Pacific Northwest Rocky Shores & Intertidal Ecosystems
Rocky shore intertidal ecosystems provide a range of opportunities, for me it’s been the base of my life in environmental education, coastal exploration, foraging, and overall outdoor recreation in Oregon.
The intertidal, or the area along the seashore between the highest and lowest tides, is an area seemingly so small compared to its terrestrial and oceanic neighbors. Yet it’s an area with nooks and crevices and life of unimaginable numbers and characteristics. The abundance and diversity can be so different between habitats just miles apart. Around every little headland or every little corner of the coastline lays a new and exciting intertidal experience. When you think of tidepools in Oregon, you may not realize all of the complexity within and around them.
This harsh environment, where organisms have adapted to life without their life force of water for almost a quarter of each day, has given way to some strong and astonishingly resilient species. The species that come to mind are more often the invertebrates, the sea stars, anemones, mussels, crabs, etc. Interestingly, the base and foundation of all these species, seaweeds, have been overlooked, or even underappreciated over the years.
In the Pacific Northwest, where I live, there are multiple towns with the classic claim of being “where the forest meets the sea” which I think it’s safe to say is pretty much true of the entire region. But I always find it a silly thought that the forest truly ends at the beach. What do we think lies beneath the surface? Though they may be algae, and not plants at all, kelps and seaweeds make up a huge amount of these coastal ecosystems, and make up expansive forests beyond our reach.
There are unpredictable yet noticeable changes to these ecosystems and what we have access to visiting on a day to day basis, and more drastic, predictable (or so we say) changes season to season. Not always in the positive direction, year to year we’ve been seeing more changes than previously.
The movement of tides multiple times a day, allows us access to explore this strip of sea-land, for mere moments of each day. The roaring energy and changing conditions behind the waves and currents, the seasonal changes of weather and movement of sand make our accessibility to these ecosystems even more complicated.
Shifting sands throughout the year affect the exposure of organisms throughout the seasons. The water temperature varies season to season, with spring upwelling and warm water currents. Tides change on a daily cycle. Wave action has a seasonal pattern as well as large variation from day to day. Every intricate piece of this puzzle is connected and help determine the conditions of any given day.
Sun affects temperature and wind, wind affects water temperature and wave action, seasons affect sun and wind direction. Tides and temperature affect the current, and the moon affects the tide, it’s literally all connected and a bit complex but it gets easier to understand as you spend more and more time immersed in it all. (This explanation is a super simplified version of what is actually happening out there).
While some of these details and changes are more important to our time allowed in the intertidal, some are changes that cause an extra level of excitement or interest when visiting a place multiple days in a row.
I am in love with the complexities of the oceans, the complexities of the intertidal. Our tidepools in Oregon are, by record, some of the most diverse and abundant in the world. Our tidepools in Oregon are, in my opinion, some of the best in the world.
Unfortunately, just like other ecosystems, Oregon’s rocky shores are also threatened by a changing climate and an influx in tourism. Follow groups like Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition who are part of the Rocky Habitat Management Plan set forth by the Department of Land Conservation. In 2022, 8 new sites were designated as rocky habitat management areas, 5 marine conservation areas, 2 marine gardens, and 1 marine research area.
If you feel passionate about supporting our rocky shores, get involved in the development of rocky habitat management plans or consider volunteering at one of these sites as stewardship plans are developed - let community groups know you’re interested!
