Merrymeeting Bay / Kennebec Estuary Research Program (Bowdoin)

Jaret Reblin
Summer Instructor
M.S., John Carroll University, 2001

During the summer I work mentoring students doing field research on Merrymeeting Bay.  My principle research interests center on how the tidal activity in this unique freshwater system influences the ecology of its plants and animals.  Specifically I work with students using radio telemetry and trapping to monitor the movement patterns of snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) in Merrymeeting Bay.  We are interested in determining how snapping turtles utilize this unique tidal freshwater habitat at hourly to yearly time scales.  I also work with students documenting the distributions of intertidal and submerged plants in the bay.  I am particularly interested in how spatial patterns in water turbidity influence the distribution of submerged aquatic vegetation around the bay.  During the academic year, I use Merrymeeting Bay and the Kennebec estuary as a field laboratory for courses I teach at the college.