saltmarsh
Coastal brackish habitat
A saltmarsh is a coastal wetland regularly flooded by tidal seawater, characterized by salt-tolerant grasses and plants.
These areas form in sheltered spots—estuaries, lagoons, behind barrier islands—where sediment accumulates and vegetation takes hold.
Saltmarshes serve as nurseries for fish and shellfish, buffer coastlines from storms, and filter pollutants: The saltmarsh teemed with fiddler crabs.
Also spelled salt marsh.
Salt-tolerant marsh vegetation
- spartinaSalt-tolerant marsh grass
- pickleweedSalt marsh succulent
- sedgeGrasslike wetland plant
- glasswortSalt-tolerant marsh succulent
samphire · eelgrass · reedbed · rushes · algae · biofilm · peat · detritus
Mildly salty water
- hypersalineExcessively high salt concentration
- anoxicLacking molecular oxygen
- sulfideCompound with element sixteen
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
nutrient-rich · eutrophication · nitrogen · phosphorus · decomposition · waterlogged
Exposed shore sediment
- wadersWaterproof fishing garment
- waterfowlSwimming birds collectively
- oystercatcherMollusk-eating coastal bird
- egretWhite wading bird
heron · killifish · periwinkle · nursery · nesting · shorebirds · foraging · migratory
Tidal mixing zone
- shorelineLand-water boundary
- inletWater extending into land
- lagoonSheltered coastal shallows
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
bayou · littoral · embayment · sound · tidewater · sea-level
Exposed shore sediment
- panneFabric with crushed pile
- hummockLow earthen mound
- leveeRiver flood barrier
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
sediment · flats · channels · meandering · waterlogged · muck
Zone between high and low watermarks
- ebbGradual retreat seaward
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
- high-waterMaximum tidal reach
- inundationOverwhelming surge of water
cordgrass
Salt-tolerant marsh vegetation
- spartinaSalt-tolerant marsh grass
- pickleweedSalt marsh succulent
- sedgeGrasslike wetland plant
glasswort · samphire · eelgrass · reedbed · rushes · algae · biofilm · peat · detritus
brackish
Mildly salty water
- hypersalineExcessively high salt concentration
- anoxicLacking molecular oxygen
- sulfideCompound with element sixteen
osmoregulation · nutrient-rich · eutrophication · nitrogen · phosphorus · decomposition · waterlogged
mudflat
Exposed shore sediment
- wadersWaterproof fishing garment
- waterfowlSwimming birds collectively
- oystercatcherMollusk-eating coastal bird
egret · heron · killifish · periwinkle · nursery · nesting · shorebirds · foraging · migratory · biodiversity
estuary
Tidal mixing zone
delta · bayou · littoral · embayment · sound · tidewater · sea-level
mudflat
Exposed shore sediment
sedimentation · sediment · flats · channels · meandering · waterlogged · muck
intertidal
Zone between high and low watermarks
- ebbGradual retreat seaward
- floodOverwhelming water overflow
- high-waterMaximum tidal reach
inundation · neap · lunar · currents · zonation · submersion · drainage
- coastal thingsbeach, sand, shoreline, reef, coral reef
- coastscliffs, shoreline, sandy shore, coves, bays
- marshessedge, cattails, reeds, rushes, reed beds
- wetlandsswamp, swamps, marshes, swampland, swamplands
- coastal habitatsshoreline, shorelines, tidal flat, coastline, mudflat
- Louisiana wetlandsbayou, marshes, bayous, swamps, cypress swamp
saltmarshfreshwater marsh
Non-salty waterlogged lowland
freshwater swamp · fen · peat bog · freshwater pond · river delta
saltmarshmountaintop
Summit of a peak
highland · upland · alpine meadow · plateau · hilltop