High turbidity may block sunlight from the plankton in the water, decreasing their size and abundance. As you can see, it is a complex balancing act. Our actions, as well as the affects of storm events, can have tremendous effects on the health of this system. As you walk from the water onto the shore of the estuary you do not need to notice the elevation change to see the change in plants. Whereas in the mountains you may need to go up 1000 feet to see a change in the animals and plants that live there, in the estuary a change in inches changes the whole habitat.
Tidal flats become saltmarshes.
These change from saltmarsh cordgrass to black needlerush then bulrushes. Sea ox-eye often surrounds the uplands where wax myrtle, yaupon, and yucca plants live. The animals change from those requiring that they live in the water to breathe to those that need to keep their gills moist to those with lungs. Plankton-based food web. HOME PAGE Produced by the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve Program, Division of Coastal Management with support from Marine Grafics Film and Video Production Services, Emerging Technologies Section of the North Carolina Dept. of Public Instruction and the Carolina Estuarine Reserve Foundation.