetic and ecosystem. The biodiversity is not evenly distributed in the world, mostly it is found in the tropic regions. However, the sudden environmental changes can cause mass action. Most species that lived in the years before continue getting extinct, for example, the more than five billion species that lived on the early centuries have become very gone, and currently, there are about fourteen million species. That's why there is the big need to find homes for most organisms to create the conducive environment for their survival.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has been exhibiting the Southern California’s local sea life and their adaptions diversity by combining the museum collections, aquaria life, and the interpretive displays. Five significant sites proved to be so educative and exciting. They include the Exploration Center, Virginia Reid Moore Marine Research Library, the Aquatic Nursery side and the Susanne Lawrenz-Miller Exhibit Hall. Even for the topics that seem to be abstract while in the standard school lessons, they are more accessible due to the creative, informative exhibits.

Firstly, there is the Aquatic Nursery. It has the working laboratory and is accessible to visitors who are interested in the scientific research and for the scientists who always have their research with the guidance of CMA’s professional team. The lab has a composition of the open research benches that have a display of more than forty different species of marine life that their description relies on four main topics. For instance, there is the aquaculture kitchen that has clear plastic tubes that are filled with living cultures. Work of cultures is to provide food that is used in the husbandry projects. Also, there were growing of aquatic life for human consumption. Examples of the experiences that were cultured include the sea bass, oysters, red abalone, and mussels.

Under the aquatic kitchen, there were the volunteer projects that have been done by students who visited the aquarium and the professional staff. The projects displayed express the hard work of the present and future scientists. The endangered species have also been taken care of in the sector. Most of them include the species that are found in each region and can be easily wiped out. For example, white abalone, pipefish, and the gentle seahorse are some of the Southern California sea natives that have almost become extinct. Lastly, it talks about the importance of the research teaching, by making work more comfortable in the collection of samples. Instead of researchers going to the wild to collect specimens, they are given readily from the laboratory.

Secondly, there is the exploration center where one needs to use all the five senses and the tools from the scientists to assist in the exploration of various habitats. When passed through the watershed, there was teaching on the impact on the environment through the choices made by people. Also, the discovery center creates the artwork that one should take home to join puzzles that at the end shows the marine science concepts. The naturalist corner is where the study of various organisms and their respective habitats is. Students could observe and identify the animals that can’t be easily seen using the naked eyes by use of a microscope.

The Susanne Lawrenz-Miller Exhibit Hall has a showcase of three different significant environments that include open ocean ecosystems, rocky shores and sand and mud. Also, there is an explanation of animals from the worms to whales, the adaptations for protection and how the animals find food and reproduce. Under the various types of environment, the marine habitat hall talks about the kelp forests that is said to be the wealthiest habitat along the Californian rocky shores. Whenever it tears to a drift kelp, the animals that live on the seashores and the ocean bottoms can get food.

Furthermore, the rocky shores are home to several marine plants and large animals even if it is termed as the most challenging environment to live. Mudflats home is enclosed hence has some freshwater and saltwater saturated sediments. Upper part that surrounds the mud is known as saltmarsh and has plants. The delicate light producing animals, jellyfish and any other fragile aquatic life are always found on the open ocean and the deep sea. The center has a Sea Jelly Lab where they are placed in a public husbandry lab. There was the observation of bay jellies by use of a microscope, and it was refreshing.

Lastly, the Virginia Reid Marine Research Library was the most fascinating because it has the exploration of resource collection that is fit for the students who are enough interested in marine life like I. there is also access to various journals, space for community events and audio-visual materials that talk about the ocean and its marine life. Free Wi-Fi is readily available for the students and six computer terminals that also have free internet access. In conclusion, the field trip was fascinating and educative, and I wish to go back to do a lot of research on areas where I got most interested.