The Oceans Surrounding The Nevisian Island Of Nevis
Today's article will discuss the oceans surrounding the island of Saint Nevis. Saint Nevis is an island that exists in the Caribbean. It is a part of the country known as Saint Kitts & Nevis. Nevis is the smaller of the 2 islands that are from the country of Saint Kitts & Nevis. It is a part of the lesser Antilles. It is a part of the archipelago group known as the Leeward Islands. Saint Nevis is approximately 383.31 Nautical / Marine miles from its closest point to mainland South America, specifically the country of Venezuela. It is also approximately 1128.85 Nautical / Marine Miles from the State of Florida, United States Of America. The ocean that surrounds Saint Nevis is the Atlantic. It rests in the Caribbean Sea. The island is in the vague shape of a circle, which is incredibly uncommon. The island is well known for its beautiful beaches & high amount of exotic marine life. The island is extremely marine biodiverse due to its placement in Venezuela. You see, it is far enough away that Venezuelan vicious creatures such as caiman cannot swim up the coast easily. This makes it a sort of haven for certain species to escape. This also means that water from the Orinoco River doesn’t disperse near the island. The water from the Orinoco is a murky brown, which is a stark contrast to the clear blue water of the Caribbean Sea. When water from the Orinoco disperses in the Caribbean Sea, it causes the water to become murky, the best example of this is seen in southern Trinidad. Because Saint Nevis is so far away from Venezuela, their beaches remain a clear crystal blue. Saint Nevis is also a hot spot for coral reefs & large seagrass meadows. A reason for this is the attractive climate which doesn’t fluctuate. You see, in most other areas of the world, there are seasons where the water becomes colder & animals migrate away. However, in the Caribbean, this season is virtually nonexistent. This stable climate makes it so that finding food & nutrients in certain seasons isn’t difficult. It also makes it so that the coral itself can survive. Saint Nevis also doesn’t support many people meaning its natural resources haven’t been depleted yet. It also means that Saint Nevis is not very polluted. Oftentimes, places will become polluted as a result of a large population or a large tourist population. Saint Nevis has neither of these. In this article, we will discuss the salinity, temperature, marine geography & terrain, the most important marine ecosystems, the documented marine flora & fauna, & the utilization of marine resources of Saint Nevis. With that being said, let us delve into the blissful isle of Saint Nevis.
The Salinity, Temperature, Tides, Basic Information, & Marine Geography Of Nevis
The actual salinity level of Saint Nevis has not been released to the public domain as of 2024. Since the island is in the Atlantic, it will most likely have a higher salinity than say the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean. Salt deposits / Brine Pools may be more common around the island due to the higher salinity. However, the existence of brine pools around the island has not been proven. The salinity levels of the Atlantic Ocean at any given time are between 35.5 & 34.5 parts per thousand. Salinity is measured in 1,000 grams of water. For every 1000 grams of water, there will be a certain number of grams that are pure salt. This is how salinity or saline level is measured. There are also no ongoing factors that would lead to the salinity level being altered. The oceanic temperature of Saint Nevis can be found on a plethora of websites. The most user-friendly websites that have information about the oceanic temperature of Saint Nevis are the following: https://seatemperature.net, Sea Temperature Infohttps://seatemperature.info, Weather and Climatehttps://weather-and-climate.com, & finally Weather.plushttps://weather.plus. The tides of Saint Nevis can also be found there. The tides of Saint Nevis usually never get over 1.4 meters (4.59318 feet). This is due to the strange placement of Saint Nevis & the nearby wave patterns. The deepest oceanic point within 5 Nautical / Marine miles (5.7539 miles or 9.26 kilometers) from Saint Nevis is 1988.2 feet (606.00336 meters) deep. There are no randomly forming currents around the island & there are no seasonal or permanent currents within 5 Nautical / Marine miles (5.7539 miles or 9.26 kilometers) of the island. There is no known record of riptide dangerous enough to injure a person around Saint Nevis. Pollution around Saint Nevis is controlled. There is not much water pollution around the island. There are also no records of hazardous chemical contamination of the water around Saint Nevis. Swimming is a safe & common recreational activity around Saint Nevis. Snorkeling & scuba diving are also incredibly common recreational activities that take place around the island. As mentioned in the introduction, water is crystal clear & coral reefs can be seen from the beaches on the island. Some of the oceanic areas do run off into the island creating saltwater streams on the island. There are a total of 3 marine protected areas or MPAs throughout Saint Kitts & Nevis. The marine protected areas are currently known as; Marine Management Area, Sandy Point Reef, & Sandy Point Reef. There are 2 marine protected areas known as Sandy Point Reef around Saint Kitts & Nevis.
