Rock Pooling: Looking amongst the strandline ....

Thursday, 29 March 2012

Looking amongst the strandline ....

The strandline is comprised of material deposited by the waves as the tide rises and falls. The strandline extent and composition can vary spatially and temporally. Look amongst the strandline and you will find a mix of living marine organisms and their remains.

Examples of strandlines . . . . .

Whelk egg masses, Bryozoa and Hydrozoa

Hydrozoa, Bryozoa and sparse Rhodophtya

Rhodophtya, Hydrozoa and Bryozoa

Limpets and wrack

Cuttlefish and wrack

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Rock Pooling Etiquette

Rock pooling is a fun and fascinating activity and it is important to respect the marine organisms you encounter.

The best time to go rock pooling is at low tide when the intertidal zone is exposed. The intertidal zone is the area of the shore that is covered and exposed by the sea as it rises and falls. It experiences daily fluctuations in environmental conditions and the creatures that live there will have
positioned themselves to reduce the extremes they must endure. Therefore it is important to return creatures to the place that you found them and to return any boulders or seaweeds you may have overturned in your pursuit.