salt water life zones. coastal zone supratidal mark to the continental shelf warm, nutrient-rich,...
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SALT WATER LIFE ZONES
COASTAL ZONE
Supratidal mark to the continental shelf
Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow water
Supports 90% of all marine ecosystems
TYPES OF SALT WATER LIFE ZONES
Estuaries and Tidal
Coastal Wetlands
Rocky Shores
Barrier Islands
Coral Reefs
Mangrove Swamps
ESTUARIES AND TIDAL ECOSYSTEMS
Long Island Estuaries:
Great South Bay
Peconic
Long Island Sound
WHAT IS AN ESTUARY?
• "An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water that extends to the effective limit of tidal influence, within which sea water entering from one or more free connections with the open sea, or any other saline coastal body of water, is significantly diluted with fresh water derived from land drainage, and can sustain euryhaline biological species from either part or the whole of their life cycle."(Perillo, 1995).
GREAT SOUTH BAY ESTUARY
PECONIC ESTUARY
Long Island Sound Estuary
Major Zones in a Marine Ecosystem
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High tideLow tide
Coastal Zone
EstuarineZone
Continentalshelf
Open SeaSea level
Sun
Euphotic Zone
Bathyal Zone
Abyssal Zone
Depth inmeters
0
50
100
200
Ph
oto
sy
nth
es
is
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
10,000
Da
rkn
ess
Tw
ilig
ht
Figure 7-6Page 131
© 2004 Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning
LONG ISLAND’S SOUTH SHORE OUTWASH COASTAL
ZONE
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Barrier beach
Silversides
Blue crab
Low tide
Dwarfolive
Clam
Beach flea
Tiger beetle
High tide
GhostshrimpMole
shrimp
Sandpiper
Peanut worm
White sandmacoma
Sand dollar Moon snailFigure 7-9bPage 134
LONG ISLAND’S NORTH SHORE ROCKY COASTAL
ZONE
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Rocky Shore BeachSea star Hermit crab Shore crab
Nudibranch
Monterey flatworm
Kelp Sea lettuce
Barnacles
Sea urchin Anemone
Low tide
Mussel
Periwinkle
High tide
Sculpin
Figure 7-9a Page 134
COASTAL ZONE SALT MARSHES
Since 1900, the world has lost more than ½ of it’s coastal wetlands.
75 % of the world population lives in the coastal zone (high tide – continental shelf)
Salt marshes and littoral zone support greatest net primary productivity for coastal environments.
Net primary productivity in the ocean is very low, BUT because it covers over 70% of Earth’s surface, COLLECTIVELY it makes the largest contribution to the Earth’s overall net primary productivity
SALT MARSH ZONATION
PEAT
TIDAL CHANNEL(SUBTIDAL/LITTORAL
ZONE)
MUDFLATS
INTERTIDAL MARSH
HIGH MARSH (SUPRATIDAL ZONE)
SALT MARSH FOOD WEB
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Herring gulls
Snowyegret
Peregrine falcon
Cordgrass
Short-billeddowitcher
Marshperiwinkle
Bacteria
Clamworm
Soft-shelledclam
Zooplankton andsmall crustaceans
Phytoplankton
Smelt
Producerto primaryconsumer
Primaryto secondaryconsumer
Secondary to higher-levelconsumer
All producers and consumers todecomposers
Figure 7-8Page 132
Ten Ways to Protect Estuaries taken from the National Estuary Program
• 1. Learn more about estuaries.• 2. Keep septic systems working properly. Pump your system every three years.
• 3. Pave less. Hard surfaces hasten runoff and increase pollution and erosion.• 4. Adhere to "no-wake" zones when on your boat. Waves destroy shorelines and
increase erosion. • 5. Think before you pour. Many hazardous products flow from household drains
through sewage treatment plants and into coastal bodies of water.• 6. Fish respectfully. Follow "catch and release" practices and keep more fish alive.
• 7. Create non-toxic pesticides. A bit of soap and water does the job and keeps harmful chemicals from ending up in nearby waterways.
• 8. Use native plants. Garden and landscape with plants native to your area to reduce the need for watering and fertilizing.
• 9. Respect habitat. Treat the homes of vital marine life with care. Habitat and survival go hand-in-hand. When habitat disappears, so do many plants and
animals. • 10. Take action! Organize a stream or beach cleanup. Encourage your local
newspaper to write a story, or ask an expert to speak at your community organization or local school.