New Jersey Kayaking

Algae, Duckweed & Sponges

Algae

Yuck!

Unlike marine algae, freshwater algae is usually little more than green slime. Much of it is actually microscopic single-celled organisms that form the base of the food chain. That is why the water is green ( when it is green. ) *

-- Wikipedia

* This is New Jersey ... Lord knows why the water is green. Try not to think about it.

Duckweed

magnified, actual size ~ 1/8"

You may find yourself paddling through masses of tiny green floating flecks. That is Duckweed. Duckweed is the tiniest of true plants, just a single leaf and a hair-like root.

-- Wikipedia

Sponges

Again, Yuck!

Freshwater sponges are nothing to write home about. They are typically just a colorless ( or sometimes green ) mass of goo that you wouldn't want to touch, unlike marine sponges which are often big and colorful. Sponges are animals, not plants, but they act like plants, so I'm putting them here.

-- Wikipedia

Plants, Wildlife,

Dams and Weirs

A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. There are many weir designs, but commonly water flows freely over the top of the weir crest before cascading down to a lower level.

Even though the water around weirs can often appear relatively calm, they can be extremely dangerous places to boat, swim, or wade, as the circulation patterns on the downstream side - typically called a hydraulic jump - can submerge a person indefinitely. This phenomenon is so well known to canoeists, kayakers, and others who spend time on rivers that they even have a rueful name for weirs: "drowning machines".

More: Dams and Weirs ...

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