Belmont Bullkelp—Belmont Secondary, Victoria, BC
Location: 39° 58′ 39.72” S; 94° 59′ 41.28” E
Time: Mon 23 MAR 2024 06:58 UTC
Temperature: 16°C, Wind 8 kts N
Float Number: 21986
Float Type: Apex
Float Program: GO-BGC
This float was adopted by Belmont Secondary in Victoria, BC and named Belmont Bullkelp. Belmont Secondary School is a Grade 9-12 public school located in Victoria, BC, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, with the Pacific Ocean at their doorstep. Their school mascot is the Bulldog, making their school teams the Belmont Bulldogs. However, since they are more likely to find Bull Kelp along their shorelines and in the local ocean waters, Belmont Bull Kelp seems to be a fitting name for the float that will be followed by the science team in their recently created Marine STEM cohort.
The artwork for this float was designed by the students in the Marine STEM cohort and sent to me ahead of time. I did my best to recreate their fabulous design on the float. I love how they incorporated the iconic Bull Kelp into the design…very Vancouver Island!
Belmont Bullkelp is lowered down the hull of the R/V Thompson.
Belmont Bullkelp splashes down in our wake.
All seven BGC floats on I08S were adopted by educators across the US and Canada through our “Adopt-A-Float” initiative. This program connects scientists with teachers and classrooms across the country to inspire and educate students about global ocean biogeochemistry and climate change. This creates a powerful opportunity for students of all ages to engage directly with world-class scientists and learn about their research by naming and tracking BGC floats. The process is simple and there is no financial cost to adopting a float. Once we receive your application, we will pair your class with scientists scheduled to deploy floats. The students can give a name to a soon-to-be-deployed float and follow its progress through blogs written by their paired scientists. Educators can use floats and float data to teach about the ocean, climate change, technology, engineering, mathematics, geography, and so much more! Visit our For Educators page to find resources like videos, animations, information pages, lesson plans, and activities that focus on floats and float data.
Watching our last BGC float, Belmont Bullkelp, drift away into the vast Indian Ocean.