What choices can humans make to help the environment?
Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Help Protect the Earth
- Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cut down on what you throw away.
- Volunteer. Volunteer for cleanups in your community.
- Educate.
- Conserve water.
- Choose sustainable.
- Shop wisely.
- Use long-lasting light bulbs.
- Plant a tree.
Why do we need to protect the intertidal zone?
It provides a home to specially adapted marine plants and animals. Those organisms, in turn, serve as food for many other animals. The intertidal zone also staves off erosion caused by storms. Oyster reefs are one such example of a protective feature.
How can we protect our estuaries and intertidal zone?
What You Can Do to Help Protect our Coastal Watersheds and Estuaries
- Conserve water in your daily life.
- Dispose of household and yard chemicals properly; follow disposal directions on their labels.
- Don’t be wasteful: reduce, re-use and recycle every day.
- Pick up trash; participate in trash clean-up days.
Why are estuaries important?
Because they are biologically productive, estuaries provide ideal areas for migratory birds to rest and refuel during their long journeys. Because many species of fish and wildlife rely on the sheltered waters of estuaries as protected spawning places, estuaries are often called the “nurseries of the sea.”
How are people affected by the intertidal zone?
The biggest drawbacks of human interference are trampling organisms, collecting samples and pollution . Several organisms living in the tide pools of the intertidal areas are crushed unawares by humans during explorations. Discarded trash, oil spills and toxic chemical runoffs negatively impact tidal marine life.
What lives in the intertidal zone?
Intertidal zones of rocky shorelines host sea stars, snails, seaweed, algae, and crabs. Barnacles, mussels, and kelps can survive in this environment by anchoring themselves to the rocks. Barnacles and mussels can also hold seawater in their closed shells to keep from drying out during low tide.
What makes the intertidal zone unique?
The intertidal zone is the area where the ocean meets the land between high and low tides. Intertidal zones exist anywhere the ocean meets the land, from steep, rocky ledges to long, sloping sandy beaches and mudflats that can extend for hundreds of meters.
Why is the intertidal zone rich with nutrients?
This intertidal zone is rich in life because high concentrations of nutrients flow from the land. Sunlight penetrates the shallow waters, allowing organisms that rely on sunlight to grow well on the shore bottom. Incoming tides bring in fresh supplies of oxygen, nutrients and plankton to shallow areas.