Intertidal Monitoring Protocol for the North Coast and Cascades Network: Sand Beach Monitoring 2012 Annual Report.

摘要

Sand beach monitoring is one component of the North Coast and Cascades Network Intertidal Monitoring Protocol. This monitoring component focuses on the community structure of infaunal marine invertebrates and the physical structure of 6 sand beaches within Olympic National Park. These beaches span the latitudinal gradient of the 65-mile Olympic National Park shoreline. Sand beach infauna is closely linked to its physical habitat. Sand beaches are a major habitat type in Olympic National Park, making up approximately 30% of the intertidal zone. These beaches play an important role in both nutrient cycling and food web dynamics in the nearshore ocean. Three shore-normal transects were sampled at each beach. Sampling included infaunal organism abundance, beach sediment composition, and beach elevation profiles. In the 2012 monitoring field season covered here, the physical and biological structure of beaches were very similar to each other, as was noted in 2010 and 2011.Sediments for most beaches were characterized as well sorted, fine sand beaches with shallow slopes. Infaunal community composition, diversity and taxonomic distinctness demonstrated that beaches had similar structure and dominance of infaunal taxa, with an average of 6.7 taxa present per beach. A total of 9 taxa were found on the Olympic beaches. These beaches represent a powerful latitudinal array of sites in which changes associated with climate change and oil spills along the Olympic coast can be detected.