What are Salt marshes?

About Salt marshes:

• Salt marshes are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
• Salt marshes occur worldwide, particularly in middle to high latitudes.
• They are found in intertidal zones along coastlines, usually in protected areas such as estuaries or bays.
• They are dominated by grasses and other salt-tolerant plants such as sedges, cordgrass, rushes, and mangroves.

What are the Advantages?

• Salt marshes protect shorelines from erosion by buffering wave action and trapping sediments.
• They reduce flooding by slowing and absorbing rainwater and protect water quality by filtering runoff and metabolizing excess nutrients.

 

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Q1) What is a Tide?

Tides are very long-period waves that move through the ocean in response to the forces exerted by the moon and sun. Tides originate in the ocean and progress toward the coastlines where they appear as the regular rise and fall of the sea surface.

Source: More than 90% of the world’s salt marshes may soon succumb to sea level rise: Study