Preserving Our Beautiful Coastal Habitats From Destruction

ENTRY 6; WEEK 10

Yet To Come!

Sea Grass Beds Are Of Importance

ENTRY 5; WEEK 9

Seagrasses are submerged flowering plants found in shallow marine waters, such as bays. A vital part of the marine ecosystem due to their productivity level, seagrasses provide food, habitat, and nursery areas for numerous vertebrate and invertebrate species. The vast biodiversity and sensitivity to changes in water quality inherent in seagrass communities makes seagrasses an important species to help determine the overall health of coastal ecosystems. Seagrasses perform numerous functions:

• Stabilizing the sea bottom- The extensive root system (see diagram below) in seagrasses, which extends both vertically and horizontally, helps stabilize the sea bottom in a manner similar to the way land grasses prevent soil erosion.

• Ecosystem support: Seagrasses provide food, shelter, and essential nursery areas to commercial and recreational fishery species and to countless aquatic organisms living in seagrass communities.

• Food for example, turtles obtain their food from the seagrass beds.

• Water Quality: Seagrasses help trap fine sediments and particles that are suspended in the water column, which increases water clarity. When a sea floor area lacks seagrass communities, the sediments are more frequently stirred by wind and waves, decreasing water clarity, affecting marine animal behavior, and generally decreasing the recreational quality of coastal areas.

References

Website: http://www.marbef.org/wiki/seagrass_meadows (Marine Biodiversity Wiki)

Coral Reef; Plays A Crucial Role

ENTRY 4; WEEK 8

In my previous blog posts, formation and different types of coral reefs were observed. This post will edify you on the functions and importance of the coral reef.

Functions Of Coral Reefs

Coral reefs have numerous functions; the following will highlight some of the main functions:

• Protect coastlines from the damaging effects of wave action and tropical storms.

• Provide habitats and shelter for many marine organisms.

• Are the source of nitrogen and other essential nutrients for marine food chains.

• Assist in carbon and nitrogen fixing.

• Helps with nutrient recycling.

• Fish spawn there and juvenile fish spend time there before making their way to the open sea.

• Recreation and Tourism – captures a lot of tourist for fishing and site seeing, which results in great economic stability.

• Medicine- can obtain a lot of treatments and research from the reef to aid in the curing of various illnesses and diseases.

Buccoo Reef, Tobago, WI

• Coral Reefs are important for providing a clear, scientifically-testable record of climatic events over the past million years. This includes records of recent major storms and human impacts that are recorded by the changes in coral growth patterns. 

References

n.d. International Coral Reef Initiative. http://www.icriforum.org/about-coral-reefs/benefits-coral-reefs.

n.d. Tobago Agricultural and Marine Environment (TAME). http://tobagoip.com/2013/10/03/my-first-tame-post/.

Do Wetlands Have a Purpose?

ENTRY 3; WEEK 7

The Functions of Wetlands

Wetlands play an important and critical role in the coastal community. It helps with regulating the movement of water within watersheds as well as in the global water cycle. The following elaborates in-depth on the main functions of wetlands:

1. Climate Control- Wetlands return over two-thirds of the annual water inputs to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration as well as moderate temperature extremes in adjacent uplands and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce oxygen via process of photosynthesis.

2.  Flood Prevention – Wetlands act as natural barriers by absorbing the floodwaters and aid in slow drainage of water to help reduce the risk of damages to land.

3. Aiding in coastal protection – These plants, in specific mangroves, act as a buffer zone. The roots of the mangroves are specially designed. They also aid in the reduction of water, sea blast and sediments entering the sea.

4. Marine Habitat- These wetlands, provide a home for marine life. Most animals seek shelter, feed and even reproduce in this habitat where the nutrients are ready available to them.

5.  Biogeochemical Cycling and Storage- Wetlands may be a sink for, or transform, nutrients, organic compounds, metals, and components of organic matter. Wetlands may also act as filters of sediments and organic matter.

The above listed are some of the main functions together with many more the plays a vital role in the environment.

Caroni Swamp (Mangroves)

References

Development, Environment and. n.d. Sustainable Coastal Development. http://www.unesco.org/csi/act/pacsicom/pacsi1.htm.

Images- By Satish M Singh