Today’s article will discuss the oceans that surround the island of Trinidad. The island of Trinidad is a tropical paradise with its oceans being a large attraction. They have clear waters with bustling marine life that can be seen from many places. The oceans are diverse & incredibly interesting. Trinidad is off the coast of Venezuela, and is approximately 1,980 square miles. In this article we will discuss the salinity, temperature, marine geography & terrain, the main marine ecosystems, the documented marine flora & fauna, the ocean acidification & climate change, & the conservation of Trinidad’s surrounding oceans. That will be at the very end of the article. With that being said, let’s delve into this tropical heaven. The Salinity, Temperature, Tides, & Basic Information & Marine Geography Of Trinidad’s Oceans The monthly temperature averages for Mayaro Beach sea water of for each month of the year 2022 is as follows: January 27.2222° Celsius/ 81° Fahrenheit, February 27.2222° Celsius/ 81° Fahrenheit, March 27.2222° Celsius/ 81° Fahrenheit, April 27.7778° Celsius/ 82° Fahrenheit, May 27.2222° Celsius/ 81° Fahrenheit, June 26.6667° Celsius/ 80° Fahrenheit, July 24.4444° Celsius/ 76° Fahrenheit, August 30° Celsius/ 86° Fahrenheit, September 30° Celsius/ 86° Fahrenheit. Those are all of the official averages of the surface sea temperatures. Trinidad is an island approximately 1,980 square miles & it is 8.06 Nautical/Marine miles (9.275282 regular miles or 14.927119435 kilometers) off the coast of Venezuela. The ocean surrounding it is that of the Atlantic meaning that there are more salt deposits & however lower salinity levels. The riptide can get dangerous in the summer months. It is recommended to watch for warnings by the coastal guard & weather stations to be safe. Year-round it is recommended for swimming, the warmest month is September so it is recommended to go during that month. There is no current within 152.4 meters (500 feet) of the island. The surf usually doesn’t get higher than approximately 3.5 meters year-round. The surf is typically highest in the Spring & lowest in the Spring as well. Spring is a quite chaotic season for tides & tidal researchers, it is important in this month to listen to warnings so as to not accidentally go in the ocean during a dangerous tide. Within 5 miles of the island (4.34488 Nautical/Marine miles or 8.04672 kilometers) the water gets as deep as 196.9 (60.01512 meters), this is off the northwestern side as the further western, southern & eastern sides all are closer to coastal Venezuelan waters. They do appear to have saltwater rivers as well as saltwater marshes. They also appear to have air-exposed saltwater lakes. They have a set of caves known as the Gasparee underwater caves. They span about 100 feet below sea level. This will be explained in depth in its respective ecosystems section. The saltwater marshes are primarily along the northwestern coast of the island. This does not cause disturbances in the salinity levels thankfully. The Main Marine Ecosystems There are hundreds of marine ecosystems of Trinidad. They have a surprisingly diverse selection of ecosystems from moist marshlands to colourful coral reefs. Each of these holds unique species that define Trinidad. With that being said let’s delve into the marine ecosystems of Trinidad & Tobago. Coral Reefs (The Buccoo Reef) The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago is well known for its coral reefs. They are primarily found near Chacachacare & all around Tobago. However there is one reef in particular that is the most important reef, & that is the Buccoo reef which is off the southwestern side of Tobago. The Buccoo reef is found largely in shallow waters with a variety of wildlife. The shallowest parts are approximately 2 meters deep. However it can span to be 25 meters deep in some areas. It is one of the largest ecotourism sights in all of Trinidad & Tobago. The Trinidad & Tobago Tourism Ministry estimates that 90% of all documented visitors went to Buccoo reef while traveling through Tobago. These areas usually have higher salinity levels as well as more salt deposits. They usually have smaller organisms such as fish, crab, & octopi. However sharks are fairly common in Trinidad’s reefs. These are the most diverse out of all of the main marine ecosystems. Sand Flats The sandy flats are areas of the ocean that are barren to much life & only have few marine invertebrates & occasionally seagrass. These aren’t as common but along some of the northeastern sides of Trinidad these are found. They are found mostly & nearly exclusively along coastline areas. They usually have things such as crabs & sea cucumbers. In this area salinity levels are usually highest as they are found so close to the coast. These however are somewhat arguably one of the ecosystems that has been damaged the most by climate change. Temperatures have skyrocketed in areas that are usually much cooler forcing these animals out of their domiciles. Coastal areas were once some of the coldest oceanic areas for this area & now that temperatures have skyrocketed they have no reliable place to find these colder areas now. Gasparee Caves The Gasparee Caves are a set of underwater caves that exist in Gaspar Grande, Gaspar Grande is off the coast of Trinidad. Gaspar Grande is 0.6099131 miles off the coast of mainland Trinidad. They span approximately 90 to 100 feet underground. Unfortunately the underwater parts are not charted. There are no marine animals that live in the caves that we know of. However there is marine vegetation. This area is largely freshwater. Caroni Marshland Trinidad has a saltwater marshland known as The Caroni swamp. It is the second largest mangrove wetland in all of Trinidad & Tobago. It is located along the western coast of the island. The majority of it is along