Lover's Key is a barrier island that protects the mainland from the elements. In-between Lovers Key and the mainland, we observed estuaries, which were like safe areas for younger, smaller sea life until they grow larger. These are important for our economy, because they are like nurseries for the shrimp and fish that drive people here for shrimping and sport fishing.
Naturally, the watershed runs into these estuaries, and cleans the water before it gets there. With people moving onto the land, they created canals to drain the water faster, so the land wouldn't flood. With humans also using fertilizers, this created a problem. The fertilizers would run of into the canals, and skip the natural purification, ending in the estuaries and ocean, proving detrimental the wildlife.
Over time, laws have been put in place to protect the environment, such as no fertilizing during rainy season.
Fun Fact: While in a mangrove swamp ecosystem, we learned that there are three types of mangroves. Red mangroves, white are the ones with finger-like extremities that reach into the water; Black mangroves which grow further up on land (less submersion), and have finger-like extremities that grow upwards, out of the mud; A white mangroves which like the driest of growing conditions. Each of there secret salt, but white mangroves have visible salt glads, which appear like little balls under their leaves.
We also got to go swimming!
And of course after class that day, Eric Kreiger and I had our weekly after-class BBQ.
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