Landforms

From Salish Sea Wiki
Revision as of 20:06, 7 May 2013 by Pcereghino (talk | contribs)
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Current regional planning models chop up the ecosystem into management units:

People define Place pages let people define place in ways that don't fit these 'management units'.

Headwaters[edit]

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Headwaters are the steep foothill and mountain valleys, where precipitation falls as snow, and forestry is the primary land use.

Lowland Watersheds[edit]

Lowland watersheds contain the streams that drain the glacial plateau, with the landform created by glaciers and where precipitation falls as rain. The lowlands are urbanizing rapidly.

Floodplains[edit]

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Floodplains form where the larger rivers and streams create and rework flat areas filled with their own alluvium. These are both the home of agriculture, the core of chinook salmon habitat, and where risk of flooding is highest.

Deltas[edit]

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Deltas form where large river floodplains enter marine waters. Tidal flows create fluctuating water levels. Many areas are drained for agriculture, and deltas provide unique habitats at the intersection of land, river and sea.

Beaches[edit]

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Beaches form where sediment from eroding shorelines are pushed alongshore by waves, creating benches, spits and lagoons. Beaches are valued as residential property since time immemmorial, but are vulnerable to storms and are rich in wildlife.

Embayments[edit]

Embayments are those places along the shoreline where waves are muted by aspect or spits, collecting muddy sediments and marsh, often at the mouths of streams.

Headlands[edit]

Rocky headlands emerge where bedrock is shallow along shoreines, along Juan de Fuca, San Juan Islands, and along the Seattle Fault. These dry stable shorelines contain pockets of beach.

Places[edit]

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Humans define place using both natural and imaginary boundaries, as well as the extent of their settlements and development. Our places often contain a mixture of ecosystem sites, and define the focus of our management and governance.