Salt Marshes

Coastal Systems

Salt marshes are coastal ___1___ ecosystems. They are ___2___ by salt water at ___3___ tide. They are exposed at ___4___ tide. They are found in river ___5___ or behind ___6___. They are part of ___7___ environments. They protect shorelines from ___8___ by trapping sediment and buffering ___9___ action.

1. Wetland

2. Flooded

3. High

4. Low

5. Estuaries

6. Spits

7. Halosere

8. Erosion

9. Wave

Condition for a Salt Marsh

• Prescence of mudflats

• Flocculation

Formation of Salt Marshes

1. Mud / fine material accumulates in a coastal region

2. Pioneer species (halophytes) trap mud / sediment amongst their roots

3. More mud accumulates and gets thicker as new species colonise 

4. Larger plant species slow the tides and add organic matter to the mudflat, causing it to grow in height ~ 25mm/year

5. Increase in height causes the mudflat to rise above sea level

6. More developed moisture tolerant trees grow. The land is now rarely covered by the sea

Halosere

Tolerant of slaty conditions 

Halophytes

Tolerant of salinity and submergence

Flocculation

Depositional process where fine clay particles clump together making them heavy enough to sink