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Mudflat
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<h2 id="ecology">Ecology</h2> <p>Tidal flats, along with intertidal <a href="/facts/Salt_marsh/yV4Afzoj">salt marshes</a> and <a href="/facts/Mangrove/JreUUsuG">mangrove</a> forests, are important <a href="/facts/Ecosystem/kVE8mSmR">ecosystems</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> They usually support a large population of wildlife,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> and are a key habitat that allows tens of millions of migratory <a href="/facts/Shorebirds/ncAbzR2k">shorebirds</a> to migrate from breeding sites in the northern hemisphere to non-breeding areas in the southern hemisphere. They are often of vital importance to <a href="/facts/Migratory_bird/GvraPhgn">migratory birds</a>, as well as certain species of <a href="/facts/Crab/GvkhXnSK">crabs</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Mollusk/1elgknsQ">mollusks</a> and <a href="/facts/Fish/fln4gH9V">fish</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> In the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a> mudflats have been classified as a <a href="/facts/Biodiversity_Action_Plan/t6YDWcnG">Biodiversity Action Plan</a> priority habitat. </p><p>The maintenance of mudflats is important in preventing coastal erosion. However, mudflats worldwide are under threat from predicted <a href="/facts/Sea_level_rise/Pb5MGJxb">sea level rises</a>, land claims for development, <a href="/facts/Dredge/81sUKhnF">dredging</a> due to shipping purposes, and <a href="/facts/Soil_contamination/BzPwKXhM">chemical pollution</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> In some parts of the world, such as East and South-East Asia, mudflats have been reclaimed for <a href="/facts/Aquaculture/MYdIMfbt">aquaculture</a>, <a href="/facts/Agriculture/TGztqzJs">agriculture</a>, and industrial development. For example, around the <a href="/facts/Yellow_Sea/0T615mgC">Yellow Sea</a> region of East Asia, more than 65% of mudflats present in the early 1950s had been destroyed by the late 2000s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> It is estimated that up to 16% of the world tidal flats have disappeared since the mid-1980s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p><p>Mudflat sediment deposits are focused into the <a href="/facts/Intertidal_zone/grnBDVQ3">intertidal zone</a> which is composed of a barren zone and marshes. Within these areas are various ratios of sand and mud that make up the sedimentary layers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> The associated growth of coastal sediment deposits can be attributed to rates of subsidence along with rates of deposition (example: silt transported via river) and changes in sea level.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>Barren zones extend from the lowest portion of the intertidal zone to the marsh areas. Beginning in close proximity to the tidal bars, sand dominated layers are prominent and become increasingly muddy throughout the tidal channels. Common bedding types include laminated sand, ripple bedding, and bay mud. <a href="/facts/Bioturbation/1IXWzju8">Bioturbation</a> also has a strong presence in barren zones. </p><p><a href="/facts/Marshes/AG0WLJ2K">Marshes</a> contain an abundance of <a href="/facts/Herbaceous_plant/u6myDhE2">herbaceous plants</a> while the sediment layers consist of thin sand and mud layers. <a href="/facts/Mudcrack/ux4RS6fu">Mudcracks</a> are a common as well as wavy bedding planes.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> Marshes are also the origins of coal/peat layers because of the abundant decaying plant life.