Marine and Coastal Habitat: The Seashore – Intertidal Zone

(including the Splash zone and Subtidal fringe)

The Seashore is where land meets the sea, and like Coastland habitats these are also transition zones, where terrestrial species may occasionally live.

Every shoreline can be broken into 3 main zones relating to tidal coverage.

  1. Splash (Supralittoral) Zone is located above the high tide mark and is regularly splashed by waves and sea spray but is rarely submerged in water.
  2. Intertidal (Littoral) Zone is the area between high and low tide. It is divided into an upper, middle, and lower shore.
  3. Subtidal zone is the area of seabed that extends seaward from the low tide mark and is always submerged underwater. It is not strictly part of the intertidal zone, apart from an area known as the subtidal fringe which is only exposed during the lowest spring tides.

In the Intertidal Zone, the tide comes in and goes out twice a day. The habitats found in this zone are classified by the material the seashore is made up of i.e., rock or sediment. Wildlife in these environs must show resilience and adapt to extreme changes in temperature, light, salinity levels, weather conditions and the possibility of drying out.

Habitats found on the Intertidal Zone include:

Rocky Shores/ Sand Shores/ Mud Shores / Sea caves/ Shingle and gravel shores

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