Mudflats And Saltmarches

Question 1

What is a mudflat?

Answer 1

Created by the deposition of fine silts and clays in sheltered low energy coastal environments such as estuaries

Question 2

What is a salt marsh?

Answer 2

An area of coastal glass land which is regularly flooded by seawater

Question 3

What are the required conditions for mudflats and salt marsh formation?

Answer 3

• low tidel energy area
• sheltered location
• loss of sediment

Question 4

Describe how sea level rise may threaten these features:

Answer 4

• changes in tidal currents can increase erosion and alter species
• sea level rise can upset equilibrium and destroy the marshes

Question 5

What is a pioneer species?

Answer 5

A plant organism that is the first to colognes an environment e.g. Lyme grass

Question 6

Define flocculation?

Answer 6

Small particles clump together, become heavier and get deposited as they need lots of energy to be transported

Question 7

Define Halophytes:

Answer 7

They are small plants that are tolerant of salt, and the periodic soaking of the sea caused by the tides

Question 8

What are the dominant processes/characteristics of landscapes of deposition?

Answer 8

• deposition
• succession
• low energy tide/coastline
• sheltered area
• need an estuary

Question 9

What are some additional threats to mudflats/salt marshes?

Answer 9

• the complexities of the biotic and abiotic factors that are involved in salt marsh formation means that there is a wide range of threats that can upset stability
• industrial pollution = harms many marsh species
• commercial and recreational shipping/water sports
• dredging, removes sediment
• eutrophication

Question 10

Describe the succession of salt marshes:

Answer 10

• as tidal currents are slowed, they begin to deposit material, this may be encouraged by the growth of eelgrass in submerged areas
• gradually, uneven mud flats develop, that are exposed at low tides, which become colonising pioneer species
• they gradually develop close vegetation over the mud, the vegetation create friction to slow the tidal currents even further
• the vegetation itself traps particles
• the plants also produce leeves that die and help build up the sediment level
• these processes combine to increase the level of the mudflats by between 1mm and 30 mm per year
• the ecosystem has become land based