Fresh water coming from Big Cypress Swamp combines with the Salt water in the Gulf of Mexico to create conditions that allow an amazing variety of life to flourish in features such as oyster bars, mangrove islands, tidal mud flats, and seagrass beds. While tidal mud flats and sea grass beds are important features the most prominent are the Oyster bars and Mangrove Islands. The Oyster bars and Mangroves are crucial in creating and continuing to develop the islands and characteristics that make up this region. Oyster Bars are formed by quartz sand carried by the current and deposited in deeper water parallel to the shore and eventually builds until it reaches the surface. If the conditions are right oysters colonize the sand deposits and the combination of oysters and sand create an oyster bar. Oyster bars gather nutrients by forming at right angles to tidal currents in order to catch nutrients from the incoming currents. Smaller branches form on the Oyster Bars and floating red mangrove seeds take hold in the sediments. Eventually multiple mangroves are caught and grow on the Oyster bar forming an island of roots and leaves. Overtime the mangroves arching prop roots will catch more sediment and the island will continue to develop eventually cutting off nutrients to the Oyster bar by restricting the currents that bring nutrients to the oysters. These structures help protect the region during storms, prevent erosion, and create Habitats for birds and fish. This is why more than 300 species of bird at some point are residents of the region as well as manatees and bottle-nose…
To start my geography GCSE controlled assessment I have gone to Camber sands beach to record a variety of characteristics from the dunes in order to answer my hypothesis, shown above. There were a few key concepts and processes we used in our investigation they were Coastal deposition, Sand Dunes, Psammosere and Plant Succession. These four concepts above all fit in with my investigation for one reason or another.…
These are examples of how humans have physically impacted the beach and its structure. The flight deck is a human residential block of units on the edge of the beach. This unit block has massively affected the shaping and the beachfront of that area of Collaroy beach. The coastal processes that are threatening the erosion of the beachfront developments are, Erosion/Accretion Cycle (or sediment budget), destructive storm waves and king tides. These processes are slowly undermining the building and causing the dune under the units to become unstable and dangerous for people living in and around them. Also the salts from the waves blowing onto the units causes the metal to rust and the foundation of the building and balcony handrails to be at risk of being unreliable and…
After all the wetland, damage has been done and “vegetation is removed from the surface of the marsh, as a result of over grazing by nutria, the very fragile organic soils are exposed to erosion through tidal action. If damaged areas do not revegetate quickly, they will become open water as tidal scour removes soil and thus lowers elevation. Frequently the plant's root systems are also damaged, making recovery through vegetative regeneration very slow”. (Nutria.com)…
Limnology of the Manly Reservoir Catchment was undertaken to assess the trophic status of the lentic system in the catchment area. Manly Dam is surrounded by urban development and bushland. It is of extreme importance as both a water supply for domestic and commercial use and as a site for a diverse range of flora and fauna. It has a large area of bushland which is an important ecological site. The whole catchment incorporates this bushland, urban areas (including recreational areas) and commercial developments. The extent of the urban development is increasing which is in turn applying pressure to this ecosystem.…
Last term the Biology and Geography class went to Hastings Point, New South Wales to visit three ecosystems found in the area, such as- mangroves, sand dunes and rocky shores. Hasting Points is the smallest coastal settlement of Tweed Shire. The hamlet is nestled between the ocean on its east and a delicate estuary on its west. This report will focus on the unique coastal habitats of Hasting Points and the various issues that challenge the sustainability of mangroves surrounding Lot 156, this report also evaluates whether building a Mangrove Rehabilitation Program or EnviroHomes will be suitable for this area.…
With reference to located examples, examine ways in which coastal areas can a valuable resource.…
Our everyday actions can have a large impact on the health of the bay. By making simple changes in our lives, each one of us can take part in restoring the bay and its rivers for future generations to enjoy. To protect blue crabs in the watershed, we need to consider protecting underwater grasses by creating more Marine Protected Areas. MPAs in the watershed would allow for female blue crabs to reproduce many baby blue crabs in a protected environment. The state might also want to consider creating no-wake zones in shallower waters, because the boaters might damage or destroy underwater grasses where blue crabs live. Then again, this might further damage businesses if they are restricted on where they can and can not fish. It may also cause annoyance with boaters looking to have some fun, and we can never fully monitor the water. Boaters might not heed to the scientific advice. However, despite the negatives, MPAs and no-wake zones in grassy areas would help restore the blue crab population, and make for a better Chesapeake Bay.…
A final environmental impact could be suggested as an increase in the number of submergent coastal features. These can include rias; which impacts the floodplain of a river as it vanishes beneath the rising waters. Rias then might impact floodplains that are used for the grazing of farm animals, etc. Examples of rias include Devon and Dartmoor, Cornwall. Another submergent coastal feature could be fjords. Fjords are drowned glacial valleys commonly found on the coasts of Norway and New Zealand.…
Complete the following sections by typing in the box under each section heading and remember to mark it before you hand it in.…
The over population of the white tailed deer has had a significant impact on the ecology of the forest and the Chesapeake Bay. Studies done by the Department of Natural Resources show that the over grazing of ground level vegetation by deer, has led to a decrease in habitat for smaller species of wildlife and affects the regeneration of Maryland’s native vegetation. Furthermore, over grazing decreases the growth of native plants and allows for exotic species to thrive and threaten Maryland’s natural ecosystem. These studies have also found that a decrease in the ground level vegetation has allowed an increase of runoff into the Chesapeake Bay, causing negative impacts on the water quality and clarity, and an increase of pollutants in the Bay. In turn, the aquatic species and plants in the Chesapeake Bay will decrease and become extinct.…
Today's society is extremely fashion and style conscious. Most styles and trends are in one day and out the next, from clothing, jewelry, and accessories. However some trends are timeless and never go out of style, like the Irish Claddagh ring. But what is the origin of the jewelry and why is it still such a popular trend today? All these questions can be explained by looking at the origin, legends, meaning, and usage of the ring.…
The Chesapeake Bay watershed is considered to be the largest estuary in the United States as it covers six states and the “entire District of Columbia including Virginia, Maryland, the, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and New York. An estuary is defined as bodies of water where fresh and salty seawater mix” (USDA). The Chesapeake Bay measures to be about 64,000 square miles in length and is considered home to five major rivers in the world. This includes the James, York, Potomac, Susquehanna, and the Rappahannock rivers. (Chesapeake Bay Foundation) According to the Chesapeake Bay Program, “many people tend to believe the history of the watershed began during the establishment of Jamestown in 1607” (Chesapeake Bay Program). However,…
Erosion happens in this area due to water hitting the banks. As the water hits the bank, it puts so much pressure onto the bank that it washes away and moves all the soil and rock holding that bank up. One major thing…
In recent decades erosion has become a major issue to beaches around Australia, since beaches are temporary features. There is always sand being removed and sand being added to them, often, they change drastically during the year, depending upon the frequency of storms. Eventually, a beach erodes because the supply of sand to the beach cannot keep up with the loss of sand to the sea. The Sand dunes and vegetation help to hold the sand in place when wind or water tries to erode it away. The environment can be affected by erosion in several ways. First and the most obvious, houses that are built along the shore are at risk of being washed away if more sand is being removed from the beach in the winter, and not enough sand is returned in the summer. Secondly, animals that live on the beach are at risk for losing their homes. The amount of sand on the beach, and how it is deposited can also affect the shape of the shoreline, which can have an effect on the type of waves that are produced at the beach. The type of waves produced at the beach will also ultimately have an impact on beach erosion.…