1. Reading #3 Coasts, Estuaries, and Environmental Issues

2. 2 Question of the Day How would you describe the word “coast”? 2

3. Coasts Affected by Marine Processes  What are some marine processes?  Continuously Changing Includes bays and estuaries also Categories  Emergent vs. Submergent  Primary vs. Seconday

4. What do you find at the beach? Accumulation of sediment  How is the beach constantly changing? Beach Profile  Beach Anatomy  Winter vs Summer Beach  Types of based upon shape and structure composition of sediments size of sediment material color

7. Beach Process Constant balance between supply and removal of material Onshore currents Longshore currents Coastal Circulation Cells  Rip Currents

10. 10 Question of the Day What are estuaries? 10

11. Estuaries Why are wetlands important? Tides, river flow, inlet geometry affect  Circulation  Water exchange with ocean  Current patterns 4 basic types of estuaries based on circulation and salinity distribution  Salt Wedge  Well Mixed  Partially Mixed  Fjord (Poorly Mixed)

14. 14 Marsh Anatomy & Common Plant Species

15. What do you think Flushing time is? Why do you think Flushing time is important to an estuary? What would the benefit be of a rapid (fast) flushing time? What would the risk be of a slow flushing time?

16. Facts related to issues affecting the oceans 80% of population w/in 50 miles of coast 1960-EPA formed  Marine Laws developed between1940-90 Clean Air/Water Act Marine Protection & Restoration Sanctuaries Act Marine Plastic Pollution Restriction and Control Act

17. Issues at Beaches 43% of shoreline is losing more sediments than it is receiving. Man-made alternations decreases sediment accumulation  Damning rivers  Breakwaters, jetties, seawalls  Restoration of beaches

19. Issues in Wetlands Between 1950-1980, 200,000 acres/year  50% of mangroves lost in the tropics  Over 50% have been destroyed and the remaining are under threat

21. Issues with Water Quality “Dilution is the Solution”  Dilution is NOT the solution Fertilizers, Pesticides, Nuclear/Toxic waste, surface runoff, urban runoff Hg, Pb, PAH  Biomagnification “Dead Zones” are areas where there is extremely low oxygen levels and life can’t survive (Gulf of Mexico)

23. Issues with Plastics Approx. 135,000 tons/year Commercial Fisheries  149,000 tons fishing gear  26,000 tons packaging material  Entanglement, Choking, Starvation, by-catch  Approx. 450 years for 1 6-pack ring to break down

25. Issues with Oil Spills Increased demands since 1960s  Supertankers can carry up to 250,000 metric tons of oil  About 15% of spilled oil is recovered on average