Of Sand and Sea OfOf TeachingsSandSand From theandand Southeastern Sea:Sea: Shoreline Teachings From the Southeastern Shoreline Teachings : by Paula Keener-Chavis and Leslie Reynolds Sautter Published August, 2002 by the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium, Charleston, S.C. Copies of this book may be obtained from the Charleston Math & Science Hub, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424. OF SAND AND SEA Teachings From the Southeastern Shoreline by Paula Keener-Chavis Director Charleston Math & Science Hub South Carolina Statewide Systemic Initiative and Leslie Reynolds Sautter Associate Professor Department of Geology College of Charleston SmGiiid S.C.Sea Grant Consortium Funding for this work was provided by NOAA, Office of Sea Grant, under grant numbers NA46RG0484 and NA86RG0052 through the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium. What’s the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence? Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there something deeper? I am sure there is something much deeper, something lasting and significant. Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for spring. There is some- thing infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature—the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter. Rachel Carson The Sense of Wonder, 1956 INTRODUCTION i Dedications This book is dedicated to my parents, Paul and Lydia Keener, who, with gifts of microscopes, lightning bugs, and love, inspired my sense of wonder and to my son, Elliott Parker Chavis—may he find inner contentment and reserves of strength in the miraculous beauty of the natural world. Paula Keener-Chavis ....for my children, Will, Eric and Kaylie, in whom I hope to instill a love for science, nature, and man-kind. Leslie Reynolds Sautter On the cover: Michael William Sautter II, Eric Reynolds Sautter, and Katherine Leslie Sautter, children of Leslie Sautter; and Elliott Parker Chavis, son of Paula Keener-Chavis. ii OF SAND AND SEA: TEACHINGS FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN SHORELINE TABLE OF CONTENTS I. The Ocean Planet ............................................................................................................ 1 A. Coverage ............................................................................................................... 1 B. The Major Ocean Basins ...................................................................................... 1 C. Zones of the Ocean .............................................................................................. 3 1. Tidal Zones ............................................................................................... 3 2. Pelagic Zone: the Water Column.............................................................. 3 3. Benthic Zone: the Bottom of the Ocean .................................................. 3 4. Zones of Sunlight Penetration .................................................................. 4 D. The Ocean Floor .................................................................................................. 4 E. Mapping the Ocean Floor .................................................................................... 6 F. Plate Tectonics ..................................................................................................... 6 1. Divergent Boundaries ............................................................................... 9 2. Convergent Boundaries .......................................................................... 10 a. Oceanic-Oceanic Collisions ...................................................... 10 b. Oceanic-Continental Collisions................................................. 11 c. Continental-Continental Collisions ........................................... 12 3. Transform Boundaries ............................................................................ 13 4. Hot Spots ................................................................................................ 14 5. What Drives the Plates? ........................................................................... 15 G. The Hydrologic Cycle ......................................................................................... 17 II. Physical and Chemical Properties of the Ocean .............................................. 19 A. Salinity ............................................................................................................... 19 B. Temperature........................................................................................................ 21 C. Density ............................................................................................................... 22 D. Buoyancy ............................................................................................................. 23 E. Nutrient Uptake and Gas Exchange ................................................................... 24 F. Waves .................................................................................................................. 24 G. Tides .................................................................................................................. 26 H. Oceanic Currents ................................................................................................ 29 1. Surface Currents .................................................................................... 29 2. Thermohaline Circulation ..................................................................... 30 INTRODUCTION iii III. Marine Ecology .......................................................................................................... 33 A. Environment ....................................................................................................... 33 B. Habitat ................................................................................................................. 34 1. Pelagic Habitats ...................................................................................... 34 2. Benthic Habitats ..................................................................................... 35 C. Niche .................................................................................................................... 37 D. Trophic Level ...................................................................................................... 38 E. Adaptations ......................................................................................................... 40 1. The Sea Star ........................................................................................... 41 a. Body Form ................................................................................. 41 b. Locomotion................................................................................ 42 c. Feeding ....................................................................................... 42 d. Protection................................................................................... 42 e. Reproduction, Development of Young, and Parental Care ..... 42 2. The Clam................................................................................................ 42 a. Body Form ................................................................................. 42 b. Locomotion................................................................................ 43 c. Feeding ....................................................................................... 43 d. Protection................................................................................... 43 e. Reproduction, Development of Young, and Parental Care ..... 43 3. The Crab ................................................................................................ 43 a. Body Form ................................................................................. 43 b. Locomotion................................................................................ 43 c. Feeding ....................................................................................... 44 d. Protection................................................................................... 44 e. Reproduction, Development of Young, and Parental Care ..... 44 4. The Fish .................................................................................................. 45 a. Body Form ................................................................................. 45 b. Locomotion................................................................................ 45 c. Feeding ....................................................................................... 46 d. Protection................................................................................... 46 e. Reproduction, Development of Young, and Parental Care ..... 46 IV. Coastal Ecosystems ................................................................................................. 49 A. Estuaries .............................................................................................................