Estuaries_EastCoast

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Eastern Coastal Zone

This region is subject to summer rainfall. It can typically be subdivided into a tropical (north of Port Edward) and a subtropical coast. The warm Agulhas current is the main influence on the coastal environment.

The northern region is characterised by the Zululand coastal plain, the only true coastal plain along the South African coastline, where there are numerous coastal lakes and lagoon systems.

The northern region is characterised by the Zululand coastal plain, the only true coastal plain along the South African coastline, where there are numerous coastal lakes and lagoon systems.

Generally, the East Coast fauna and flora are relatively low in total biomass, but species diversity is high, with distinct Indo-Pacific affinities.

Physical features:

Ecology:

Vegetation:


Ref: Acknowledgement: Some information and photographic material on this page were obtained from a CD-Rom application developed by WAMTechnology cc during 1998 for the Lisbon ’98 Expo. The project was sponsored by the South African Communication Services in cooperation with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry and the Department of Environment Affairs and Tourism. Numerous organizations and persons supplied material (Dr. Dirk van Driel, SATOER and the CSIR were major the contributors of photographic material).

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