Nutrient Currents Olympic coast tidepools are dependent on adjacent waters. The Columbia River, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and upwelling currents from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean pump a nutrient rich soup into Olympic's intertidal zones. Small acorn barnacles, lichens and a few other species live in this sun-scorched zone. Upper Intertidal Zone - Sea water reaches this zone only during high tides. Here, you will find life that regularly survives two long droughts each day.
Limpets survive by feeding on algae.
They suction their shells tight to rocks for protection from the waves and sun. Sea lettuce and other marine algae thrive in this extreme zone. Middle Intertidal Zone - Sea water regularly floods this zone. The intertidal's greatest diversity of life thrives in this stable region.