Salt marshes and mudflats

• Where do mudflats typically develop?

  On sheltered shorelines
• What are the key locations for mudflats?

  Estuaries or landward side of a spit
• What characterizes the physical state of mudflats at high tide?

  They are submerged and low-lying
• What materials primarily compose mudflats?

  Silt and clay
• How are mudflats formed?

  By fluvial sediment mixing with seawater
• What is the process called that contributes to the buildup of mudflats?

  Flocculation
• What happens to mudflats at low tide?

  Only the intertidal area is visible
• What features are typically seen on mudflats at low tide?

  Smooth surfaces with water channels
• What factors make mudflats susceptible to change?

  Sea level, wave action, river discharge
• What can mudflats transform into?

  Salt marshes
• What begins to colonize mudflats during transformation?

  Low lying vegetation
• What role do pioneer plants play in mudflat colonization?

  They lead to uneven deposition
• How do pioneer plants affect the mudflat environment?

  They develop close vegetation over the mud
• What is the effect of dense vegetation on tidal currents?

  It slows tidal currents and increases deposition