Sombrero Beach, Key Vaca (Marathon), Florida

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Sombrero Beach, Key Vaca (Marathon), Florida

• Stop 4 Muddy subtidal zone/rarely intertidal

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West end of Sombrero Beach

• The following photos were taken of an area that
  is typically subtidal, but was exposed to
  intertidal conditions during spring tides
  accompanying the full moon during January of
  2009.
• The calcified green algae Halimeda and Penicillus
  are mud-coated and are rooted in a thin veneer of
  mud which overlies the Pleistocene bedrock.
• Halimeda is a prolific producer of sand to gravel
  sized sediment.
• Penicillus produces micrite-sized needles.

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Red Mangroves with prop roots
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Overview of muddy (usually) subtidal area
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Clumps of the green alga Halimeda and isolated
green algae Penicillus
Penicillus
Halimeda
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Mud-coated Penicillus and Halimeda
Penicillus
Halimeda