1. Marine Ecosystems

2. Ocean coasts support plant and animal life
Habitat – an environment that has all necessary requirements for an organism to live.
Intertidal Zone – the habitat at the edge of the ocean.
Estuaries – the place where fresh water from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean.
Wetlands – wet, swampy areas that are often flooded at the edge of estuaries.

3. ECOLOGICAL ADVANTAGES
Climate moderation
CO2 absorption
Waste treatment and dilution
Reduced storm impact (mangrove,
barrier islands, coastal wetlands)
Habitats and nursery areas for marine and
terrestrial species
Biodiversity

4. ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES Food Harbors and transportation routes
Coastal habitats for humans
Recreation
Employment
Offshore oil and natural gas
Minerals

5. Estuaries
An area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean; a transition area from the land to the ocean. Other names: bay, sound, lagoon, harbor, or bayou.
The Ocean
Area where fresh and salt water mix
River bringing freshwater to the sea

6. Characteristics of Estuaries
Water is brackish : a mixture of freshwater and saltwater
There is a gradual increase in salinity as you go from the river (0-5ppt) to the middle of the estuary (5-25ppt), to the ocean (>25 ppt).
(ppt = parts per thousand, a unit for salinity)
Pollutants are absorbed in estuaries.

7. Characteristics of Estuaries
Very nutrient rich ecosystems  leads to high productivity and high biodiversity.
Fast-moving rivers and waves carry nutrient-rich particles.
Sediment settles out in the estuary when the water slows down.
Nutrients accumulates on the bottom (benthic zone).
Great place for plants to grow!

8. Rocky shores
Also called rocky intertidal zone – many places to live in this habitat, means high biodiversity
Organisms must be adapted to wave action, changing tide levels

9. Rocky Shores
At low tides, there are often tide pools left behind where you can see starfish, anemones, crabs, octopus

10. Sandy Shores Not as much biodiversity as rocky shores – Why?
not much habitat diversity
sand dries out at low tide
some small things can live in the sand, food for shorebirds

11. Coral Reefs
Structures in the shallow oceans that are built by animals called corals; serve as a habitat for many diverse organisms
Require two things: warm temperatures and sunlight
Found between 30°N and 30°S of the equator

12. Coral Reefs There are many different kinds of corals: Soft corals
Hard corals

13. Coral Reefs
Growing on the reef with the corals are other animals, such as sponges, worms, shrimps, crabs, mollusks
Living in and around the reef are fish, sea turtles, sea snakes, marine mammals

14. Coral Reef Destruction - FYI
1. Coral bleaching – when temperatures go above normal, the algae in the coral can be rejected, the coral turns a whitish color and dies.
Natural and/or manmade causes: El Nino, Global warming

15. Coral Reef Destruction
2. Physical damage
Ships, anchors, tourist divers
Dynamite fishing - reefs are damaged by physical destruction that may occur when people collect fish

16. Coral Reef Destruction
Land development and pollution – loss of mangrove forests means more nutrients and sediments flow out to the sea; coral may die from sediment or algal blooms
Fish and coral trade
Increased exposure to UV due to ozone depletion

17. Human Interactions Effect Shorelines
Half of coastal wetlands lost to agriculture and urban development
Over one-third of mangrove forests lost since 1980 to agriculture, development, and aquaculture shrimp farms
About 10% of world’s beaches eroding because of coastal development and rising sea level
Ocean bottom habitats degraded by dredging and trawler fishing boats

18. UPWELLING
Winds blowing across the ocean surface push water away. Water then rises up from beneath the surface to replace the water that was pushed away.

19. Upwelling
Water that rises to the surface as a result of upwelling is typically colder and is rich in nutrients. These nutrients “fertilize” surface waters, meaning that these surface waters often have high biological productivity. Therefore, good fishing grounds typically are found where upwelling is common