HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems
|
HARTMAN MULTIMEDIA
Nature Based Multimedia Information Systems |
|
|
Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Marsh Two portions of this lagoon are included here: the water
and shoreline at the western end of the inner lagoon and seaward, and the salt
and brackish water marsh at the eastern end of the lagoon. Several habitats are present in the western section,
including sandy and muddy bottoms and shores, rocky jetties, open water, and eel
grass, Zostera marina, meadows. The rare Dichondra occidentalis has been reported in the
vicinity. A wide variety of marine invertebrates and vertebrates
is found in this portion of the lagoon, including the pipefish, Syngnathus
griseolineatus and Syngnathus auliscus. Within
the lagoon some 40 species of fish have been collected and over 200 species of
invertebrates have been recorded. At the eastern end of the lagoon where it is joined by
Agua Hedionda Creek there is a salt marsh, with pickleweed, Salicornia virginica
and Salicornia subterminalis, dominant. Above
the limit of the tidal influence there is a brackish water habitat with alkali
bulrush, Scirpus robustus, prominent; further inland where the salinity is lower
there are the cattails, Typha angustifolia, Typha glauca
[Ed. Note: Per The Jepson Manual, hybrids of Typha angustifolia and Typha
latifolia have been called Typha X glauca] and Typha latifolia, in
pools rimmed with spiny rush, Juncus acutus. The lagoon attracts moderate numbers of water-associated
birds; of the 150-odd species recorded here some 55 species are water-oriented.
Two endangered In the marsh area and the adjacent uplands there is a
variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, including the Western and red
diamond rattlesnakes, Crotalus viridis and Crotalus ruber. The lagoon is the drowned mouth of a deep river-cut
valley which has gradually filled with sediments. Integrity: The
lagoon is divided into three sections by a highway and a railroad crossing.
There is a power plant located on the shore of the outer part of the
lagoon, and various recreational facilities are located on the northern shore of
the inner lagoon. The latter is
heavily used for water sports. The marsh area is somewhat depauperate. The lagoon is dredged to assure tidal flushing,
necessary for the power-plant water intake. Use: Research,
educational, observational, present. Portions are private. April 1977
|
|
Send mail to naturebase@aol.com with
questions or comments about this web site.
|