![]() Ocean acidification affects the entire ocean, and especially organisms with shells. The chemical reactions that occur when the carbon dioxide reacts with the seawater result in a lowering of the ocean’s pH level (10), making it less basic. As more carbon enters the atmosphere, the ocean absorbs more carbon. In this process, seawater becomes less basic as the ocean sequesters-or absorbs- excess carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. USGSĪlong the coast of Northern California, as elsewhere in the world, the ocean's chemistry is changing this is known as ocean acidification (6). Sea anemones live in the cool water of the intertidal zone. Due to the constant crashing waves on the shore, you’ll find the toughest organisms here: rockweed, barnacles, turban snails, lined shore crabs, and more. In the high intertidal zone, organisms are only underwater in high tide. The intertidal zone splits into three separate zones, depending on how exposed or not each area becomes in different points of the tidal cycle. Organisms residing in any part of the intertidal zone need to be durable: they survive both underwater or in the open air, withstand crashing waves and wide temperature changes (8). In the intertidal zone, sea life is especially diverse and abundant due to the varied combinations of light, nutrients, and oxygen available in the water (8). ![]() This abundance of nutrients in the water supports the needs of underwater communities and promotes biodiversity.Īccording to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the intertidal zone is “where the ocean meets land between high and low tides”(7). Upwelling is a process where the currents and wind along the coastline pull the surface layer of water out towards the open ocean, allowing the cold nutrient-rich water of the coastal deep ocean to rise to the surface and replace the previous surface water. The coast of Northern California, including Point Reyes National Seashore, sees diverse and robust marine life, due to upwelling (6). Visit Media to see details.Ī tide pool pictured in Point Reyes, California. Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions. Wildlife common in this kind of forest includes acorn woodpeckers, northern spotted owls, and black-tailed deer. Sudden Oak Death (SOD) is prevalent in this forest (5), creating more fuel for future forest fires as dead plant matter becomes flammable debris on the forest floor. Douglas fir forests are not free from disease, either. Similar to the bishop pine forests, other notable species are coast live oak, tanoak, and California bay. ![]() Today, fires here average about once every 12 to 19 years. This burning was likely a forest management technique by the Miwok Tribe (4). Using fire records from the 19th and early 20th centuries, scientists estimate that fires used to burn about once every seven or eight years in Northern California’s Douglas fir forests. In Coast Douglas fir trees, their strong, cork-like-bark protects the inside tissues of the tree during a fire, keeping the tree alive. Douglas firs are fire resistant, meaning they will typically survive moderate intensity fires. NPSĭid you know that Douglas fir trees can live to be over 500 years old (4)? These trees are dominant in the southern portion of forest at Point Reyes. Wildlife found in this forest include western gray squirrels, jays, finches and sparrows.Ī Douglas fir mixed forest in Point Reyes, California. ![]() Other notable species in this forest are bay laurel, madrone, coast live oak, tanoak, and more. After about 80 years old, if they have not already succumbed to fire, bishop pines usually die of disease such as pine pitch canker (3). As of 2020, Point Reyes’ bishop pine forest is 25 years old, but scientists have found trees up to 71 years old. In younger bishop pine forests, trees grow packed densely together, however as these forests age, the trees self-thin and become more sparse (3). They produce seed-containing cones annually, however these cones will only open and release the seeds upon burning or on a hot day. Bishop pine trees are fire dependent, meaning they require fire or high temperatures to successfully reproduce (2). The northern portion of forest is a bishop pine forest. A western grey squirrel eats an acorn in Yosemite Village, CA.
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