Coastal Zone(Monterey Bay, California)BY. HEAVEN PERSAUD

10/8/14

HOUR 2 AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Coastal Zone

A Coastal Zone is the space between land and water.

Majority of the world’s population inhabit these zones.

Monterey Bay, California

Temperature: Latest of 62.1 degrees Fahrenheit (water),

60.1 degrees Fahrenheit (air).

Sea Level: approximately 0.039 meters high

Atmospheric Pressure: 29.88 meters Monterey Bay also includes Coral Reefs which are ridges of rocks in the sea formed by the

growth and deposit of coral

Date Temp(F)Aug 16-31 58Sept 1-15 59Sept 16-30 59Oct 1-15 58Oct 16-31 57Recent 62.1

The water temperature of Monterey Bay, California as shown over the past few months. Shown in degrees Fahrenheit.

The average seasonal cycle of mean sea level, caused by regular fluctuations in coastal temperatures, salinities, winds, atmospheric pressures, and ocean currents.

Location

Monterey Bay is a host of many tide pools (a pool of salt water left by an ebbing tide). A whole host of fascinating plants and animals survive in this rugged, changing seascape. As the ocean water retreats at low tide, marine life must withstand hours exposed to the air or in shallow pools. At high tide, animals and plants must survive waves rolling in or crashing down. All must find food and protect themselves from predators.

Climatogram

Aug 16-31 Sept 1-15 Sept 16-30 Oct 1-15 Oct 16-31 Recent

Temp(F) 58 59 59 58 57 62.1

Rain (in) 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.25

53

55

57

59

61

63

5859 59

5857

62.1

0.10.1 0.5

0.50.5

1.25

Monterey Bay Climatogram

Rain (in)Temp(F)

Date (months)

Tem

prat

ure(

F)AN

D Pr

ecip

itatio

n(in

)

Plants

Invasive Species• French Bloom

• Jubata Grass

• Cape Ivy

• These can modify and dominate natural habitats, reducing their habitat value to native plants and animals.

Phytoplankton• Cyanobacteria,

Silicoflagllates, Coccoliyhophorids, Diatoms, Dinoflagellates

• These are all different in size, shape, color, and motility.

• Phytoplankton refers to a lifestyle, not a particular type or organism. Plankton feeds small fishes, which in turn feed bigger fishes, sea birds, seals and whales.

Algae• Red Coralline Alga

• Eelgrass: Eelgrass is one of the few marsh plants to grow under water in coastal wetlands.

Plants Adaptations

Eelgrass: beds are home to a variety of animals, including perfectly camouflaged pipefish that look like leaves with eyeballs. Other wetland inhabitants, like worms and shrimp, burrow in the mud around its roots. The blades provide mooring for herring eggs, hydroids and others.

Cyanobacteria: they are a keystone species, so they are needed to keep the ecosystem in effect. They contribute in nitrogen fixation and they are toxin producers. They are found at the bottom of the ocean, therefore making them benthic (relating to or characteristic of the bottom of a sea, lake, or deep river, or the animals and plants that live there).

Red Coralline Alga: Since these algae deposit calcium carbonate (limestone) in most of their cell walls, red corallines have the appearance and rough texture of coral. Grazing on these calcified algae would be like eating marble, so most hungry herbivores feed elsewhere. It is found deeper in the ocean, therefore making it pelagic (relating to or living or occurring in the open sea).

EelgrassRed Coralline Alga

Cyanobacteria

Animals

Animals Southern Sea Otter

Pacific White- sided Dolphin

California Sea Lion

Big Fin Reef Squid

Orca

Overall Connection with Coastal System (food chain)(excludes some animals and plants) Orca Sea Otter

California Sea Lion Big Fin Reef Squid

Phytoplankton

Animal Adaptations

Big Fin Reek Squid: Their "big fins" extend the length of their bodies (hence the name, duhh). They have eight arms and two tentacles; the latter are used for capturing prey and guiding it to their sharp beaks. They move quickly too.

Orca: Orcas live in tight-knit family groups, or pods, of two to 30 individuals. With squeals and moans, pod members keep in touch. They'll protect one another from danger and come to the aid of an ailing or injured companion. The pod moves from place to place as food sources change with the seasons.

Southern Sea Otter: To help it stay warm in cold water, a sea otter burns calories at nearly three times the rate you do. An otter fuels its fast metabolism by eating up to a quarter of its weight in food a day. An otter's coat has pockets—flaps of skin under each front leg. An otter uses them to stash prey during a dive, which leaves its paws free to hunt some more.

Species Spotlight

Jubata Grass is an invasive species.

Impact: Jubata grass first moves into disturbed sites and spreads within

a few years to create dense infestations. Once established it will also move

into gaps in the surrounding native vegetation. Sometimes single plants will

become established in sites of natural disturbance surrounded by native

vegetation within the range areas.

Control: chemical control of Jubata grass is required and safe. It can be

controlled by spot treatment with an application of glyphosate herbicide. Fall applications have been shown to result in better control than summer applications. Due to the fact that during the fall, nutrients are being pulled down into the plant to be stored as energy reserves.

Human Impact

A major threat to the continued survival of the biome in the Monterey Bay is the amount of waste being put into this coastal zone. Humans throw away their trash in the bays, although their belief is that the trash is disappearing somewhere it is impacting our coastal zones, such as Monterey Bay.

Suggestions:

Limit how much each person consumes (ecological footprint) in order to cut down on waste, therefore cleaning our coastal zones of trash.

Recycle. By using materials over and over again it cuts down on the amount of trash being thrown into the coastal zones.

SOURCES

N/A. (October 1, 2014). National Data Buoy Center. Retrieved from www.ndbc.noaa.gov address on (10/8/2014).

LaNeve, Brian. (March 23, 2012). Endemic. Retrieved from www.montereybay.cnps.org address on (10/8/2014).

Nelson, Stephen. (November 4, 2013). Natural Disasters. Retrieved from www.Tulane.edu address on (10/5/2014).