tidal flat
Twice-daily exposed seabed
A tidal flat is a coastal area of mud, sand, or silt that lies exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide.
These zones occur in sheltered bays, estuaries, and lagoons where sediment accumulates.
Tidal flats support rich ecosystems of shellfish, worms, and shorebirds: Thousands of sandpipers fed on the tidal flats at dawn.
Wading waterbirds with long necks
- egretsWhite wading birds
- sandpipersSmall probing shorebirds
- ploversShort-billed coastal waders
- curlewsLong-billed migratory shorebirds
avocets · oystercatchers · shorebirds · migratory · waders · foraging · clams · mussels
Range of life forms
- saltmarshCoastal wetland with brackish water
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
- microbialOf microscopic organisms
nutrient-rich · brackish · flora · fauna · benthic · detritivores · food web · nursery habitat
Waterborne earth particles
- mudWet soil mixture
- clayMoldable earth for ceramics
- sandFine rock particles
- depositionFormal testimony under oath
substrate · anoxic · anaerobic · organic matter · detritus · compaction · grain size · waterlogged
herons
Wading waterbirds with long necks
- egretsWhite wading birds
- sandpipersSmall probing shorebirds
- ploversShort-billed coastal waders
curlews · avocets · oystercatchers · shorebirds · migratory · waders · foraging · clams · mussels · cockles
biodiversity
Range of life forms
- saltmarshCoastal wetland with brackish water
- invertebratesAnimals without vertebral columns
- algaePrimitive aquatic photosynthesizers
microbial · nutrient-rich · brackish · flora · fauna · benthic · detritivores · food web · nursery habitat · spawning ground
silt
Waterborne earth particles
deposition · substrate · anoxic · anaerobic · organic matter · detritus · compaction · grain size · waterlogged · ooze
shoreline
Land-water boundary
- littoralRelating to seashores
- foreshoreIntertidal coastal zone
- strandlineTide's deposit line
ebb · flood · sandbar · inlet · bay · coast · delta · seashore · exposed · submerged
- coastal lifedolphins, pelicans, lighthouses, seagulls, fishing
- ocean termsreef, sandbar, shallows, lagoon, estuary
- coastal featuresshore, coast, beach, bay, cliff
- coastal landformsbeach, beaches, cliff, cliffs, coast
- coastal thingsbeach, sand, shoreline, reef, coral reef
- coastscliffs, shoreline, sandy shore, coves, bays
tidal flatsea cliff
Steep coastal rock face
mountain · cliff · mountain peak · headland · sea stack
tidal flatdeep ocean
Sea's lowest regions
open sea · deep water · upland · ocean floor · dry land
tidal flatcoral reef
Calcium carbonate marine ecosystem
kelp forest · mangrove forest · rocky shore · sea cliff · sea stack
flat, tide, flatten, tides, flatness, tidal, tided, tiding, intertidal