July 1, 2016 – Summer is a time for beach fun! As you head out to the beach this holiday weekend, consider what secrets lie within the glistening beach sand! The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) July 1 Soils Matter blog post explains the many roles beach sands play in keeping ecosystems running.

“Historically, scientists thought that beaches had very little biological significance relative to other ecosystems,” says Mary Tiedeman, soil scientist and blogger. “Over time though, researchers have begun to discover that beach sand, along with the tiny creatures living in it, play a role in regulating carbon and other nutrients in sea water. In other words, the countless little organisms (such as algae, bacteria, crustaceans, and fungi) serve as garbage collectors to filter waste out of ocean water.”

"Healthy beaches offer us a great place to relax, play, and enjoy the wildlife. They also supply us with delicious food, clean our ocean water, and protect our coasts from storms. Though we appreciate what they do for us, humans do a number of things to threaten the quality and functionality of these environments," Tiedeman says.

To read the entire blog post, visit http://soilsmatter.wordpress.com.

Follow SSSA on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SSSA.soils, Twitter at SSSA_Soils. SSSA has soils information on www.soils.org/discover-soils, for teachers at www.soils4teachers.org, and for students through 12^th grade, www.soils4kids.org.