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9.3 Coastal Environment

9.3 Coastal Environment. Structure of Coastlines Coastlines are constantly shaped by wind, rain, waves, tides, currents and sea spray Dunes and Beaches Sand dunes and beaches found anywhere there is a source of eroding mineral or place sediment can deposit Rocky Cliffs

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9.3 Coastal Environment

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  1. 9.3 Coastal Environment • Structure of Coastlines • Coastlines are constantly shaped by wind, rain, waves, tides, currents and sea spray • Dunes and Beaches • Sand dunes and beaches found anywhere there is a source of eroding mineral or place sediment can deposit • Rocky Cliffs • Rocky coastlines consisting of various cliff formations, platforms and intertidal rocks

  2. Vegetation thriving on hard rock cliffs consists of species adapted to high salinity and rocky substrate • Habitat for many species of seabirds • Barrier Islands • Long narrow islands that run parallel along the coast • Formed by wind, waves and currents. Made mostly of sand • Constantly changing due to erosion and storms

  3. Coral Reefs • Animals that have calcareous skeletons and algae that attach to the skeletons • The Great Barrier Reef – eastern coast of Australia • Found in tropical and subtropical waters • Estuarine Ecosystem • Estuaries are semi-enclosed inlets that form transitional zones between rivers and sea • Characteristics • Water level changes with the tide • Mixture of salt and freshwater • Dissolved oxygen is high • Turbidity is high

  4. Nutrients are high, but photosynthesis is low due to turbidity • 2 food chains • Grazer – dissolved nutrients may be absorbed directly by phytoplankton and rooted plants; then passed to consumers • Decomposer – detritus is consumed by detritus feeders • Because of abundant nutrient supply and high oxygen levels, more organisms are produced than other ecosystems (except coral reefs) • Values • Important for commercial and recreational fishing industries • Food, shelter, and breeding sites for waterfowl and furbearers • Flood and erosion control • Natural pollution filtering system

  5. 9.5 Oceans • General Features • Covers 70% of Earths surface • 3 main basins – Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans • Deepest part – Mariana Trench southeast of Japan • Atlantic is warmest • Ocean water is 96.5% water and 3.5% salt • Salts come from volcanic eruptions, chemical weathering of rocks • Na, Cl, Mg, SO4 • Ocean is contnuously circulating • Upwelling- the vertical movement of currents • Brings up nutrient rich cold water from bottom to surface

  6. Ocean Zones • Neritic Zone – like littoral zone of a lake • Relatively warm, nutrient rich, shallow regions over continental shelf • Sunlight normally penetrates and oxygen depletion is not a problem • Biomass is greater per unit of volume than in any other part of the ocean • Euphotic Zone- open water, like limnetic zone of lake • Sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis • Normally only extends to 200 m deep

  7. Bathyal Zone – semidark, no photosynthesis • Abyssal Zone – similar to profundal zone of lake • Just above the ocean floor • Animal life scarce – mostly scavengers or decomposers • Water is very cold, near freezing, low levels of oxygen, high water pressure, scarce food • Some have developed bioluminescence

  8. Marine Food Chains • Solar energy is mainly trapped by phytoplankton

  9. Ocean Resources • Water supply • CO2 absorption • Food supply • Transportation • Minerals and oil • Emerging source of energy from tides • Pg 224 #17, 18, 23, 24

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