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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Large Marine Ecosystem


California's boundaries cover almost 156,000 square miles. It includes many diverse ecosystems including redwood forests, kelp forests and Death Valley's deserts. According to the California Chaparral Institute, the shrubland ecosystem is the most prevalent ecosystem in California with over 4 million acres

An ecosystem encompasses all the living organisms and the physical features of an area. It also includes the interactions between them. An ecosystem stands apart from others because of its dominant feature, for example ocean, desert, forest or estuarine ecosystems. A habitat refers to a single population of organisms within the ecosystem.

Large marine ecosystems are regions of ocean space encompassing coastal areas from river basins and estuaries to the seaward boundaries of continental shelves, enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and the outer margins of the major current systems,”  Located from the Washington State-Canada border to just south of Baja California, the California Current Large Marine Ecosystem extends seaward to approximately 300-600 nautical miles from the continent.. The California Large Marine Ecosystem includes some of the most well-documented marine ecosystems in the world.
California's Large Marine Ecosystem The California Large Marine Ecosystem includes some of the most well-documented marine ecosystems in the world. The California Current Large Mammal Ecosystem is bordered by both the United States and Mexico. The area contains.01% of the world's coral reefs. and has a shoreline of more than 2,000 feet. This Large Marine Ecosystem is characterized by its temperate climate and strong coastal upwelling.

The California Large Marine Ecosystem is one of the world's five Large Marine Ecosystems that undergo large seasonal upwellings of cold nutrient rich water that help support life for fish such as sardines, and anchovy. Coastal fish, also called offshore fish or neritic fish, are fish that inhabit the sea between the shoreline and the edge of the continental shelf. Since the continental shelf is usually less than 200 meters deep, it follows that pelagic coastal fish are generally epipelagic fish, inhabiting the sunlit epipelagic zone

On the inshore side of the California Current upwelling fronts develop in summer.  In winter a second and seasonal poleward current  develops over the shelf and slope, giving rise to the seasonal Davidson Current Front between warm saline subtropical waters inshore and colder, fresher temperate waters offshore. This front can be traced from Southern California to the Washington coast.
Human activities are altering ecosystems in this Large Marine Ecosystem. The decrease of Colorado River freshwater input has changed the ecological conditions of what used to be an estuarine system, important for fish reproduction. It is now an area of high salinity. Pollution problems include agriculture inputs and runoff from the Colorado River in the upper Gulf.

Pesticides are used in the agricultural areas of the Mexicali valley and of the Sonora and Sinaloa states. The main issue affecting ecosystem health has been the escalation of fishing vessels and fishing gear types, from small pangas, hand lines with multiple hooks and spear guns, to gill nets, trawls and long lines. Species in danger of economic extinction in California's Large Marine Ecosystem include the cabrilla, black and white seabass, Gulf grouper, yellowtail, dog snapper and sierra. Sea turtles, hammerhead sharks, and giant manta rays are virtually gone. The California Large Marine Ecosystem has however shown a resilience that is partly due to its coastal watersheds and to the submarine topography that causes the upwelling of nutrients.
Large Marine Ecosystem found off the coast of California The population of both salmon and sardine in this ecosystem have been on a steady decline. With the decline of the sardines there has been a cascading effect of marine birds found in the ecosystem.

Millions of Californians enjoy the state's coastline and waterways everyday. However, many of those people are  unaware how their daily activities, from driving a car, to not properly disposing of their garbage, or even throwing a cigarette butt on the ground, can impact the plants and animals off our shores. This debris can harm or kill beach organisms. Pollution also makes using the beach less enjoyable for humans. Solving our water pollution problems requires everyone’s involvement.  

Common items like fishing line, strapping bands and six-pack rings can hamper the mobility of marine animals. Once entangled, animals have trouble eating, breathing or swimming, all of which can have fatal results. Plastics take hundreds of years to breakdown and may continue to trap and kill animals year after year.
Birds, fish and mammals often mistake plastic for food. Some birds even feed it to their young. With plastic filling their stomachs, animals have a false feeling of being full, and may die of starvation. Sea turtles mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, one of their favorite foods. Even gray whales have been found dead with plastic bags and sheeting in their stomachs.

Habitat destruction and degradation are among our most serious environmental crises, causing species extinctions and threatening many remaining wildlife populations around the world. In California, population growth and associated coastal development have caused the loss of over 90 percent of our wetlands. Although the passage of environmental laws in the 1970s, including the California Coastal Act, has helped to slow this decline, many remaining wetlands continue to be threatened by development and are degraded by poor water quality, invasive species, and other threats. In addition to making sure that no more loss occurs, an important new challenge is to restore wetlands and other critical habitat wherever feasible.
 
 
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