Mud flats
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- Work 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)
Wikipedia description:
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal flat ecosystems are as extensive globally as mangroves, covering at least 127,921 km2 (49,391 mi2) of the Earth's surface. They are found in sheltered areas such as bays, bayous, lagoons, and estuaries; they are also seen in freshwater lakes and salty lakes (or inland seas) alike, wherein many rivers and creeks end. Mudflats may be viewed geologically as exposed layers of bay mud, resulting from deposition of estuarine silts, clays and aquatic animal detritus. Most of the sediment within a mudflat is within the intertidal zone, and thus the flat is submerged and exposed approximately twice daily. A recent global remote sensing analysis estimated that approximately 50% of the global extent of tidal flats occurs within eight countries (Indonesia, China, Australia, United States, Canada, India, Brazil, and Myanmar) and that 44% of the world's tidal flats occur within Asia (56,051 km2 or 21,641 mi2). A 2022 analysis of tidal wetland losses and gains estimates that global tidal flats experienced losses of 7,000 km2 (2,700 mi2) between 1999 and 2019, which were largely offset by global gains of 6,700 km2 (2,600 mi2) over the same time period. In the past tidal flats were considered unhealthy, economically unimportant areas and were often dredged and developed into agricultural land. Some mudflats can be extremely treacherous to walk on. For example, the mudflats surrounding Anchorage, Alaska, are made from fine glacial-silt which does not easily separate out its water, and, although seemingly solid, can quickly gel and become like quicksand when disturbed by stepping on it. Four people are known to have become stuck up to their waists and drowned when the tide came in, and many others are rescued from the Anchorage mudflats each year. On the Baltic Sea coast of Germany in places, mudflats are exposed not by tidal action, but by wind-action driving water away from the shallows into the sea. This kind of wind-affected mudflat is called Windwatt in German.
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