coastal habitat
Where land meets sea
A coastal habitat is the ecological zone where land meets sea—beaches, dunes, salt marshes, mangroves, estuaries, and tidal flats.
These areas support distinctive communities of plants and animals adapted to fluctuating salinity, tides, and wave action.
Sea turtles return to coastal habitats to nest.
Development threatens coastal habitats worldwide.
- intertidal zoneShore covered and uncovered daily
- duneWind-formed sand ridge
- beachSandy waterside margin
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
tidal currents · rocky shore · sea cliff · sandy beach · coral reef · kelp forest · barrier island · oyster bed · salt marsh · fjord · sea breeze · mangrove forest · wave action · coastal erosion · tidal flat · shoreline · high tide line · seabirds
- natural areasnature reserve, nature reserves, wilderness areas, wetland, wildlife refuge
- coastal ecosystemscoastal habitats, coastal lagoon, coastal lagoons, marine ecosystems, tidal flats
- Louisiana wetlandsbayou, marshes, marshlands, marshland, bayous
- wildlife ecologymigration routes, endemic species, native range, breeding grounds, wintering grounds
- coastal refugesmigratory birds, salt marsh, waterfowl, shorebirds, tidal wetlands
- marine reservesmarine sanctuary, marine reserve, marine park, coral reef reserve, no-take zone