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Subtidal Zone
• The part of the continental shelf that is always covered by water – from the low tide mark to the shelf break (150m
or 490 ft)
Subtidal Zone
• Temperature varies from place to place due to its shallowness
• Bottom still affected by waves, tides and currents
• Very productive areas – nutrients & light
Subtidal Zone
• Soft Bottom Communites– Seagrass Beds (NOW)
• Hard Bottom Communites– Kelp Forests (previously viewed)
Seagrass Beds
• Develop in sheltered shallow water
• Most species prefer warm waters– Turtle Grass
• Some are found in colder areas– Eelgrass (Zostera marina) our local species
Seagrass Beds
• Slow down currents
• Increase the depositing of sediments
• Have roots - can absorb nutrients from the sediment