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 Supralittoral
Zone
The Supralittoral zone of some of the more accessible shores
is highly disturbed due to tourism related development. This
is that region of the coast that is permanently exposed to the
air, except for occasional wetting by sea spray or high waves.
This zone is inhabited by organisms that require wetting with
sea water spray.
This zones uppermost horizon and it wet infrequently by spray
from waves. It extends approximately +7 feet to its lower limits
- mean of all high tides approximately +2.5 feet, slightly below
mean sea level.
The barnacle zone is the first clearly demarcated zone at
the top of the shore and this zone occurs on almost every shore
in the world. Below this zone and marking the beginning of the
lower intertidal zone is the clearly marked zone of brown algae.
Within the supralittoral zone, lichen grow on the rocks,
as well as any plants that are capable of contending with occasional
seas spray. Below this, in the supralittoral fringe, cyanobacteria
blue-green algae, grow in a slippery film creating what some
biologists call the "black zone", due to the dark color
of the algae-covered rocks. Animals that tolerate more air than
water live here.
Some include:
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