Saltmarsh

Abstract

Saltmarshes can be defined by habitats containing halophytic plant communities and associated animals which are tolerant of sea water. Typically they are regularly inundated by the tide, have sometimes rapid accumulations of sediment and, in the absence of enclosure, include transitions to non-tidal vegetation. They are at their most extensive in the northern hemisphere in areas subject to high tidal range (macro-meso tidal) where flat tidal plains develop in the shelter of estuaries and on open coasts protected by offshore sand bars and other structures. A key to their sometimes extensive formation is the presence of an abundant supply of fine sediment which settles out from the water column as tidal movement and wave action are reduced. Pioneer salt tolerant plants such as Salicornia spp., Suaeda spp. and Spartina spp. are among the most frequent colonists in northern latitudes.