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Description:

• Encompasses the rocky intertidal, estuaries, and kelp forest ecosystems. These environments are extremely productive due to coastal upwelling that pushes cold nutrient rich water to the surface.

• These waters are so biological productivity that any body of water in this region, could not be matched in productivity by a coral reef of equal size. (GMA)

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Issue: Chemical pollution/coastal runoff

• Farm runoff and chemical pollution often nutrient overload seagrasses found along temperate coastal ecosystems.  

  • This causes significant harm to the seagrass meadows as the abundance of nutrients blocks out light required for photosynthesis and smothers the plants. (Smithsonian)

• Additionally, this increase in nutrients provides a perfect breeding environment for harmful algal blooms, many of which are comprised of dinoflagellates that can bioluminesce.

  • These dinoflagellates will release a waterborne toxin that later becomes airborne once it reaches the surface and can have negative effects on the animals both in and above the water. Although these blooms are naturally occurring events, the impact of humans in this ecosystem has made these events more frequent. (Smithsonian)

• Chemical pollution will lead to bioaccumulation of toxins as the chemicals make their way up the food chain. (Smithsonian)

  • The smallest prey out there, phytoplankton, are the first to absorb any chemicals in the water. As these phytoplankton get consumed and their predators consumed and so on, up to those predators humans consume, those chemicals start to concentrate and become more potent.

 

Solutions:

• Take care of any leaks or oil drips on your car to reduce the amount of pollutants that contaminate the road and will eventually end up in the ocean

• Buy organic! Organic farmers do not utilize fertilizers or pesticides, which eventually makes its way into our waterways.