Intertidal Time Series

Repeated photographs of specific locations can be used to help understand natural variability in the ecosystem and the impacts of events, such as heat waves and oil spills.

Several such time series were began after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. Others began as a way to observe recolonization after major changes, such as a landslide or the construction of a new area of intertidal fill.

Photo number 1 at each site is the most important. There are no markers in the ground (we don’t want boats to hit them) so you will need to use the photo guide to get close. It can be difficult to identify the particular rock in the time series so use the background and any other information from earlier pictures to help identify the feature to be pictured.

If you would like to participate in adding photos to this study, please follow the directions in the Photosite Guide.