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Marine Habitats
How are the effects of warmer waters impacting ocean life? This clip looks at the process of coral bleaching, a result of a change in temperature and light.
Witness the colourful abundance of life that thrives in warm waters, including one larger species.
Habitats
- Mangroves
Mangroves are a specialised group of salt-tolerant, terrestrial plants that inhabit shorelines between low and high tide levels. - Mangroves of the WestMangroves do not belong to a single taxonomic group, rather it is the name given to a group of plants that are all adapted to live in the intertidal zone (between the average sea level and the high tide mark).
- Mangrove forestAustralian Mangrove forests contain 41 species of mangrove from 19 plant families. More than half of the world’s mangrove species are found in Australia.
- MangrovesMangroves are what we call the collection of salt tolerant plants that are found along coastal areas and up rivers in the tropics and subtropics.
In the balmy tropical Atlantic, everything from dolphins, manatees and whale sharks to sunbathing jellyfish thrive in the Caribbean's warm, sheltered waters, fringed with coral reefs and rich mangrove forests.
- Marine meadows
Seagrasses support highly productive and diverse ecosystems. - Seagrass watchWestern Australia has the highest diversity of seagrasses in the world, with 25 species represented.
- Seagrasses of the northwest of Western AustraliaResearch into the various species of mangroves and biogeographic impact of dredging undertaken by Edith Cowan University.
- SeagrassSubmerged aquatic vegetation is the term used to describe rooted, aquatic flowering plants which include true seagrasses and freshwater plants.
- SeagrassThese grassy meadows are inhabited by many species of marine fauna and woven with trails that have been made by Dugongs when they feed on the seagrass rhizomes (roots).
- Intertidal reef communities of the Marmion & Shoalwater Islands marine parksIntertidal platform reefs are a distinctive feature of the Perth coastline. Occurring adjacent to shoreline beaches and also as isolated offshore reefs, these limestone platforms have been formed by wave action over many centuries.
- INTERTIDAL HABITATS OF SELECTED SITES IN THE CANNING BIOREGIONThe Canning Bioregion intertidal survey seeks to make a comparative assessment of intertidal habitats and biota at selected areas along the Canning coast of the West Kimberley, as an aid to regional environmental planning.
- National Intertidal Digital Elevation ModelThe National Intertidal Digital Elevation Model (NIDEM) is a national dataset that maps the three-dimensional structure of Australia’s intertidal zone - the area of coastline exposed and flooded by ocean tides.
- Rocky ShoresRich red and grey rock piles or cliffs, which make up the rocky shore habitat, are found on many of the islands and along the mainland coastline of the Dampier Archipelago. These shores are affected by tides, becoming exposed to air and the sun when the water level drops.
- Welcome to the Intertidal Zone: Mapping Australia’s Coast with LandsatBeachcombers the world over marvel at how the beach grows and contracts with the tide. That beguiling strip of land that the low tide reveals and the high tide conceals is known as the intertidal zone.
Video / Podcasts
Image of an intertidal coastline
Cartier, K. M. S. (August 2, 2019). Australia’s complex intertidal zones mapped in 3-D. Eos, 100. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EO130273.