The Beach

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What do you know about sandy and rocky beach environments?

What is causing the water, in the picture below, to be white?

What do we know about sandy beaches?

• Contains loose, unstable sediment.• This sediment is easily moved around by

wind and water.• Beaches that face open ocean are

characterized by large surf (breaking waves).• The surf zone is constantly moving up and

down with the tide. • The surf zone is comprised of beach grasses,

shrubs, trees (supratidal).• Crabs and small fish live in the surf zone.

What do we know about rocky beaches?

• Rocky beaches provide a more stable environment.

• Rocky beaches contain coves, crevices, and tunnels in which marine organisms can hide.

• Rocky beaches are divided into 3 tidal zones, depending on how high or low the tides are.

• Some organisms found in a rocky coastal beach environment are: barnacles, snails, sea urchins, starfish, algae, very small fish.

Summary

• Sandy beaches are less stable, have less organisms living there, and are older than rocky beaches.

• Rocky beaches are more stable, and are a home to more diverse organisms because of the protection they provide.

Let’s go to the Video!

QuickTime™ and aSorenson Video 3 decompressorare needed to see this picture.