Page 129 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTHWEST Each day, two high tides inundate
a vast area of the coastal zone, SALT-MARSH MOSAIC
South Carolina maintaining a system of channels, The edges of the Wadden Sea are
creeks, and rivers. The influence a mosaic of marsh patches broken
Low Country of both fresh and salt water here up by shallow tidal channels.
results in some diverse ecological
TYPE
Salt marshes and tidal communities. Smooth cordgrass
mudflats is the dominant grass in the lower
AREA marshes, where the ground stays wet
630 square miles and muddy as a result of the tides.
(1,600 square km)
From late spring to fall, darker
dead-looking sections of a grass called
LOCATION South Carolina coast, southwest and
northeast of Charleston, US needle rush can also be seen. These
two grasses are replaced toward
The Low Country contains one of the higher ground by sea oxeye and
most extensive systems of salt marsh the similar but taller marsh elder.
and tidal flats in the United States. In the lower marshes and the
Its size results from the broad, gently bordering tidal flats, mud snails,
sloping, sandy coast of the US eastern crabs, shrimp, worms, and other
seaboard, coupled with a moderately tiny inhabitants burrow into the mud,
high tidal range of 5–7 ft (1.5–2 m). while attached and clinging to the ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTHEAST Netherlands, the Wadden Sea has been
stalks of the grasses formed by storm surges and sea-level
are ribbed mussels and Wadden Sea rise inundating an area of coast,
marsh periwinkles. combined with the deposition of fine
Among the fish living TYPE Tidal mudflats and silt by rivers. It is an important nursery
in the silty tidal wash sandflats, salt marshes, for North Sea fish species such as plaice
and islands
are croaker, menhaden, and common sole, and its extensive
and mullet. Birds AREA 4,000 square mudflats are home to a number of
miles (10,000 square km)
living here include mollusks and worms. The salt marshes
marsh wrens and provide a habitat for more than 1,500
clapper rails. LOCATION North Sea coast from Esbjerg, Denmark, species of insects and are important
along northern Germany, to Den Helder, Netherlands
feeding and breeding grounds for many
CORDGRASS MEADOWS species of birds. Unfortunately, these
A tidal channel weaves The Wadden Sea is an extensive body marshes are threatened by intensive
its way through stands of shallow water and associated tidal farming, industrial development, and
of smooth cordgrass, the flats, salt marshes, and low-lying islands climate change. In 2009, parts of the
dominant plant species in in northwestern Europe. Straddling the region were declared a UNESCO
the lower marsh areas. shores of Denmark, Germany, and the World Heritage Site.

ATLANTIC OCEAN NORTHEAST the UK and support a number of rare HUMAN IMPACT
plants. Much of this marsh area is
Morecambe Bay grazed by sheep and cattle. COCKLING
The bay is an important location
TYPE Tidal mudflats and for commercial fishing; the fish species Morecambe Bay has many rich
sandflats, and salt most commonly caught include bass, cockle beds. The cocklers use
marshes
cod, whitebait, and plaice. However, planks of wood called jumbos
AREA 120 square miles Morecambe Bay has not escaped the to soften the sand, which
(310 square km)
problems of pollution common to helps draw the cockles to
many coastal areas of northwestern the surface. Because of
LOCATION Northwest England, UK Europe. Oil, chemicals, and plastic are the fast-moving tides,
among the more common pollutants cockling has to be carried
Formed from the confluence of five of this ecosystem. out with an eye on safety.
estuaries, those of the Kent, Keer, Leven, In February 2004, a total
Lune, and Wyre rivers, Morecambe MORECAMBE MUDFLATS of 23 Chinese migrant
Bay is the largest continuous area of The ebbing tide reveals half of the bay’s total workers drowned after
tidal flats in the UK. Broad, shallow, area as undulating expanses of mud and sand, being cut off by the tides.
and funnel-shaped, the bay has a large meandering channels, and tidal pools.
tidal range, of up to 35 ft (10.5 m).
During periods of spring tides, the sea
can ebb as far as 7 miles (12 km) back
from the high-water mark. The flood
tide comes up the bay faster than a
person can run, and parts of the bay
are also affected by quicksand, posing
dangers for anyone who does not
know the area well.
The bay’s extensive mudflats
support a rich and diverse range of
invertebrate animals, including cockles
and mussels, snails, shrimp, and
lugworms, as well as one of the largest OCEAN ENVIRONMENTS
populations of shorebirds in the UK.
The bay regularly hosts 170,000
wintering waders, with several species
present in internationally significant
numbers, including oystercatchers,
curlews, dunlins, and knots. The tidal
flats are surrounded by extensive salt
marshes, which make up about
5 percent of the total salt marsh in