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The Intertidal Zone at Bird Rock, La Jolla, California
San Diego County is home to a wide range of terrestrial and marine ecosystems found in the vast deserts, on the forested mountains, in the coastal kelp forests, and deep in the submarine canyons. Caught in the middle of the physical clash between land and sea is the highly dynamic ecosystem of the rocky intertidal zone. Here, the sudden break of a wave on the rising tide can rapidly alter the ambient temperature, salt content and serenity of a small animal’s habitat. Curiosity about the organisms that can survive such harsh and quickly changing conditions draws us to the shore for a closer look. This website offers such a look at Bird Rock in La Jolla, one of the many tide pool destinations in San Diego, California. As time passes and ecosystems change due to naturally occurring processes and because of human actions, some species disappear from regions or from the earth entirely. The photo galleries here visually document the biodiversity commonly seen at Bird Rock from February through May, 2008. Time can only show how biodiversity changes if we record what it looks like through the years.
The photo galleries also serve as a searchable online field guide to aid in the identification of organisms seen by visitors to Bird Rock. If you haven’t yet been to the tide pools, just browsing the photographs of marine animals, birds, and algae should inspire an adventure to a rocky shore near you. Of course, considering our human impact on an ecosystem is an important part of planning a visit and you might be surprised to see who is scurrying about beneath our feet in an attempt to avoid the crunch as shoe hits rock. There are some simple techniques to exploring the tide pools that can help lessen our impact on the organisms that live there - find out what you can do on the Human Impacts page. Whether it’s actual or virtual, enjoy your visit to Bird Rock and try to step lightly.
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