The Oceans Surrounding Malibu, California
Today’s article will be discussing the oceans surrounding Malibu, California. Malibu, California is a city located along the coast of Southern California. It is famed for its beautiful beaches & it’s wide array of celebrities. Malibu is located in Los Angeles county, approximately 32.60 miles from Downtown Los Angeles. What is not well known about Malibu, is the fact that Malibu’s beaches are flooded by many different species of marine life. It is not often seen that Malibu offers a unique marine environment compared to other California coastal areas. For example, in Malibu Lagoon State Beach, many wading birds will swim around the lagoon & watch swimmers alike. Not only that, but Malibu is a prime area for Mussel hunting. Malibu has an abundance of Mussels so you may take them & eat them, however there are certain months of the year in which they are poisonous, so make sure to do research as to if they are safe to eat. Malibu is also a prime area to fish off of a pier, as the Malibu Sport Fishing pier is always open & extremely busy. On this pier, a fishing license is not required to fish. The majority of Malibu does require a fishing permit, so make sure to check the areas in which you are fishing. Additionally, they have a wide array of different marine ecosystems & landscapes. One of the main ones, is the rocky tidal pools & the various oceanic rock formations found along the beaches. These hold various crustaceans & many other species. This will be discussed in further detail in the section titled “The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of The Oceans Surrounding Malibu, California”. There are also many salt water marshes with beautiful wading birds that live in the marsh. These are found extremely prominently in Malibu Lagoon. For this reason, among wading bird watchers, makes Malibu extremely popular. Aside from that, Malibu is extremely beautiful for tourists in Los Angeles as it has some of the highest ratings for beaches in Southern California. In this article, we will discuss the salinity, tides, temperatures, marine geography, basic Information of the oceans surrounding Malibu, California, The most prominent ecosystems of the oceans surrounding Malibu, California, the Documented marine flora of Malibu, California, the documented Marine Fauna of Malibu, California, & finally How the oceanic resources of Malibu have been utilized & how it has affected the environment.
The Salinity, Tides, Temperatures, Marine Geography, & Basic Information Of The Oceans Surrounding Malibu, California
Unfortunately, the exact salinity of Malibu has never been measured. Since Malibu rests in the Pacific ocean, it has a lesser salinity then the Atlantic. Salt deposits or brine pools have not been proven to be found around the island in higher concentrations then other areas. However, this could change. Since the average salinity of the water in the southwestern Pacific is 35 parts per thousand at any given time, it can be assumed that the salinity level is somewhere around that. Salinity is measured in 1,000 grams. For every 1000 grams of water there will be a certain number of grams that are pure salt. This is the way that salinity is currently measured. There is something that could result in a change in the salinity of the coastal waters located along Malibu. This would be the trapping of brackish water in the marshes, which could result in an extremely salty coastline. If brackish water gets stuck in marshes, then it will disrupt the input & output of salt. This could cause a coastline with a high salinity, which will in turn result in the death of certain species. The oceanic temperatures of Malibu can be found on a plethora of websites, however the most user friendly ones are as follows; https://seatemperature.net, https://www.surf-forecast.com, https://seatemperature.info, https://www.seatemperatu.re, & finally, seatemperatures.nethttps://seatemperatures.net. The annual average oceanic temperature in Malibu currently rests at 62° Fahrenheit (16.6667° Celsius). This requires a wetsuit thickness of 2 to 3 & a half millimeters. The tidal charts for Malibu can also be found on a few of those websites. Occasionally, Malibu may receive waves as high as 20.56 feet high. This usually only happens at Malibu Surfrider beach & Zuma Beach though. The waves are often much tamer then that, & reach a length of 5-6 feet on an average day. Oftentimes the oceanic floor along Malibu’s coastline will consist of sand & rock, instead of coral or any other substance. Also there are little to no oceanic mounds around Malibu. The deepest oceanic point within 5 Nautical / Marine Miles (5.7539 miles or 9.26 kilometers) around Malibu is currently 2,457.7 feet deep. There are certainly randomly forming currents around Malibu which can be dangerous for swimmers & surfers alike. These currents are called rip currents or riptides, which can be extremely dangerous as they will pull a swimmer out to sea. They can be easily spotted because they are usually full of foamy brownish coloured water. This is due to a lot of sand becoming mixed into the rip current. If you see this in Malibu, do not swim near it or enter the water as you may be pulled under water. This can make is occasionally unsafe for swimmers, however they can be somewhat easy to spot, so just do your research to make sure that there is not a rip current out at sea. Aside from this, Malibu has some extremely beautiful beaches, & experiences a fair amount of tourism. Currently, the best beaches to visit along Malibu are Point Dume, Zuma Beach, Carbon Beach, Malibu Surfrider’s Beach, Malibu Lagoon State Beach, & finally Paradise Cove Beach. Pollution isn’t that large of an issue along Malibu, at least not to the point where it can injure a swimmers health. You are go scuba diving & snorkelling in Malibu, however the visibility may not be very good in certain areas. There unfortunately, are not coral reefs in Malibu at this time, the nearest coral reefs would be farther south.
