At first glance, the tumbled rocks at the edge of the ocean cove where I once lived look lifeless-too rugged a place for animals to make their home. But explore these boulders, and you'll meet a fascinating community of creatures that survive in the harsh intertidal zone.
The intertidal zone lies along the ocean's edge. In this unique habitat, the water level changes with the Moon-driven tides. At high tide, seawater covers shoreline that might be several feet, or a few meters, above water at low tide.
Catalina Island's Intertidal Zone
On Catalina Island, 20 miles (32 km) off the coast of Southern California, much of the intertidal habitat is rocky and rough. I worked as a teacher at Catalina Island Marine Institute, an outdoor marine science school that students from fourth grade to twelfth grade visit to learn about the ocean. I loved taking my classes to investigate our constantly changing intertidal zone.
Let's explore this wondrous environment between the tides!
First, listen to the constant rhythm of the intertidal world: a whoosh as blue-green water pours into cracks around the rocks, a gargle as the frothy water is sucked back out.
If we watched one patch of intertidal rock all day, we'd see water swirl over it at high tide, the Sun bake it at low tide, and waves pound on it in between. In California and most places on Earth, there are two high tides and two low tides each lunar day. (A lunar day is the time it takes the Moon to orbit Earth, which is about 24 hours and 50 minutes.)
It's almost low tide now, the perfect time to find intertidal creatures out of the water. Let's go-be careful on the slippery rocks!
Intertidal Creatures
This story is from the July/August 2022 edition of Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July/August 2022 edition of Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A 12-Year-Old Girl's Election Sticker Is a Winner
VOTING IS A FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOM FOR AMERICANS, A MEANS OF DOING ONE'S CIVIC DUTY AND A WAY AN INDIVIDUAL CAN EXPRESS THEIR VOICE. In 1971, the United States lowered its voting age to 18. But that doesn't mean kids and teens under 18 can't participate in elections in various ways.
If everything the human brain does is basically sets of electrical impulses, how exactly does that translate into a state of mind?
You're not the only one asking this question. Every neuroscientist in the world is wondering the exact same thing, says Zach Mainen
EARTH'S TINIEST BUILDERS
THE HIDDEN WORLD OF MICROBES IN THE EARTH'S CRUST
MUMMIES SPEAK
ABOUT MICROBES, MIGRATION, AND MORE
GOING WITH YOUR GUT
HOW DO MICROBES AFFECT OUR HEALTH? LET'S COUNT THE WAYS...
BUG Detective
A burglar sneaks into a house on a quiet street in New York City. He walks through the house, touching countertops and door handles. Finally, he steals a single card from a full deck. Then he leaves.
Little Creatures Among Us THE MANY MICROBES IN OUR DAILY LIVES
When you think you're alone, you're actually not. In the ground, the air, your room, and even your body are Strillions and trillions of creatures so tiny you can't see them.
A Mars Rock Found With Leopard Spots Could Be a Sign of Ancient Life
IN JULY, NASA'S PERSEVERANCE ROVER CAME ACROSS A SPOTTED ROCK IN WHAT WAS ONCE A RIVERBED IN THE JEZERO CRATER ON MARS.
Para Athlete Uses Exoskeleton Suit to Carry the Olympic Torch
In July, a 36-year-old French tennis para athlete, Kevin Piette, got a chance to participate in this summer’s Olympic torch relay without using a wheelchair.
Ancient Egyptians May Have Used a Water System to Lift Stones to Build Pyramid
HOW ANCIENT EGYPTIANS BUILT THE MASSIVE PYRAMIDS IN EGYPT MORE THAN 4,000 YEARS AGO HAS LONG BEEN A TOPIC OF WONDER AND DEBATE.
