salt marshes
Tidal grass flats
Salt marshes is the plural of salt marsh—coastal wetlands flooded regularly by tidal seawater.
These low-lying areas support distinctive grasses and sedges adapted to saline conditions: The salt marshes teemed with herons and fiddler crabs.
Salt marshes serve as nurseries for fish and shellfish, buffer coastlines from storms, and filter pollutants from runoff.
Salt-tolerant marsh vegetation
- spartinaSalt-tolerant marsh grass
- pickleweedSalt marsh succulent
- glasswortSalt-tolerant marsh succulent
- sea lavenderSalt-tolerant coastal flowering plant
sedge · saltgrass · eelgrass · samphire · bulrush · wrack · algae
Of sea rhythms
- brackishMildly salty water
- inundationOverwhelming surge of water
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
- tidal creekCoastal stream with fluctuating water
tidal flat · spring tide · neap tide · tidal range · flooding · drainage · water table · estuary
Exposed shore sediment
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- erosionGradual wearing away
- siltationAccumulation of fine waterborne particles
delta · shoreline · intertidal · creek bank · levee · subsidence · sea-level rise · barrier island
Crab with one oversized claw
- killifishSmall ornamental aquarium fish
- periwinkleSmall spiral-shelled mollusk
- blue crabSwimming crab, Atlantic coast
- shrimpSmall edible crustacean
oyster · clam · muskrat · raccoon · otter · horseshoe crab · amphipod · polychaete
White wading bird
- heronLong-legged waterside bird
- redshankLong-legged coastal wader
- avocetCurved-bill wading bird
- ploverCompact coastal wading bird
sandpiper · godwit · dunlin · willet · bittern · rails · yellowlegs · snipe
Loose waste from decay
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- peatWaterlogged decomposed vegetation
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
- carbon sequestrationRemoving and storing atmospheric CO2
filtration · food web · biodiversity · ecotone · anoxic · organic matter · nitrogen fixation · productivity
cordgrass
Salt-tolerant marsh vegetation
- spartinaSalt-tolerant marsh grass
- pickleweedSalt marsh succulent
- glasswortSalt-tolerant marsh succulent
sea lavender · sedge · saltgrass · eelgrass · samphire · bulrush · wrack · algae
tidal
Of sea rhythms
- brackishMildly salty water
- inundationOverwhelming surge of water
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
tidal creek · tidal flat · spring tide · neap tide · tidal range · flooding · drainage · water table · estuary · lagoon
mudflat
Exposed shore sediment
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
- accretionGrowth through external addition
- erosionGradual wearing away
siltation · delta · shoreline · intertidal · creek bank · levee · subsidence · sea-level rise · barrier island
fiddler crab
Crab with one oversized claw
- killifishSmall ornamental aquarium fish
- periwinkleSmall spiral-shelled mollusk
- blue crabSwimming crab, Atlantic coast
shrimp · oyster · clam · muskrat · raccoon · otter · horseshoe crab · amphipod · polychaete · nursery
egret
White wading bird
plover · sandpiper · godwit · dunlin · willet · bittern · rails · yellowlegs · snipe · tern
detritus
Loose waste from decay
- decompositionBreakdown into simpler parts
- peatWaterlogged decomposed vegetation
- biomassLiving material in aggregate
carbon sequestration · filtration · food web · biodiversity · ecotone · anoxic · organic matter · nitrogen fixation · productivity
- Bay of BiscayBay of Biscay, Atlantic coast, Basque Country, Brittany, Aquitaine
- coastal lifedolphins, pelicans, lighthouses, seagulls, fishing
- European natureAlps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Balkans, Mediterranean
- landscapesmountain, valley, hills, landscape, scenery
- coastal featuresshore, coast, beach, bay, cliff
- coastscliffs, shoreline, sandy shore, coves, bays
salt marshesfreshwater marshes
Non-ocean wetland ecosystems
bogs · fens · peat bogs · prairie potholes · freshwater springs
salt marshesdeserts
Abandons or barren lands
arid lands · drylands · sand dunes · scrublands · badlands
salt marshesmountain peaks
Highest elevations of ranges
uplands · highlands · ridgelines · plateaus · hilltops