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Characteristics of a Beach Ecosystem

A beach, or shoreline, acts as a transition between a large body of water and bordering land. Materials including sand, cobble and pebbles make up the beach. They are deposited by elements such as melting glaciers thousands of years ago or waves eroding offshore rocks and coral. Despite its changing nature, elements in the beach ecosystem depend on a delicate balance of conditions for survival.

  1. Beach Composition and Layout

    • Beach composition depends largely on its location and environment. White sandy beach in Massachusetts, for instance, has mineral quartz composition. Beach sand usually contains shell and mineral pieces as well. Tides rising and falling also create different moisture zones. The backshore sits between the area closest to the water and the dryer land. The backshore is typically dry, inhabited by sand fleas that stay near shells and washed-up seaweed. The berm includes a strip of seaweed and debris. The foreshore is closest to the tide and is usually covered in water.

    Beach Organisms

    • A beach may seem void of life, but organisms take cover in the sand and water. Creatures live under seaweed and shells to protect themselves from the heat and arid, salty air. Burrowing in the sand provides shade and trapped moisture. Mussels, seadrift weed, barnacles, crabs, starfish, sand dollars, sea urchins and jellyfish make homes on the foreshore's beach.

    Changing Elements

    • Elements like wind, eaves, tides and currents change the shape of the beach, so it's not a static ecosystem. Beach shape also changes between seasons, because wind, current and tide change. Gentle waves create a wide, flat beach with a slight slope. Strong winds and big waves during the winter narrow the beach. It may also create a scarp, a steep cliff face. Rising sea level also changes the beach, eroding it as fast as 1.5 feet per year.

    Threats to a Beach Ecosystem

    • Global and local factors affect beach ecosystems. Rising sea level, for instance, has global impact, while trampling is a direct physical action that affects a specific ecosystem. Global climate change can affect plants, animals and algae that can be affected by a temperature change of even a few degrees. Organisms also lose their habitats when humans develop coastline. A review in "Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Sciences" states that a paradigm shift is needed to initiate marine reserves and beach protection.

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