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Mud flats

LC control no.sh2021003764
Topical headingMud flats
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Variant(s)Intertidal mud flats
Intertidal mudflats
Mudflats
Tidal mud flats
Tidal mudflats
See alsoTidal flats
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Found inWork cat.: Mudflat ecology, 2018: p. 4 of cover (Intertidal mudflats are distinct, highly-productive marine habitats which provide important ecosystem services to the land-sea interface)
Russell, B.J. Ecology of mud flats, 1975.
U.S. National Park Service Oceans, Coasts & Seashores website, Jan. 26, 2021 (Mudflats form when silt and mud are brought in by seas, oceans, and tributaries. The mud and the silt are deposited into bays and lagoons when the tide comes in. The water mixes with the mud and silt, creating the muddy quicksand that occurs in mudflats. Once the tide lowers, the mudflats are exposed along with what inhabits them. This habitat has the distinct smell of rotten eggs but it is packed with invertebrates and bacteria. Even though mudflats have little vegetation they are home to marine life like mollusks, crustaceans and worms such as lugworms, oysters, cockles and snails. This habitat is also a very important breeding ground for many species of fish)
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Willapa National Wildlife Refuge website, Jan. 26, 2021 (Tidal Mudflats - Characterized by twice daily exposure to sun and tides, minimal vegetation; Intertidal flats are those areas of mud or sandy mud that are affected by the rising and falling of the tides. These flats are often submerged, but are gradually exposed as the tide lowers)
Georgia Coastal Resources Division website, Jan. 26, 2021 (Intertidal mud flats are located along the edges of the salt marsh. This harsh habitat is covered by water at flood (high) tide and exposed to the scorching sun at ebb (low) tide. It consists of a soggy substrate (soil) made up of clay and silt that is deposited during slack tide. Slack tide is the brief period between flood tide and ebb tide during which the water is not flowing in or out but is still)
The geography site website, Jan. 26, 2021 (Mud flats are typically found in areas where the tidal waters flow slowly, such as sheltered bays, estuaries, rias and along gently shelving coasts. A mixture of very fine silts from tidal waters and alluvium from rivers dropping their load as they reach the sea, is deposited, causing a build up of mud layers, called mud flats. Mud flats are covered at high tide and exposed as the tide drops)
Mud flat - an overview, via ScienceDirect website, Jan. 26, 2021 (Mud flats constitute the upper zone of tidal flats, depositional processes being dominated by the fallout of suspended sediment comprising sortable silts, flocs, and aggregates, as well as biodeposition due to the production of fecal pellets and pseudofeces; Mud and sand flats are common to the intertidal zone of most estuaries. The major biotic components of tidal flats are bacteria, microbenthic algae, small crustaceans, and burrowing deposit feeders; Intertidal mudflats are a dominant habitat in many estuarine systems, covering a considerable part of such areas. They are a key habitat for the estuarine food web because of their high productivity. These areas are dominated by muddy and/or sandy mud sediments)
Indian River Lagoon species inventory website, via Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce website, Jan. 26, 2021: Tidal flat habitats (Tidal flats are intertidal, non-vegetated, soft sediment habitats, found between mean high-water and mean low-water spring tide datums and are generally located in estuaries and other low energy marine environments; Depending on sediment grain size, tidal flats may be generally categorized as either mud or sandflats. Generally, mudflats are located in the upper part of the intertidal zone, sandflats are located in the lower part)