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Discover Coastal Wonders: Top 10 Fun Facts About Coastal Plains You Never Knew

illustration of coastal-plains
Dive into the fascinating world of coastal plains, where geography, wildlife, and exciting surprises leave you awestruck and a bit sandy!

1. Strawberry-Oxnard-Plain-Fields

Strawberry fields forever? More like Strawberry-Oxnard-Plain-fields forever! Yes, the fertile fields of southern California have managed to cultivate the most luscious, delectable, and drool-worthy strawberries known to mankind: The Oxnard Plain, boasting some of the richest soil in the world, is famed for growing the most sought-after strawberries praised for their juiciness and divine taste.
Source => nationalgeographic.org

2. Berry Utopia in Oxnard Plain

You know those oddly therapeutic videos of people sinking their bare feet into squishy mud? It turns out, California's Oxnard Plain enjoys the same pleasure, right under the leaves of all its super-berry superstars: The Oxnard coastal plain, with its magical trinity of mild climate, consistent moisture, and nutrient-rich soil, is a berry utopia where you can find some of the plumpest, juiciest, most mouthwatering strawberries on the planet! This land of scrumptiousness is also blessed with an abundance of other sustainable and eco-friendly crops, like assorted veggies, fragrant flowers, and various other fruits that'll make you want to dance in the fields!
Source => nationalgeographic.org

3. Pearly Gates of Strawberry Fields

If strawberry fields were heaven, then we've found the pearly gates: the Oxnard Plain in southern California boasts some of the most fertile soil on Earth, gifting the world with the juiciest, sweetest slices of red heaven known to humankind. The unique geography and climate of this coastal plain lets its farmers grow unparalleled crops year after year - and really, who wouldn't want to be surrounded by succulent strawberries on a daily basis?
Source => nationalgeographic.org

4. Asia: The Soggy Coast Party

You might want to sit down for this one, because the Asian coast is quite literally the life of the party: Kindly note that Asia has the highest total coastal population exposure in the low elevation coastal zone (LECZ), and holds the dubious honor of having the most people exposed to flooding from once-in-a-century storm surges. Africa is giving them a run for their money, with rapidly expanding population growth and urbanization along its coastlines, but the top rankers in coastal exposure are pretty much set in their soggy ways.
Source => ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Flora and Fauna's Beachside Resort

5. Flora and Fauna's Beachside Resort

If flora and fauna had a beachside resort for unique creatures to mingle and tango, coastal plains would be the hot spot: These dazzling ecosystems boast salt marshes, mangrove forests, and barrier islands, providing exclusive habitats for a myriad of plant and animal species that can't be found strutting their stuff anywhere else on Earth.
Source => britannica.com

6. Geological Rockstar: Ice, Ice, Baby

Did you hear about the Coastal Plain's greatest hit? It goes "Ice, Ice, Baby: Too Cold, Back to Long Island!" That's right, this geological rockstar features sediments dating from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary, including gravel, sand, and silt. Created by the retreat of a colossal glacier over 20,000 years ago, this ice extravaganza forged Long Island, Cape Cod, and smaller surrounding islands from glacial outwash – and boy, does it rock!
Source => geology.teacherfriendlyguide.org

7. Tides of Culture and Discovery

From beach bums waxing their surfboards to history buffs dusting off ancient ruins, coastal plains are where the tides of culture crash on the shores of discovery: Offering vibrant, diverse experiences like sun-splashed beaches in Honolulu and Miami, intriguing historical landmarks in Edinburgh and Istanbul, and the irresistible charm of cities such as Vancouver, Lisbon, and Tokyo, coastal plains are truly a globetrotter's paradise that combines natural beauty and cultural variety.
Source => cntraveler.com

8. Thirsty Beach Bums' Hydration Station

Thirsty beach bums, take note: you may be closer to your next hydration station than you think! In coastal towns from Maine to Florida, ground water withdrawals for public supplies, agriculture, industry, and other uses totaled a whopping 7.7 billion gallons per day in 1995. So, not only do these coastal ecosystems rely on this water, but many beach-lovin' communities may find their favorite aquatic beverages sprouting right beneath their sandy feet!
Source => pubs.water.usgs.gov

9. Eastern Seaboard's Sandy Disco Floor

You might not believe this, but the Eastern Seaboard moonlights as a vast sandy disco floor, complete with salt marshes like you've never seen before and beaches that would make the Hamptons blush: Stretching from Florida to Maine, the largest coastal plain on Earth is actually right here in the United States, boasting flat, low-lying terrain, panoramic dunes, and acting as the VIP lounge for all manner of marine and coastal wildlife who simply can't resist a good party.
Source => marinebio.org

River Delta's Groovy Nightclub

10. River Delta's Groovy Nightclub

You might call coastal plains the river delta's nightclub where nutrients, soil, and water mingle to create some of the grooviest ecosystems around: They are home to some of the world's most significant river deltas, including the Ganges/Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh and the Nile delta in Egypt, providing fertile ground for agriculture and important habitats for diverse species, but human activities like damming and water diversion threaten to wreck the party and send these ecosystems home early.
Source => geologypage.com

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