#flathal #flatstanley #peru #redsandbeach
The sand is stained red from the volcanic activity in the region, as best we understood, giving the beach a different look than the white sand beaches we are used to seeing.
The flat fellas found the red of the sand easier to see from the hillside where we took these pictures than when we were looking down on it from near the road in the picture. Do you tank the angle of the sun as it hit the sand made a difference?
There is so much salt in the area the road was made from salt, the black color comes from all the car tires rolling over it every day.
Phytoplankton and an upwelling vs. sea foam
Can you see the difference between the sea foam forming as waves crash against the beach and the “upwelling” where phytoplankton is feeding on nutrients rising to the surface?
Think about all the things that live in the ocean, from the biggest down to the smallest.
Now try to picture something so small you need a microscope to see it. Phytoplankton. Think of it as the “plants” of the ocean, providing nutrients. They float around the ocean, like a roving buffet, using sunlight to make their food.
Phytoplankton is at the base of the food chain:
Who eats who?: What happens when a plant is eaten by a bug, and then the bug is eaten by a bird.
This is called a food chain.
Phytoplankton are the start: Phytoplankton are the start of the ocean food chain. Tiny animals called zooplankton eat the phytoplankton. Then, small fish eat the zooplankton, bigger fish eat the smaller fish, and so on.
Nutrient-rich water: The ocean is not the same temperature everywhere. Sometimes, deep, cold water that’s full of nutrients (like vitamins for the ocean) gets pushed up to the surface. This is called upwelling.
The foamy lines in the water is evidence of the upwelling. The nutrients brought up by the upwelling help the phytoplankton grow.
Phytoplankton bloom: When there are a lot of nutrients, the phytoplankton can grow really fast, forming a big “bloom” that we can sometimes see from the surface – like the foamy lines in the picture! (Note: While the lines are likely foam, the visual represents the bloom, and the nearby fishing boat adds to the belief this is an upwelling… fish being drawn to eat as well).
Lots of food means lots of animals: Paracas National Reserve is a great place for animals because of the upwelling. The upwelling brings nutrients, which help the phytoplankton grow. Lots of phytoplankton means lots of food for other animals! This is why you see so many seabirds, fish, and marine mammals in the Reserve.
Important Note: The lines in the picture are most likely foam created by wave action, not the phytoplankton bloom itself. Remember, the phytoplankton themselves are microscopic, so we are looking for a sign they are present.
