The relationship of the tide with these factors results in visually recognizable areas called intertidal zones. Biotic factors are competition, predation, and herbivory or grazing. The most important abiotic factors for the North Atlantic shore are atmospheric exposure, wave exposure, temperature, salinity, substrate, and slope of shore. These factors can be broken down into two groups: abiotic (or non-living) and biotic (or living). The intertidal is very dynamic, due to the varying strength of the ecological factors that affect it. Tide pools are formed in low-lying areas throughout the intertidal where water is trapped during an outgoing tide The intertidal is the area of the shore that lies between the highest high tide line and lowest low tide line. Thank you, in advance, for helping to keep our shore a special place for all to enjoy by protecting our natural resources.

This includes dead or live species, shells and sand, and sticks and stones. Collecting is not allowed in Odiorne Point State Park. Please observe all organisms where they are found, handle them with the utmost care, and quickly return them to the same location. Here are some safety tips to remember while exploring the rocky shore. Don’t forget, you can see many of the same creatures that live in the intertidal inside the Center at our Indoor Tide Pool Touch Tank.

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