Shoreline Assessment And Lake Management

4. The right portion of Figure 1 describes general characteristics of the ocean bottom in coastal areas that are tectonically passive (not near a plate boundary). The left

: Larchwood Lake may not ever be the same again. The story about Larchwood Lake is not that uncommon. Without doing extensive research into possible things that could occur by lowering the lake level, the Larchwood Lake Homeowner’s Association destroyed the very thing they were trying to protect. Carelessness and poor planning are not the only root causes however. There are a number of reasons that led to the degradation of Larchwood Lake that happen to relate to more macro level environmental issues. Those reasons are poorly designed environmental policy created by the E.P.A., poor understanding of lake ecology by the managers of the land, and false confidence in poorly planned ideas. By looking at how these factors contributed to the degradation of the lake, hopefully we will be able to make more ecological sound decisions in the future.

The middle shore, or middle tide zone, is submerged by water for approximately half of the cycle. This means that there is the capability to support much more marine vegetation, specifically seaweeds. The organisms found there are more complex and larger in size than further up the shore.[9] The rock pools can provide a suitable habitat for small fish, sea urchins, shrimps and zoo plankton. This area is more diversified than the upper shore.

It has become common for sand dunes to be bulldozed to improve the views to the sea. However this destroys the natural protection of the coast. Human activities such as water transport also can cause problems for coastal areas. The dredging of navigation channels and the discharging of the material in deep water to enable larger ships to travel though water channels removes sediment from the coastal system leaving the area susceptible to erosion and will also interfere with longshore drift which will prevent the coastal beach landforms from being maintained such as the development of a spit. It is likely that a spit will be eroded and start to regress in conditions such as these.

Consumers will consume oxygen and these will take the oxygen from the lake. This in turn will cause the dissolved oxygen level.

An estuary system is “the resulting collisions of sweet and salt-fresh river water flowing seaward and ocean water inland.” It is an aquatic system where salt and freshwater are constantly mixing. An estuary system is one of most active systems of the planet; it is a hybrid system that contains the best and worst qualities of the ocean, river, and lake systems it conglomerates. Estuaries are unique in nature because of their ability to be the most productive ecosystem on the entire planet; humans have attempted and failed to reach the productivity that estuaries naturally grant. There productivity lies it the constant change that occurs from the conflicting flows of fresh and ocean water. Ocean and freshwater are measured largely based on salinity, or the level of parts of salt per thousand. Ocean water usually

period of time have increased the size of the beach. Enviromental organisations have tried there best to limit the amount of man made deveoplment on coastal lads and many schools

These are called barrier islands. Most are long and thin, oriented parallel to the shoreline. These islands have many things in common but also have many different characteristics. They all consist of a sandy beach facing the ocean or Gulf with several other habitat zones including dunes, swales, maritime forests, marshes and tidal flats. The specific natural environments vary from island to island. The bays, estuaries and lagoons found behind the islands are typically rich in marine life. The islands serve to protect these ecologically valuable places. These small land masses also protect human communities on the mainland from the destructive energy of tropical storms and hurricanes. Despite their protective function, barrier islands are very dynamic and always on the move. Their formation depends upon the movement of sand by waves, tides and currents, and these forces continue to act on all barrier islands. Many barrier islands are popular vacation sites. Resort towns have been developed on many of these islands. However, attempts to prevent erosional forces from threatening human-built structures are usually

Eutrophication is when there is too much nutrients in the water, as stated above. Eutrophication can come from farmers fertilizing their fields and some detergents. We tested for phosphates, salts or ester of phosphatidic acid. We also tested for nitrates, salts or ester of nitric acid. The more the phosphates and nitrates, the more eutrophication is present in the stream. We tested for dissolved oxygen, the amount of oxygen in the water, as well. We found found a very low level of phosphates with an average of 0.1 parts per million (ppm). We also found a very low level of nitrates with an average of 0.9 ppm. The dissolved oxygen level was 9.8 ppm. The higher the velocity of the water, the more dissolved oxygen it will contain. All of these measurements are very good and show that there is little or no eutrophication in the

Water is an important resource and weather agent in our world, and the Great Lakes Region has an intimate relationship with water. The region was shaped by glaciers long ago and continues to be shaped by flowing surface water today. Groundwater is very pure in the area, which allows for plants, animals, and humans to thrive there. Migration into the area can be related to the groundwater found there. Human use of the water results in man-made structures, water flow alteration, and changes in water quality. Water is very influential in the Great Lakes Region.

Estuarine environments are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth. Not only do they provide measureable environmental benefits, but social and economic benefits. Salt marshes provide habitat and serve as food resources for various wildlife such as shellfish, fish, and birds. They also act as nurseries for commercially and recreationally important shell and fin fisheries. Nearby land and waterbodies are protected from flooding, storm surges, shoreline stabilization, nutrient absorption, and water quality improvement. Wetlands and marshes not only provide the environmental aspects just mentioned, they also serve as an educational and recreational opportunity for the community. For healthy survival, salt marsh plant species require proper tidal fluctuation.

Wyong Shire Council (2015b). Tuggerah – Love Our Living Lakes. Retrieved from loveourlivinglakes.com.au website: http://www.loveourlivinglakes.com.au/

Since the 1960’s, Lake Erie has been recovering from its unhealthy state and it’s public status. Lake Erie was terribly polluted that lead to fires and algae which was something locals were not happy about. Lake Erie’s water even got to the point of restriction. Pollutants were being dumped and phosphorus, fertilizers and pesticides were leaking into rivers that would later lead into Lake Erie. “As a result of these pollutants, Lake Erie contained increased levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, which contributed to eutrophication - a process that encourages the development of algal blooms.” (Rotman). Lake Erie was even known as the “burning river” or even the “dead lake”.

The erosion of shorelines is a natural process that can have beneficial or adverse impacts on the creation and maintenance of habitats. Sands and gravels eroded from the shores of coastal bays maintain the beach as a natural barrier between the open water and coastal wetlands. Beaches move back and forth onshore, offshore and along shore with changing wave conditions. The finer-grained silts and clays derived from the erosion of shorelines are sorted and carried as far as the waters of wetlands or tidal flats, where benefits are derived from addition of the new material. However, excessively high sediment loads can smother submerged aquatic vegetation beds, cover shellfish beds and tidal flats, fill in riffle

When high tides come up onto the beach, the water brings animals and plants with it. Tide pools are formed when low tide takes the water back out toward the sea, and some water gets trapped and left behind. Things like rocks and low spots, like shallow holes, can keep the water from leaving the beach area. Plants and animals can make a tidepool their home, or habitat. A habitat is the environment in which plants and animals live.