the coast however there are some very inland parts. It consists of swamps, mangroves, lagoons, & channels. It is currently a designated & protected wetland. Sea snakes are fairly common here & are some of the marine apex predators. It has moderate salinity levels in some parts & freshwater in others. They are an amazing place to visit in the safer parts however it is not recommended to go into the areas with more swamp. The Documented Marine Fauna Of Trinidad’s Oceans There are hundreds of marine species around the island. It is especially appealing to tropical fish & other animals that live in warm climates. You see, Trinidad is especially unique. Trinidad has protected oceans which makes it a sanctuary & a protected area for marine life. However not all of it is protected, but reportedly the penalties are increased for destruction of the ocean. Most of the marine creatures of the island were actually native to South America at one point but migrated to Trinidad & the lesser Antilles. There is currently a list of 5 marine turtle species that are found around Trinidad. One of these turtles is the Leatherback Turtle which can be found along the beaches of Trinidad. The West Indian Manatee is also a common visitor & they are often found near & in the Caroni Marshland. The southern stingray is also quite common along the beach. Sharks are also common with species such as Rhincodon Typus (Whale shark) & Carcharodon Carcharias (Great white shark) are also commonly found offshore. Another species that is found & unfortunately being overfished, is Sphyrna Lewini (Scalloped Hammerhead). They are unfortunately being overfished & are currently critically endangered. Dolphins can also be regularly reported off the northwestern coast. A brief list of marine animals found off the coast of Trinidad is as follows: Moray eels, parrot fish, angel fish, hawksbill turtles, loggerhead turtles, green sea turtles, olive ridley turtles, huge grouper, marlin, barracuda, kingfish, & red snapper. The lower salinity levels make it appealing to these creatures as unfortunately the salinity levels are skyrocketing in most places. Another thing is that the marine food supply is in abundance which is also a component. The Documented Marine Flora Of Trinidad’s Oceans There are thousands of marine plants in Trinidad. You see, Trinidad is among one of the most marine biodiverse places on the planet. There unfortunately is no complete list of all documented marine flora. However we do know that there are a total of 198 documented marine macro-algae species. Thanks to the environmental research programme of Trinidad, we have an inventory & a way of monitoring the seagrass beds. We officially have a list of all documented seagrasses in Trinidad. This programme involved graphing the distribution of existing seagrass, as well as determining the status of these seagrasses. It is important to note that this programme was conducted from April 2001 to September 2001. Seagrass was found to be in higher volumes along the northwestern areas of Trinidad. Especially along the island of Chaguaramas & Carenege Bay. There were a total of 3 species of seagrasses that were found around Trinidad. These species are known as Thalassia testudinum (Turtle Grass), Halophila decipiens (Caribbean seagrass or Paddle grass), & Halodule wrightii (Shoal grass or Shoalweed). However, an additional seagrass was recorded in Tobago, this seagrass is known as Syringodium filiforme (Manatee grass). As mentioned before, there are 198 documented marine macro-algae. These macro-algae were found to often be mixed in with the seagrass beds. The most common genera of these macro-algae being Dictyota, Acanthophera, Padina, Sargrassum, Caulerpa, & Chaetomorpha. That is not to say that there are not more genera than the ones listed above. A map was graphed of the seagrass distribution. Below you will find the maps depicting the seagrass distribution of Trinidad & Tobago. These maps were made by the environmental research programme of Trinidad & Tobago
How Climate Change & Ocean Acidification Are Affecting Trinidad’s Oceans Climate change is a major issue for the Caribbean, but especially Trinidad. The water temperatures are growing higher than ever before in a short timespan. Since the species don’t have time to adapt or really migrate, they have to fight like never before. Since food for marine creatures is scarcer now, they end up quickly decreasing in population. Since 2000 the temperatures have been steadily on the rise. Ocean acidification is plaguing the Caribbean as well. 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. Since Trinidad relies heavily on tourism, they spend heavily on fossil fuel energy. In 2020 they spent approximately 35.51 million Trinidadian & Tobagonian dollars on fossil fuel. This has caused catastrophic damage to Trinidad’s oceans & coral reefs. However, Trinidad & Tobago officials are currently working to cut emissions by 1,700,000 metric tonnes by 2030. This plan is currently in action & is providing relief to marine animals both around Trinidad & the Caribbean. Announcement! We interviewed 1 Trinidadian ichthyologist/marine biologist. This is an interview that is only found on The Persaud Catalog. This exclusive interview will be released on December 31st along with the marine hall of fame article. We will also release beach reviews in the December 31st article. More exclusive content will also be featured in this article. Stay tuned for this wondrous read! You won’t want to miss it. Directories & Credits https://www.ima.gov.tt/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Seagrass-inventory-report. https://tt.loopnews.com/content/tt-aims-reduce-greenhouse-gas-emissions-15-2030 Strategic Partnerships Reel Guppy Outdoors Our Loyal Patrons Ms. Ochoa
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