Tidal marsh

See also: Salt marsh
Tidal salt marsh at Ella Nore in Chichester, England.

A tidal marsh (also known as a type of "tidal wetland") is a marsh found along rivers, coasts and estuaries which floods and drains by the tidal movement of the adjacent estuary, sea or ocean.[1] Tidal marshes experience many overlapping persistent cycles, including diurnal and semi-diurnal tides, day-night temperature fluctuations, spring-neap tides, seasonal vegetation growth and decay, upland runoff, decadal climate variations, and centennial to millennial trends in sea level and climate.

Tidal marshes are formed in areas that are sheltered from waves (such as beside edges of bays), in upper slops of intertidal, and where water is fresh or saline.[2] They are also impacted by transient disturbances such as hurricanes, floods, storms, and upland fires.

The state of tidal marshes can be dependent on both natural and anthropogenic processes.[3] In recent periods, human practices, small and large scale, have caused changes in ecosystems that have had a significant impact on the preservation of tidal marsh ecosystems.[3] Some smaller scale changes include headward (i.e. upstream) erosion[4] and coastal development. Large system changes include pollution and sea level rise (from climate change). These changes are all putting pressure on tidal marshes.

  1. ^ [1] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Tidal marshes
  2. ^ "How are Wetlands Formed? - Wetlands (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  3. ^ a b Wasson, Kerstin; Ganju, Neil K.; Defne, Zafer; Endris, Charlie; Elsey-Quirk, Tracy; Thorne, Karen M.; Freeman, Chase M.; Guntenspergen, Glenn; Nowacki, Daniel J.; Raposa, Kenneth B. (December 2019). "Understanding tidal marsh trajectories: evaluation of multiple indicators of marsh persistence". Environmental Research Letters. 14 (12): 124073. Bibcode:2019ERL....14l4073W. doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ab5a94. ISSN 1748-9326.
  4. ^ Schile, Lisa M.; Callaway, John C.; Morris, James T.; Stralberg, Diana; Parker, V. Thomas; Kelly, Maggi (2014-02-13). "Modeling Tidal Marsh Distribution with Sea-Level Rise: Evaluating the Role of Vegetation, Sediment, and Upland Habitat in Marsh Resiliency". PLOS ONE. 9 (2): e88760. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...988760S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0088760. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3923833. PMID 24551156.