MSCI 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 26: Surface Runoff, Estuary, Bull Shark
Document Summary
Cooper river is where most of our runoff from columbia goes. Why are estuaries important: offer a complex habitat unlike that found in other parts of the ocean. Support larval stages of fish and shellfish wildlife. Support for recreational fishing: estuaries need continued protection. 1972 the coastal zone management act required improvements in waste treatment. Population will continue to increase, estuaries will experience increasing use. More than half of original wetlands are gone. North inlet: 8350 acres, semi-diurnal tides, 16% open water, 13% flats, reefs, and intertidal creeks, preserved. Plankton in north inlet estuary, sc: biweekly measurements since 1981, now in 35th year, 153 micron, small invertebrates larvae, 365 micron: larval fish, shrimp, crabs, less and less zooplankton in n inlet water. El nino changes salinity of n inlet: this creates more rainfall which brings the salinity down. Increasing overall temperatures of both air and water temperatures. Increased by about 1c: phenology: timing of certain events.
