Coming up Thursday is World Oceans Day, a United Nations-led observance to celebrate the vast importance of oceans and coastal areas and draw attention to the immense threats facing them. Several organizations and institutions in Georgia will hold special events to observe the day.
Georgia has a lot to celebrate in its magnificent coast:
• The state has the westernmost coast on the Atlantic seaboard due to the Georgia Bight, which forms an inward curve along the coast.
• Even though Georgia’s coast is only 100 miles long, it’s home to some of the most diverse and fertile ecosystems on Earth, including vast salt marshes, estuaries and wide, sandy beaches.
• Tremendous 6-to-9-foot tides — some of the highest on the U.S. East Coast — are the pulsing hearts of the coastal ecosystems. Twice a day, the tides submerge and expose Georgia’s 378,000 acres of expansive salt marshes.
• The salt marshes are some of the world’s most biologically productive ecosystems. They are vital nurseries for commercially valuable fish and shellfish, including shrimp, blue crabs and oysters. They provide food and shelter for migratory birds. They help cleanse water and protect the mainland from storm surges.
• Fourteen beautiful barrier islands — the Golden Isles — line Georgia’s coast. All but four of them are protected by state and federal governments or by private foundations, meaning that Georgia has one of the most unspoiled seashores in the country.
• Barrier island beaches provide nesting sites for threatened and endangered sea turtles. The ocean waters off Georgia and North Florida are the only known calving grounds for the endangered right whale.
One of the institutions that will be commemorating World Oceans Day is the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island, operated by the UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. Its events will be held on June 10. More information: gacoast.uga.edu/event/world-oceans-day-3/
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon will be full Saturday night (June 3). Mercury is very low in the east just before sunrise. Venus is high in the west at dusk. Mars is in the southwest at dusk. Jupiter rises in the east a few hours before dawn. Saturn rises in the east a few hours after midnight.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
