Coasts 2 Flashcards
Define a coastal ecosystem
provides a wide range of services
CSPR
- —> Cultural
- —> Supporting
- —> Provisioning
- —>Regulating
What is provisioning service
Fish / seafood
- —> main dietary protein
- —> Greenland earns 72% of income from fish products
Water
- —> Provide sheltered harbors
- —> wave energy to electrical energy
- —> supply 10% world energy needs
Building & ornamental materials
- —> Mangroves & coral reefs
- —> Mangrove wood: build boats, build houses/shelters, charcoal
- —> Corals: Cement, ornaments, souvenirs
What is regulating service
Shoreline stabilization
- —> Coral reefs & mangroves cause waves to break and lose energy
- —> reduces shoreline erosion
Flood prevention
- —> wide, sandy beach: disperse water
- —> sand dunes: barriers
- —> wetlands(mangroves/lagoons): contain water
Storm and natural hazard protection
—-> Mangroves: absorb wave energy
supporting service
Mangrove habitat
- —> Provide food
- —> Area btw roots, mud and water: breeding ground for fish, shellfish and waterbirds
- —> Dense network of roots, leaves and mud: offer protection from predators
Beach habitat
- —> fishes
- —> birds
- —> turtles
Uses of coastal areas ( LORMS )
- —> fishes & aquaculture
- —> housing & transportation
- —> tourism & recreation
Fishes & aquaculture
EXPLANATION
- —> fisheries: fish are bred & raised
- —> aquaculture: farming fish in cages/ponds close to the coast
- —> high demand for fish
EXAMPLE
- —> Ca Mau, Vietnam
- —> nation’s shrimp production
- —> cleared mangroves to create shrimp farms
- —> US $800 million in 2010
- —> China, India. Vietnam, Indonesia
Housing & transportation
EXPLANATION
- —> Stilt houses: live on coasts
- —> Transport: boats
- —> coasts used for everyday activities
- —> daily tides remove household wastes
EXAMPLE
- —> Kukup, Malaysia
- —> Air Masin is a village
- —> 180 stilt houses
- —> floating fish farms
- —> sell fresh fish + marine products
- —> Transport: Boats for fishing, ferry services for tourists
Tourism & recreation
EXPLANATION
- —> Tourism: movement of ppl for leisure purposes
- —> Recreation: activities done for enjoyment when one is not working
EXAMPLE
- —> Sentosa, Singapore
- —> many developments + attractions
- —> ONE 15 marina club: recreational boat facilities
- —> Resorts World Sentosa: Hotels and museums
- —> 19 million visitors in 2011
- —> 600% increase from 2003
What are coral reefs?
CORALS
—-> structures that develop at/slightly below sea level on the seabed
POLYPS
- —> reefs contains polyps
- —> Polyps: tiny coral animals
- —> polyps secrete CaCO3 as protection
- —> when they die, leave empty outer limestone skeletons
- —> subsequent generation of polyps built on it
POLYPS & ALGAE RS
- —> Polyps: nutrients and CO2 for algae
- —> Algae: sugars and O2 for polyps
Where are corals
- —> widely distributed
- —> mostly found btw Tropic of Cancer(northern hemisphere) & Tropic of Capricon (southern hemisphere)
- —> SEA: 70000cm 2 corals
Conditions affecting growth
WWTTSS
- —> Wave action
- —> Water depth
- —> Temperature
- —> Turbidity
- —> Sendimentation
- —> Salinity
Wave action
+
- —> increases food and O2
- —> prevent sediments from suffocating corals
-
—-> storm waves destructive to corals
Water depth
+
- —> 10-60m
- —> allows sunlight to penetrate
- —> photosynthesis
Temperature
+
—-> 17-18 degrees
Turbidity
—-> high turbidity: restricts sunlight penetration
Sedimentation
-
Suffocate corals
Salinity
It is the amount of salt in water
+
—-> average
-
—-> low salinity prevents growth
Value of corals
HABITAT
- —> support natural ecosystems
- —> home for marine creatures
- —> support >25% fish
- —> provide food for creatures
PREVENT EROSION
—-> absorb wave energy
TOURISM
- —> millions of visitors
- —> souvenirs
Pressures on corals
PROF SUCC
- —> Pollution
- —> Recreational use of coast
- —> Overcollecting
- —> Fishing methods
- —> Siltation
- —> Untreated sewage
- —> Coastal developments
- —> Climate change
Pollution
Sewage
Industrial: oils & heavy metals
Agricultural: fertilizers & chemicals
- —> water turns turbid/murky
- —> prevent sunlight penetration
Philippines
Recreational use of coasts
Building: facilities
Anchoring: boats
Trampling: boats
- —> waste discharged
- —> boat damage corals
Sri Lanka
Overcollecting
- —> overfishing
- —> disrupts ecosystem’s food chain
Philippines
fishing methods
Dynamite blasting
Cyanide
Spearfishing
- —> habitat destroyed
- —> disrupt ecosystem of food chain
Philippines, Indonesia, the Netherlands
Siltation
- —> Sediments cleared of forests washed into waters
- —> corals suffocate
India
untreated sewage
- —> waste deposited into the sea
- —> reefs destroyed
Sri Lanka
Climate change
- —> rise in sea temp & levels faster than ability of corals to adjust
- —> Coral bleaching: loss of algae, algae turns white/bleach
Seychelles
Coastal developments
- —> Extension of land by dumping sand/rocks onto reefs (Japan)
- —> More waste from urban areas (Florida)
- —> Suffocate corals
What are mangroves?
- —> salt-tolerant plants
- —> grow in tidal mud on sheltered coasts
Distribution of mangroves
- —> Btw Tropic of Cancer and tropic of Capricorn
- —> patches of mangroves further north and south of these tropics
- —> Malay peninsula, Borneo, New Guinea, Northern Australia
Adaptations of mangroves
ROOTS
- —> Special aerial roots: take in O2 in waterlogged conditions
- —> stilts/prop roots: anchor trees firmly in the soft, muddy ground
FRUITS
- —> Javelin-shaped: pierce soft mud to germinate immediately
- —> Buoyant: float
LEAVES
- —> salt tolerant
- —> secrete excess salt
Zonation of mangroves ( seaward front )
- —> strong tides
- —> sendiment changes
- —> pencil roots: maintain stability & anchorage
Zonation of mangroves ( middle )
- —> more dense
- —> sedimentation important for mangroves to maintain greater heights
- —> Prop roots: support their heights
Zonation ( inland )
- —> roots trap soil
- —> soil essential for plant growth
Value of mangroves
HABITAT
- —> fish
- —> oysters, shrimps, crabs in roots
STABILISING SHORELINES
- —> absorb wave energy
- —> prevent erosion of coasts
FUEL
- —> provide wood for fuel
- —> charcoal
WATER
- —> natural filters for water
- —> roots purify the water
