Shannon Point Marine Center, Anacaortes, WA

The beach in front of the Shannon Point Marine Center consists of approximately 1000 m of cobble shoreline with occasional bedrock outcroppings. The intertidal flora is dominated by rockweeds (Fucus distichus and Fucus spiralis), sea lettuces (Ulva spp. and Ulvaria obscura), and numerous species of red algae (e.g., Mazzaella splendens, Mastocarpus papillatus, Porphyra spp.). Common invertebrates include snails (Littorina spp.), limpets (Lottia and Tectura spp.), shore crabs (Hemigrapsus spp.), and giant chitons (Cryptochiton stelleri). Subtidally, there are patches of eelgrasses (Zostera marina) and small beds of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) and other kelps (e.g., Saccharina latissima, Costaria costata, and Alaria marginata).

Tides in the area are mixed semidiurnal. During a 24 hour period there will be a high high tide followed by a high low tide followed by a high low tide followed by a low low tide. The lowest spring tides usually occur mid day during the summer and during the middle of the night in the winter.

Mosquito Pass Study Site, San Juan Island, WA