Synonyms
Wadden Sea: name of the world’s largest tidal flat system in Central Europe
Definition
Tidal Flat. A wide and almost flat coastal area between the mean upper and lower tidal seawater levels (eulitoral) exposed to the rhythmic tidal water movements. It consists of unconsolidated sediments and is bordered toward the land by permanently emerged areas and toward the sea by the permanently submerged sublitoral zone.
Introduction
Tidal flats occur worldwide in shallow coastal regions: in the tropics, subtropics, temperate zones, and subpolar, and polar regions. In the tropics and subtropics, such as at various regions of the east coast of South America, in Africa, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Australia, tidal flats are closely associated with mangrove ecosystems. In other places, such as Mauretania, the Persian Gulf, and the coast of Texas, USA, tidal flats are either wide and open coastal stretches or protected by barrier islands. Large tidal flat areas adjacent to marshlands exist...
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Bibliography
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Simon, M. (2011). Tidal Flats. In: Reitner, J., Thiel, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geobiology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_208
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9212-1_208
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