What causes the dark tea-colored water in the upper layers of Fiordland's sounds?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Freshwater runoff stained with organic tannins from the dense surrounding rainforest forest floor
- Step 1: Fiordland receives up to 8 meters of rain annually, washing through rotting vegetation and leaching dark organic tannins. Step 2. The lighter freshwater sits as a 2 to 4-metre layer on top of dense cold seawater, blocking sunlight. Answer: Freshwater runoff stained with organic tannins from the dense surrounding rainforest forest floor. Why not the others: This allows deep-water species like black corals (Antipathella fiordensis) to grow at shallow depths of just 10 meters.
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