mud flat
Exposed coastal sediment
A mud flat is a stretch of muddy land exposed at low tide, typically found along coastlines, estuaries, and river mouths.
These areas are often rich feeding grounds for shorebirds and marine life.
We walked across the mud flats at dawn, watching sandpipers probe for clams.
Also called a tidal flat.
Tidal mixing zone
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
- shorelineLand-water boundary
- tidalOf sea rhythms
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
sandbank · littoral · saltmarsh · marshland · seashore · brackish · lagoon · embayment
Waterborne earth particles
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
- erosionGradual wearing away
sedimentary · loam · ooze · muck · detritus · organic matter · fine-grained · waterlogged
Gradual retreat seaward
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
- low tideSea at minimum level
- high tideMaximum sea level
- tidal poolsShoreline water pockets
tidal range · neap · spring tide · tidal bore · exposed · submerged · drainage · tidal channel
Grassy waterlogged lowland
- swampWaterlogged land with vegetation
- bogAcidic peat wetland
- fenLow marshy ground
- sloughBoggy ground or cast-off skin
mire · quagmire · bayou · riparian · conservation · restoration · protected · waterfowl
Coastal avian foragers
- wadersWaterproof fishing garment
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
- mollusksSoft-bodied invertebrates, often shelled
clams · oysters · mussels · worms · benthos · filter feeders · foraging · nursery
estuary
Tidal mixing zone
- intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
- shorelineLand-water boundary
- tidalOf sea rhythms
delta · sandbank · littoral · saltmarsh · marshland · seashore · brackish · lagoon · embayment · tidal creek
silt
Waterborne earth particles
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- alluvialDeposited by moving water
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
erosion · sedimentary · loam · ooze · muck · detritus · organic matter · fine-grained · waterlogged · anoxic
ebb
Gradual retreat seaward
tidal pools · tidal range · neap · spring tide · tidal bore · exposed · submerged · drainage · tidal channel · stranded
marsh
Grassy waterlogged lowland
slough · mire · quagmire · bayou · riparian · conservation · restoration · protected · waterfowl · drainage
shorebirds
Coastal avian foragers
- wadersWaterproof fishing garment
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- crustaceansExoskeleton-bearing aquatic arthropods
mollusks · clams · oysters · mussels · worms · benthos · filter feeders · foraging · nursery · spawning
- coastal featuresshore, coast, beach, bay, cliff
- estuary.salt marsh, mangrove, brackish water, delta, river mouth
- salt marshcordgrass, spartina, salt marsh, marsh grass, fiddler crab
- mud featuresmudslide
- shallowsshoal, sandbar, sandbank, shallow, shallows
- depositional settingsfluvial, deltaic, marine, estuarine, aeolian
mud flatsandy beach
Granular coastal shoreline
sand bar · rocky shore · coral reef · boulder field · pebble beach
mud flatdesert
To leave behind completely
dry lakebed · parched earth · sand dune · salt flat · hardpan