Ecoscenarios Combined - FOSSweb

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Ecoscenario: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 4/16/03 3:17 PM The Florida Keys receive fairly direct sunlight throughout most of the year. Sunlight penetrates ocean water to about 80 meters (260 feet). This lighted layer is called the photic zone. Much of the water in the Keys, which has an average depth of 15.25 meters (50 feet), is entirely in the photic zone. Sunlight penetrates the water and reflects off the the white sands in the shallow seas. Warm water and ample sunlight provide an ideal habitat for photosynthetic organisms. Corals live only in the photic zone. Farther from shore the water is much deeper, up to 610 meters (2000 feet). The deeper water is the aphotic zone. It is dark from about 80 meters (260 feet) to the ocean floor. The ocean floor is littered with debris broken from the reef. file:///Ecoscenario/flakeys/content.html Page 4 of 18
Ecoscenario: Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 4/16/03 3:17 PM Courtesy of MODIS Rapid Response Project, NASA/GSFC Satellite photo of southern Florida, Bahamas, and Cuba. Light blue areas show the shallow shelves where coral reefs can survive. Barrier reefs like those in the Florida Keys are obstacles to ocean waves. Behind the reef is an area of calm, warm, shallow water called a lagoon. Lagoons are important habitats for juvenile fish and organisms that cannot tolerate the open ocean or turbulent reef. Between June 1 and November 30 each year there is a 13–16% probability of a hurricane in the Florida Keys. Hurricanes form in zones of low air pressure off the west coast of Africa. Air currents direct them toward the Caribbean and the east coast of North America. Hurricane winds and high waves damage reefs by breaking branching coral and displacing many organisms. The most serious damage, however, is the result of fine sediment stirred up into the water. It reduces the sunlight in the water. Fine sediment that settles on coral polyps can also smother them. Recent hurricanes that passed through the Florida Keys include Hurricane Andrew in 1992, Hurricane Georges in 1998, and Hurricane Irene in 1999. file:///Ecoscenario/flakeys/content.html Page 5 of 18
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Ecoscenarios Combined - FOSSweb

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