The Most Prominent Marine Ecosystems Of Nevis
Coral Reefed Areas
Coral reefs both large & small are incredibly common around Nevis. The only type of coral reef found around Nevis is the Fringing type. There are four main types of coral reefs Fringing, Patch reefs, Barrier, & Atolls. There are currently 44 designated reefs throughout Saint Kitts & Nevis. These 44 areas comprise approximately 204.248 square miles (529 square kilometers) of ocean. The exact species found around Nevis are known as Acropora palmata (Elkhorn coral) & Acropora cervicornis (Staghorn coral). The Staghorn coral is a cold water coral, which means that cold water coral is in confirmed presence around Nevis.
Seagrass Meadows
There is no specific place where these types of ecosystems are found, this type of ecosystem is incredibly versatile. Many different types of vertebrates & invertebrates are found here. Usually, smaller animals are found here, which makes this ecosystem extremely fragile. Usually, this is an area where animals such as sea horses give birth. It consists mostly of seagrass. It also works as a fish nursery for the majority of the fish. The main species of seagrasses around Nevis are Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass),& Syringodium filiform (filament grass). Between the two, filament grass is found more frequently than turtle grass. Turtle grass is found as deep as 10 meters (32.8084 feet). Filament grass, however, makes up the majority of the deeper seagrass meadows. This is what makes filament grass more prominent. Syringodium Filiform is found as deep as 30 meters (98.4252 feet), this seagrass is usually found further off the coast rather than the other species. Seagrass meadows are also usually found near mangrove forests or are found embellishing coral reefs.
Mangrove Forests
Mangrove forests are areas where the trees & the ocean connect. This creates a unique ecosystem in which there is shallow brackish water, & lots of roots. The tree roots make a sort of underwater labyrinth for the fish & other creatures to enjoy. Mangrove forests are usually found further inland than mangrove coasts. The ocean usually runs off into these areas. Mangrove forests are especially unique because they have excessive nutrients. This is due to the meeting of the forest organisms & the oceanic organisms. The exact species of these mangrove trees have currently not been released to the public domain. These mangrove forests may be alleged or very small in size as they do not show up on the majority of maps. It is extremely difficult to figure out where exactly these mangroves are located.
The Documented Marine Flora Of Nevis
The documented marine flora of Saint Kitts & Nevis are relatively common, however they are found in abundance. The main species of seagrasses around Nevis are Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass),& Syringodium filiform (filament grass). These are the only known species of seagrasses found around Nevis. The vast majority of seagrass meadows are found to the North of the island & the Northwest. There is 1 large seagrass patch to the south. There are no large seagrass patches to the east of the island. Algae from the genus Sargassum frequently wash up along the shores of Nevis. Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae that grows in large clumps around the Caribbean. There are very few other algae species found around Nevis.
The Documented Marine Fauna Of Nevis
Many different species of marine fauna are found around Nevis. The vast majority of these creatures do not live here year-round & only are found seasonally. However, a good majority of the creatures aren’t seasonal. Many creatures also come for shelter, food & large amounts of nutrients. This is a very appealing thing to most animals, especially the ones coming from the far Pacific. However, there are other contributing factors to the biodiversity of Nevis. The best places to see these marine creatures that we speak of are in the areas with coral reefs. The reason for that is due to the majority of the creatures hunting in the coral reefs or living in the coral reefs. Nowadays, oftentimes there is very little pollution or contamination of the oceanic water. A list of the most prominent species of marine creatures is as follows: Hippocampus Guttulatus (long-snout seahorse), Eretmochchelys Imbricata (Hawksbill turtle), Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead turtle), Chelonia Mydas (Green turtle), Dermochelys Coriacea (Leatherback Turtle), Megaptera Novaeangliae (Humpback whale), Physeter Macrocephalus (sperm whale), Panulirus Argus (spiny Caribbean lobster), & finally Stenella Attenuata (Pantropical Spotted Dolphin). There are too many tropical fish species to name. There are a total of 450 recorded species of tropical fish found around Nevis.
How The Marine Resources Of Nevis Were Utilized & How That Affected The Environment
The majority of the marine resources of Nevis have been left alone. The seagrasses & warm water corals of Nevis are in abundance. Frequently commercial fishing & fishing for private use happen in Nevisian waters. This affects the environment by causing population depletion. However, humans are affecting the marine environment in another way as well. You see, ocean acidification is causing the coral to slowly bleach around the Caribbean. Ocean acidification is caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased, largely because of human-caused burning of fossil fuels, and deforestation, for the past 150 years. When carbon dioxide contacts sea water, it forms carbonic acid. Carbonic acid gives off positive H+ ions, which causes increased oceanic H+ concentrations and decreased oceanic Ph. Due to tourism in Nevis being popular, there are a lot of carbon emissions. Tourism is also common on the nearby island of Saint Kitts. Since the year 2000 coral has slowly disappeared throughout the Caribbean. However, there is a way of slowing this process. The way to do that is to prevent carbon dioxide levels from rising so rapidly. A good way to do this is to plant more kelp throughout the ocean.
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