Surface Water Characteristics. Few slow and moderately slow moving rivers and streams flow northerly to Monterey Bay via the Salinas River. Few streams in alluvial or weak bedrock channels flow directly toward the Pacific Ocean. Many streams that flow eastward in alluvial or weak bedrock channels to the Great Valley Section do not flow throughout the summer. Reservoirs for irrigation and flood control are common.
Fires are low, moderate, or high intensity ground or stand-replacing fires.
This is a seismically active area with strong shaking and ground rupture. Wide fluctuations in precipitation and temperature for periods of years result in significant or catastrophic changes in biological communities. Composition and successional sequence of some communities have changed because of plant and animal species introduced between the mid 1800's and early 1900's. The introductions related to grazing and agriculture. Humans have been utilizing the Section for about 8,000 years, and have been an integral part of Coast Range ecology for about 2,000 years.