Beach Zonation and Tarpon Springs Man-Made Beaches

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Beach Zonation
Tarpon Beaches
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Seawater and air/sea interaction are undoubtedly the key topics of the course. It is fascinating how wind and water affect the entire ecosystem of the beach. There are also ecosystems created by people, which are interesting to learn since such areas serve to protect nature but can be dangerous to the environment if built incorrectly. Madeira Beach and Tarpon Springs are great examples of such forces and how people use and battle them.

Beach Zonation

The beach area consists of several zones, each performing its function in the ecosystem. Starting from the Gulf, the beach has the intertidal area, the foreshore, the backshore, and the dunes. The place where flotsam and other debris build up is called a wreck line or a debris line. It usually consists of the things that get washed up in storms or other wave activity and are located slightly offshore. Madeiras jetties help stop erosion by breaking the waves to preserve the beach. The Surf Zone is the place where waves are breaking. They break one-half of their wavelength as far as the depth goes (Beach Zonation at Madeira Beach, Nichol). The beaches in Florida have a white color because they consist of a mix of washed-down minerals during the glacier melt. There is quartz, limestone from the bedrock, and many algae mixed up, which results in white and fluffy sand.

Tarpon Beaches

Sunset Beach is an example of a man-made beach with cleaner sand and a little dune development. There are no waves on this beach because it is shallow, so they break at half their wavelength. The causeways are artificial structures built with riprap and pavement on top of them (Parks of Pinellas Tarpon Springs Man-Made Beaches, Nichol). They restrict the tidal flow, break the waves, provide habitat for mangroves, and are a cheap and easy way to build roads to nearby islands and spoils. However, they stop the oceans natural flow, causing eutrophication and sedimentation. The engineers allow for tidal flow by building a bridge on the causeway that enables the water to go through, although it is restrictive.

Fred Howard Beach is a man-made beach with no natural sand budget, so all sand has been brought in. The sea oats are protected because they hold together the dunes, which have naturally formed since the beach was made. There is cabbage or sable palm, Floridas state tree. The leeward side of Fred Howard Park is quiet; there are no waves, and it is protected from wind, which is why leeward sides tend to form a muddy substrate. The windward side, which has a current, is windy to the extent that dunes were naturally formed to help stop sand erosion. Spartina is a salt marsh grass developed on the islands leeward side.

Sediments in the shallow saltmarshes of Fred Howard Park are colored differently because of the different kinds of bacteria growing in those sediments. The current creates erosion, which cuts away the sediments and deposits them in the protected by the causeway area. Mangrove areas are a perfect habitat for small organisms because these zones are shallow and have plenty of food and resources. The estuaries are called The Nurseries of the Sea because they provide a quiet, perfect habitat with a high tide for small fish and crabs to live. Therefore, the larger fish wait for the tide to drop and wash the smaller fish out, which makes it a perfect ecosystem.

Conclusion

Madeira Beach and Tarpon Springs are great examples of natural and man-made beaches. They have different ecosystems and are used in different ways. Artificial beaches are built with great care to preserve the surrounding environment and affect it positively. They save and protect many important and disappearing Florida habitats. It is interesting to learn how people adapt, protect, and battle such forces of nature as wind and water.

References

Nichol, C. (2022). Beach zonation at Madeira Beach. YouTube. Web.

Nichol, C. (2022). Parks of Pinellas Tarpon Springs Man-Made Beaches. YouTube. Web.

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Beach Zonation and Tarpon Springs Man-Made Beaches

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