The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of The Oceans Surrounding Malibu, California
Coastal Rock Pools / Tide Pools
Coastal Rock pools are extremely common along the Malibu Coastline. They are commonly found along beaches, & are not often nearby marshland. These ecosystems are not always habitable as during low tide periods. These ecosystems often contain crustaceans & various shellfish. Mussels are found extremely commonly in these ecosystems, specifically in Malibu. These ecosystems line the coastline & are only found along the coastline. These often are the most disturbed ecosystems as humans, because they are the closest to areas active with humans. When going near tide pools it is important to avoid damaging any structures as this could severely affect all of the creatures in said ecosystem. Also, sea urchins are frequently found nestled in this ecosystem so when you if you have to walk through this ecosystem, be careful.
Salt Water Marshland
This type of ecosystem is extremely common throughout Malibu & its various beaches. One of the main places were this ecosystem is found on Malibu Lagoon State Beach. These ecosystem often has 2-3 feet of seawater & tall seagrass growing out of the water. This ecosystem is often where most wading birds are found as wading birds enjoy shallow areas that their body is able to stick up out of. They will often go into this ecosystem & hunt fish & various crustaceans. Crabs, Mussels, & small fish can be found in this ecosystem along with wading birds. The species of seagrass most prominent in this ecosystem is Zostera Marina. This ecosystem does fluctuate depth depending on the tide, however it can be from 5 to 12 feet (1.524 to 3.6576 meters) deep.
The Documented Marine Flora Of Malibu, California
There are approximately 2 prominent species of seagrass found along Malibu, these species are known as Zostera Marina (Common eelgrass), & Phyllospadix Scouleri (Scouler’s seagrass). Zostera Marina however, holds a special & significant role compared to Phyllospadix scouleri. One thing that Eelgrass does that surfgrass can’t do as well. is prevent water erosion. Surfgrass can prevent water erosion however eelgrass is better at it, as it can slow water currents. This makes eelgrass extremely important as it prevents new waterways from being created underground. These seagrasses are often found in large patches, & when they die they will wash on shore &, line the beaches.
Zostera Marina (Common Eelgrass)
Zostera Marina is the first species of seagrass found along Malibu’s coast. It is recognizable because it has 1 long stem that is often 1 meter (3.28084 feet) long. The stem is often between 0.5 (0.19685 inches) & 1 centimeter (0.393701 inches) thick. This one is the one most often found on the coast as it grows along muddy & sandy shorelines. This seagrass is also most commonly found in marshes, which is most likely why it is such a popular food among wading birds. It is found from the Alaskan Panhandle to Baja California Sur.
Phyllospadix Scouleri (Scoulers Surfgrass)
The second species of seagrass is Phyllospadix Scouleri. This species is extremely recognizable because it is vividly green, very flat, & very long. It looks very silky & it grows in large clumps, these clumps are often exposed during low tide & submerged during high tide. These clumps can be approximately 0.5 feet (0.1524 meters) in diameter & as long as 2 feet (0.6096 meters). This species of seagrass is found from the Alaskan Panhandle to Baja California Sur.
The Documented Marine Fauna Of Malibu, California
Malibu attracts a wide array of different marine creatures due to its strange array ecosystems. It is semi-hard to keep a straight log of all species that live throughout Malibu because the majority of them are highly migratory. Malibu is often attractive for species because it has many different types of mollusks, which helps the food chain survive well. Additionally, Malibu is often used for surfing instead of other swimming recreations like Santa Monica or Avalon beach. This prevents it from becoming very polluted, so more species are able to thrive & more ecosystems are able to be built. Also, Malibu has a lot of seagrass which helps various species of marine reptiles thrive. As far as we know, the salinity of Malibu is not an attractive feature for animals. For the sake of this article, we will not be stating any animals that have not been spotted around Malibu in the least year. There are currently no known endemic species to Malibu. With that being said, the list of all the most prominent species currently found around Malibu is as follows: Phoca Vitulina (Harbour Seal), Mytilus Californianus (California Mussel),
Thylacodes Squamigerus (Scaled Worm Snail), Fissurella Volcano (Volcano Keyhole Limpet), Nanavax Inermis (California Aglaja), Leukoma Staminea (Pacific Littleneck Clam), Flabellinopsis Iodenia (Spanish Shawl), Octopus Bimaculoides (Lesser Two Spot Octopus), Lottia Scabea (Rough Limpet), Donax Gouldii (Gould Beanclam), & finally the Bulla Gouldiana (Cloudy Bubble Snail).
How The Oceanic Resources Of Malibu Have been Utilized & How It Has Affected The Environment
Most oftentimes, The Oceanic resources of Malibu have been utilized for fishing, & tourism. Not much commerical fishing takes place off the coast of Malibu, however plenty of non-commercial fishing does. The most common place to fish that is on the Malibu Coastline is the Malibu Sport Fishing Pier. This pier does not require a license to fish on as of 2023. These sport anglers will often affect the population of California corbina, & Halibut in the region as these are the most common fish to catch year round. The tourism as not affected the marine life in Malibu very badly because the surfers of Malibu are considerate of the ocean creatures.
Directories / Credits
Bardach, J. E. , Morgan, . Joseph R. and Cotter, . Charles Henry (2023, March 31). Pacific Ocean. Encyclopedia Britannica. https:// www.britannica.com/place/Pacific-Ocean
“Water Temperature In Malibu by Month”, Written by Unknown & Published at an Unknown Date. Published by SeaTemperature.net. Retrieval Date: June 19th 2023. https://seatemperature.net/current/united-states/malibu-california-united-states-sea-temperature
“Rip Currents” Written by Author Eclectice, June 22nd 2018. Published by the Malibu Mako Club. Retrieved April 27th 2023. https://www.malibumakos.com/rip-currents/
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