Although separated by only a few miles, the bay-side and seaside creeks are strongly contrasted geomorphologically. This leads to significant differences in the microbial populations and productivity. Blum's research indicates a difference in magnitude of these roles depending on whether the microbes are found on the sea or the bay side. Moving up to the visible world, Jay Zieman talked about the critical and varied role played by seagrasses and marsh plants in coastal zones. Seagrasses and salt marsh plants provide the foundation for the coastal zone food chain as well as a filtering mechanism for chemicals and sediment flowing off the mainland.
Seagrasses grow from a dense mat of rhizomes and roots.
These mats are quite strong, Zieman noted, making the grasses resistant to most storm action. However, in 1933, a very strong hurricane battered the region. Zieman plans studies that will lower the marsh edges to test the effect of sea level increases on salt marsh productivity.