The marine environment Describe and compare these different marine environments

Intertidal zone The intertidal zone is the part of the coast between the land and the sea. The tidal movement covers the area with seawater and is exposed to the air twice each day.

Beach The beach is part of the intertidal zone with the tide going in and out twice a day

Storm The animals and plants near the coast need to survive storms. They must avoid being ponded to death or getting washed onto the shore.

Cliffs Some of the plants and animals along the coast can live on rocky cliffs.

Seaweed Seaweed grows on the bottom of the sea. They can grow in sand and on rocks.

Seagrass Seagrass usually grows on the muddy bottom of shallow seabed. They grow where the sea is protected from pounding waves.

Coral reef Coral reefs grow in the shallow tropical sea. They can only survive in clean seawater.

Sandy bottom Much of the sea is covered in a sandy sea bottom. Many of the animals hid in the sand.

Mangroves Mangroves are special trees that can grow in the intertidal zone.

Rockpool Rockpools are in the intertidal zone. Plants and animals can glue themselves to the rocks and hide in crevices to prevent themselves from being washed away by waves.

Rocky shore

Pounding waves Pounding waves will affect the kind of plants and animals that can live in a location. Fragile plants and animals will not survive.

Ocean In the ocean the animals will spend all their lives swimming or floating.

Mudflat Some of the sea bottom is covered in mud. Mudflats are a rich source of food for many animals.

Saltmarsh Saltmarsh are special plants that grow around the high tide. Many kinds of animals like to feed in the saltmarsh.

Habitat The place where an animal lives in the environment is called a habitat