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ReefLink Database

Seawater Flow

Seawater Flow

Seawater flow reflects circulation patterns, currents, and wave action that move water throughout the ocean and towards the coastline.

CMap

Algae are aquatic, photosynthetic plant-like organisms and include calcareous macroalgae, fleshy macroalgae, turf algae, and crustose coralline algae. Anemones & zooanthids are cnidarians very similar to coral, but are not characteristic reef builders. Civil Engineering and Construction specializes in the design and construction of infrastructure, including buildings and homes, roads, utility lines, and ports. Coral is a colonial marine animal consisting of polyps. Cultural services are the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, recreational opportunities, aesthetic experiences, sense of place, and educational and research opportunities. Discharge limitations are responses to regulate and control the discharge of pollutants and the use of chemicals. Ecosystem monitoring and restoration refers to responses to directly alter the condition of the reef ecosystem through restoration or remediation activities, setting limits on degradation through biological criteria or water quality criteria, or improving knowledge through monitoring, mapping, and scientific research. Ecosystem services are the benefits people obtain from ecosystems . Fish are cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that breathe through gills and usually have scales. An Invertebrate is any animal that lacks a backbone. Landscape Changes are alterations of the natural landscape through human activities, including coastal development, shoreline armoring, impervious surfaces, deforestation, or soil disturbance, which can alter water flow patterns and lead to pollutant runoff into coastal systems. Landuse management pertains to responses that determine the use of land for development and construction. Marine vertebrates are aquatic animals with a backbone, such as sea turtles, whales, dolphins and marine birds. Nutrients are essential elements needed by plants and animals for growth and primarily include nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, as well as minor nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, or zinc. The Reef Ecosystem includes a suite of abiotic variables that form the physical and chemical environment. Plankton are any plants or animals that are too small to actively move against ocean currents. Pressures are human activities that create stress on the environment. Provisioning services are the products or ecosystem goods obtained from ecosystems, including seafood, genetic and biochemical resources, pharmaceuticals, ornamental resources, and water resources. The state of the Reef Ecosystem is the condition, in terms of quantity and quality, of the abiotic and biotic components including physical, chemical, and biological variables. Reef Habitat is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the benthic components of the reef ecosystem. Reef Inhabitants are all of the motile components of the reef ecosystem, including fish, invertebrates, marine reptiles and mammals, and are quantified by their abundance, distribution, and condition. Reef Life is the abundance, distribution, and condition of the biological components of the coral reef ecosystem. Regulating Services are benefits obtained from ecosystem processes that regulate the environment, including erosion regulation, natural hazard regulation, and climate regulation. Responses are actions taken by groups or individuals in society and government to prevent, compensate, ameliorate or adapt to changes in Ecosystem Services or their perceived value. Sea temperature is a measure of the warmth of ocean waters, and depends on water depth, solar radiation, water circulation patterns, and atmospheric temperatures. Seawater flow reflects circulation patterns, currents, and wave action that move water throughout the ocean and towards the coastline. Sediment includes dirt, sand, silt, clay, and small rocks that form soil on land or soft substrate in marine habitats, and may be transported by water, wind, or human activities. Shoreline armoring is the construction of bulkheads, seawalls, riprap or any other structure used to harden a shoreline against erosion. Shoreline Protection is the attenuation of wave energy by reefs that protects coastal communities against shoreline erosion and flooding during storms, hurricanes, and tsunamis that can cause property damage and loss of life. Socio-Economic Drivers include the sectors that fulfill human needs for Food & Raw Materials, Water, Shelter, Health, Culture, and Security, and the Infrastructure that supports the sectors. Sponges are sessile colonial animals with soft porous bodies supported by a fibrous skeletal framework. Storms and hurricanes are periodic events of high precipitation, winds, wave action, and flooding that can potentially cause damage to reef habitat, property, or human lives. Supporting services are ecological processes that indirectly benefit humans by maintaining a functional ecosystem for the production of other ecosystem goods and services. Toxics are chemical pollutants that are poisonous, carcinogenic, or otherwise directly harmful to humans, plants, or animals. The Transportation Sector involves comprises all modes of transportation (Aviation, Maritime, Mass Transit, Highway, Freight Rail, and Pipeline) The Transportation Systems Sector is segmented into six key subsectors, or modes, which operate independently within both a regulated and non-regulated environment, yet are also highly interdependent. Tunicates, or Waterborne discharges include direct and indirect discharges of pollutants into the aquatic environment, including chemicals, nutrients, sediment, and pathogens. A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally.

CMap Description

Human activities that alter the landscape, including shoreline armoring and impervious surfaces, can alter surface and groundwater flow, causing freshwater discharge into coastal waters, and altering patterns of seawater flow. Seawater flow and circulation patterns influence sea surface temperature levels and alter the concentration and distribution of contaminants. Seawater circulation also influences the transport and recruitment of passive larvae and mobile adults, and ultimately the connectivity among marine aquatic populations. Coral reefs and wetlands can also alter seawater flow through wave energy attenuation, providing calm waters that may enhance recruitment of larval fish and invertebrates, in additional to protecting coastal communities from flooding or erosion. Water flow patterns can be monitored and mapped to better understand connectivity among populations, or potential patterns of contaminant distribution. Landuse or hydrological management can be implemented to minimize alterations to water flow patterns. Many of the same socio-economic sectors, such as transportation, civil engineering, and construction that create pressures on the reef also benefit from reef goods and services, such as shoreline protection or recreational opportunities that contribute to the cultural identity of the local community.

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