salt marsh
Brackish coastal grassland
A salt marsh is a coastal wetland flooded by tidal saltwater, characterized by grasses and low shrubs adapted to saline conditions.
Salt marshes serve as nurseries for fish and shellfish, buffer coastlines against storms, and filter pollutants.
They occupy the zone between open water and dry land, typically in protected bays and estuaries: The salt marsh teemed with fiddler crabs at low tide.
Salt-tolerant marsh vegetation
- spartinaSalt-tolerant marsh grass
- fiddler crabCrab with one oversized claw
- detritusLoose waste from decay
- biodiversityRange of life forms
benthic · biofilm · decomposition · peat · anoxic · sulfide · carbon sequestration · food web
Exposed shore sediment
- inletWater extending into land
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- brackishMildly salty water
- coastalOf the shoreline
barrier island · sound · lagoon · delta · bayou · shoreline · flats · embayment
Coastal avian foragers
- egretWhite wading bird
- heronLong-legged waterside bird
- oystercatcherMollusk-eating coastal bird
- redwingThrush with russet flanks
snipe · waterfowl · foraging · nesting · migratory · terrapin · blue crab · killifish
Coastal stream with fluctuating water
- tidal flatPeriodically submerged coastal plain
- ebbGradual retreat seaward
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- high tideMaximum sea level
low tide · spring tide · neap tide · tidal range · inundation · tidal channel · tidal pool · flooding
Returning something to condition
- erosionGradual wearing away
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- coastal protectionMeasures safeguarding land from sea
- dredgingExtracting underwater sediment
cordgrass
Salt-tolerant marsh vegetation
- spartinaSalt-tolerant marsh grass
- fiddler crabCrab with one oversized claw
- detritusLoose waste from decay
biodiversity · benthic · biofilm · decomposition · peat · anoxic · sulfide · carbon sequestration · food web · trophic
mudflat
Exposed shore sediment
coastal · barrier island · sound · lagoon · delta · bayou · shoreline · flats · embayment · sea level
shorebirds
Coastal avian foragers
- egretWhite wading bird
- heronLong-legged waterside bird
- oystercatcherMollusk-eating coastal bird
redwing · snipe · waterfowl · foraging · nesting · migratory · terrapin · blue crab · killifish · snowy egret
tidal creek
Coastal stream with fluctuating water
- tidal flatPeriodically submerged coastal plain
- ebbGradual retreat seaward
- flowUnbroken forward movement
high tide · low tide · spring tide · neap tide · tidal range · inundation · tidal channel · tidal pool · flooding · king tide
restoration
Returning something to condition
- erosionGradual wearing away
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- coastal protectionMeasures safeguarding land from sea
dredging · pollution · eutrophication · mitigation · protected area
- ecosystemsrainforest, forest, desert, jungle, ocean
- salthalite, sodium chloride, fleur de sel, saltworks, brine
- coastal featuresshore, coast, beach, bay, cliff
- coastal landformsbeach, beaches, cliff, cliffs, coast
- coastal thingsbeach, sand, shoreline, reef, coral reef
- coastlineshoreline, seashore, cliffs, coves, cove
salt marshfreshwater marsh
Non-salty waterlogged lowland
freshwater swamp · bog · fen · freshwater pond · river delta
salt, salty, marsh, salted, saltwater, marshy, unsalted, saline, marshland