Under the Microscope: Students Uncover Tolo Harbour’s Hidden World
A student adjusts the microscope to bring the sample into sharp focus.
Elise uses her iPad to photo the wide variety of microorganisms in the water sample under the microscope, having learnt from the lecture that a rich variety of microorganisms suggests a healthy, functioning marine ecosystem.
“I have never seen so many microorganisms under the microscope,” said Elise Wong Sum-miu, who joined the one-day environmental exploration boat tour organised by the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) on 18 July.
Elise was among 18 secondary school students who took part in the boat tour, held as part of the SES Summer Programme on coastal fieldwork experience. The excursion departed from Ma Liu Shui Old Pier at 10am and travelled through Tolo Channel to Devil’s Fist (鬼手岩) at Wong Chuk Kok Tsui. On the return journey, the group made four additional stops to record water quality parameters and collect water samples in the area. After the excursion, the group attended a lecture in the SES biology laboratory, where they learned about the ecology of Tolo Harbour and examined the collected water samples.
Behind the boat is Wong Chuk Kok Tsui in Plover Cove Country Park, which is the home to the rock formation Devil’s Fist (鬼手岩). This was the first of five stops; the boat made four more on its return journey to carry out a range of tasks.
Dr Siu Yee-ming of SES briefs the participants on the background of the study sites and the skills needed for water quality monitoring.
Students practise using a mud grab to scoop up “bottom treasures”: sediment from the seabed for further study.
“Compared with other field trips I’ve joined before, today’s activity was especially impressive. One of the tasks I did was collecting water samples from the seabed at a depth of about 23 metres. It was a novel and challenging experience for me,” said Elise, a Form Six student who studies biology.
For Elise and many other participants, it was their first time spending so long at sea for a scientific investigation. “Devil’s Fist, the farthest location we visited, was a place I had never heard of or visited before. We even had lunch on the boat. These were very special experiences,” she said.
Elise, centre, and her teammates pour out the mud to find out what organisms are living underwater. Dr Brian Man Yu-bon of SES, in the back, is ready to provide advice.
A team member records field data, such as GPS location and water depth, and double-checking the details.
Participants use equipment with membrane filters to filter the seawater sample.
At each stop, students were divided into four small groups to carry out a range of tasks. On the boat, Dr Brian Man Yu-bon, programme leader of Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Integrated Environmental Management (BSc(IEM)) programme, Dr Siu Yee-ming, course lecturer of the programme, and Mr Kelvin Po Koon-tai, technician of the department taught the students how to use various equipment to perform these tasks. These included measuring water depth, recording water quality parameters such as water temperature, water transparency, salinity and dissolved oxygen levels, and sampling aquatic organisms.
The group then returned to EdUHK’s Tai Po campus for a 1.5-hour lecture on the coastal habitats and marine life of Tolo Harbour, as well as the importance of biodiversity. They also learnt how to use a microscope to study the water samples collected during the excursion.
Mr Kelvin Po Koon-tai teaches students how to use a microscope, reminding them to gently place a coverslip over the water drop to spread the sample evenly and avoid air bubbles.
After the boat tour, the students attended a lecture by Dr Siu Yee-ming on the ecology of Tolo Harbour and the microorganisms commonly found in its waters.
Although I don’t know the microorganism’s name, its strange but beautiful shape has left a deep impression on me.
“When the water is unpolluted and has sufficient nutrients to support a stable food web, the sea provides a healthy habitat for marine life,” Dr Siu said. He asked the students to examine the water samples under a microscope and identify zooplankton present in the area, such as copepods and Podon, as well as phytoplankton, including Coscinodiscus and other diatoms.
“The variety and number of microorganisms found under the microscope surprised me,” Elise said. She was not the only one astounded by the liveliness of the microscopic world. Janice So Tze-yau, also a Form Six student, said the world she saw through the microscope was unlike anything she’d expected. “One of the microorganisms I observed looked as if it had a tail and was holding something. Although I don’t know its name, its strange but beautiful shape has left a deep impression on me,” Janice said.
A mini contest held after the lecture saw the microorganism discovered by Janice’s group win the “most beautiful creature” award. Janice So Tze-yau, far right, pictured with her groupmates and the souvenir tote bag designed for the summer programmes.
The SES scholars’ lessons, paired with the abundance of microorganisms the students discovered, sparked real interest in the class. “Teachers from SES told us about the environmental management work done by the government and the environmental education initiatives carried out by EdUHK. After this tour, environmental programmes at this University will definitely be on my wish list,” Elise said.
Click here to understand the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Integrated Environmental Management (BSc (IEM)) programme.
