Salt Marshes

In class yesterday, we were shown how toxins flow into the ocean and how fish are dying of it. We were shown through a neat model. On a model of a sloped and coastal community, we added soil, sand, pieces of trash(paper), animal waste(chocolate sprinkles), and oil, fertilizer and pesticide(all different colored food coloring). We added rain(sprinkled water), and all of the additions we had added flowed into the ocean at the bottom of the community. The water was filthy and turbid from all of the toxins. No wonder that large amounts of fish die overnight after being in that water.The toxins that they are breathing in cannot be good for their health. So, we conducted the experiment a second time, however, this time we added a sponge at the bottom of the model that would act as a salt marsh. A salt marsh is a coastal wetland that can be found all along the coast of New Jersey, but they are more dense in southern New Jersey. Lots of wildlife can be found in marshes, including many crustaceans, horseshoe crabs and various birds. Anyway, when we simulated the rain, the polluted water went down the landscape, but it came past the sponge and came out much cleaner than without the marsh. The marsh's high grasses can use the pesticides and fertilizers to its advantage, and though the waste, trash and oil might pollute the water, it is not as severe as it would be without the marsh. Marshes are one of the only natural cleaners found in nature, so it is important to preserve these valuable wetlands.