Marine Environments

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Marine Environments
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• Why is the water below foaming?

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Sandy Coasts

• Very unstable, sands constantly shift and move.
  This is a harsh, unstable environment.
• The surf zone is constantly moving up and down
  with the tide, and attracts a large number of
  fish and diving birds.
• Creatures burrow in the sand for protection.
• Millions of microorganisms live in the sand.
• Crabs and small fish live in the surf zone.
• Sandy beaches are older than Rocky beaches, and
  are created by weathering and erosion.

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Rocky Coasts

• Rocky beaches provide a more stable environment.
• Rocky beaches contain coves, crevices, and
  tunnels in which marine organisms can hide.
• Rocky beaches are divided into 3 tidal zones,
  depending on how high or low the tides are.
• Low tide exposes creatures and puts them at risk
  of drying out.
• Shellfish close their shells to keep from drying
  out and will open up once the tide comes in.
• In summer they act as nesting/breeding grounds
  for many marine birds.
• Rock pools provide safe areas for animals that
  suffer from exposure to the air and drying sun.

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Summary

• Sandy Coasts are less stable, have less organisms
  living there, and are older than rocky coasts.
• Rocky coasts are more stable, and are a home to
  more diverse organisms because of the protection
  they provide.

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Estuaries

• These are coastal regions where the freshwater
  from rivers, meets and mixes with, the salt water
  from the ocean.
• Estuaries are semi-enclosed areas and represent a
  close interaction between the land and the sea.
• This water is neither fresh or salt, it is called
  Brackish.
• These areas are considered to be the nurseries
  of the of the marine world.
• Estuaries are highly productive.
• They have muddy bottoms, which is made up of the
  sediments that are carried down from the rivers
  and settle to the bottom.

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Types of Estuary Communities

• Salt Marsh Community-
• Marsh grasses
• Controlled by tides
• Have nutrient rich waters
• Are considered the nurseries of the estuary.

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The Salt Marsh
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The Mud Flat Community

• Has dark muddy sand.
• No grasses.
• Little or no aeration in the sand.
• Considered the graveyards of the estuary.
• Mud Flats are caused by decomposing bacteria
  turning the wastes In the sand into a dark mud.
• Decomposers cause decaying organisms to produce
  H2S (foul smelling odor).

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Mud Flats
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The Mangrove Community

• Found in warmer, tropical areas.
• Inlets and bays are covered by mangrove trees.
• Mangrove swamps protect the shore from erosion.
• Mangrove swamps act like giant sponges and absorb
  the impact of storms and high waters.

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A Mangrove Swamp
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The Coral Reef

• The most spectacular of all the marine
  environments.
• Has the most biodiversity of all the marine
  environments.
• Found in tropical and sub-tropical zones.
• Reefs are built from the sea floor by coral
  polyps.
• Reefs will grow up to the surface, but will not
  grow out of the water.
• Australias Great Barrier Reef is the worlds
  largest natural made structure (2000km), and
  contains over 1500 species of fish.

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• Each coral is unique in its shape and color.
• Coral Reefs are extremely productive.
• Coral Reefs are extremely fragile and pieces of
  coral break off easily.
• Many reefs are now in danger of being destroyed
  because of over fishing, diving, pollution, and
  poor handling of educating the public on the
  importance of maintaining the vitality of coral
  reef populations.

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Coral Reefs
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Summary

• An Estuary is where freshwater and saltwater meet
  and mix.
• Estuaries are very diverse and productive areas.
• Living organisms have special adaptations to help
  them live in the various marine environments.

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HW

• Read in the Text on Marine Environments pages
  74-82.
• Answer questions on page 82, 1-3.

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