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> <a href="/facts/Salt_pan_(geology)/DWJK5h39">Salt pans</a> can be distinguished in that they contain thinly laminated layers of clayey silt. The main source of the silt comes from rivers. Dried up mud along with wind erosion forms silt dunes. When flooding, rain or tides come in, the dried sediment is then re-distributed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="selected-example-areas">Selected example areas</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Arcachon_Bay/zBHAkrdD">Arcachon Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/France/CxIeIKM3">France</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Banc_d%2527Arguin/eTrz6uFg">Banc d'Arguin</a>, <a href="/facts/Mauritania/JcP8EJku">Mauritania</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Chamiza_Wetland/IMJklxR4">Chamiza Wetland</a>, <a href="/facts/Chile/uEyTfEcx">Chile</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Great_Rann_of_Kutch/LEeFqMnI">Great Rann of Kutch</a>, <a href="/facts/India/1kKHcnxM">India</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Belhaven%2c_Scotland/Id48QhhK">Belhaven</a>, <a href="/facts/East_Lothian/xD1cf6gN">East Lothian</a> <a href="/facts/Scotland/VGwbbxB2">Scotland</a>, <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Bridgwater_Bay/mSVQKbY2">Bridgwater Bay</a> and <a href="/facts/Morecambe_Bay/J08lncIF">Morecambe Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Cape_Cod_Bay/PCHGs103">Cape Cod Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Massachusetts/9uumCbFI">Massachusetts</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Cook_Inlet/x0WBB70k">Cook Inlet</a>, <a href="/facts/Alaska/LlDNr2uR">Alaska</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Lindisfarne/0RqLVzJM">Lindisfarne Island</a>, <a href="/facts/England/U9mE5bGL">England</a>, <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Minas_Basin/gcnNHeRj">Minas Basin</a>, <a href="/facts/Nova_Scotia/RcmIvd1A">Nova Scotia</a>, <a href="/facts/Canada/cWWFM8oc">Canada</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Moreton_Bay/rQQdpIAk">Moreton Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Queensland/lXBlIeY3">Queensland</a>, <a href="/facts/Australia/qLHpbppq">Australia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/North_Slob/wJVdL9er">North Slob</a>, <a href="/facts/Wexford/KuNjM37d">Wexford</a>, <a href="/facts/Republic_of_Ireland/k8JzXVze">Ireland</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Kneiss/m75zfmuT">Kneiss Archipelago</a>, <a href="/facts/Tunisia/4uC8Po6k">Tunisia</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Padilla_Bay/44WenDRW">Padilla Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Plymouth_Bay/7GNr1vks">Plymouth Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Massachusetts/9uumCbFI">Massachusetts</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Port_of_Tacoma/NFg5jJCQ">Port of Tacoma</a>, <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Port_Susan/5y6Vuzp5">Port Susan</a>, <a href="/facts/Warm_Beach/SCIwkHQV">Warm Beach</a>, <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Skagit_Bay/7fqo2J75">Skagit Bay</a>, <a href="/facts/Washington_(state)/7tCrTFnN">Washington</a>, <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">United States</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Snettisham/ALEfFypj">Snettisham</a>, <a href="/facts/Norfolk/eHSNIRud">Norfolk</a> <a href="/facts/England/U9mE5bGL">England</a>, <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Wadden_Sea/kpa3sFqd">Wadden Sea</a>: <a href="/facts/Netherlands/y8xn5stT">Netherlands</a>, <a href="/facts/Germany/paluuWBX">Germany</a>, <a href="/facts/Denmark/KVtykzsw">Denmark</a></li> <li>West coast of <a href="/facts/Andros%2c_Bahamas/cl4LUakF">Andros Island, Bahamas</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Yellow_Sea/0T615mgC">Yellow Sea</a>: <a href="/facts/China/lTjIXY5p">China</a>, <a href="/facts/North_Korea/Q41laakP">North Korea</a>, <a href="/facts/South_Korea/pCobAaVw">South Korea</a>(<a href="/facts/Getbol%2c_Korean_Tidal_Flats/p0HGY8ax">Getbol</a>)</li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Wetlands portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Getbol%2c_Korean_Tidal_Flats/p0HGY8ax">Getbol</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Herringbone_cross_bed/2koCClWa">Herringbone cross beds</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mudflats. <ul><li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110605124633/http://www.cbbep.org/projects/molliebeattie/flatlinksvaluable.htm">Tidal Flats</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130718151050/http://tidalflats.org/">Tidal Flats Field Sites</a></li> <li><a href="https://intertidal.app">Intertidal Change Explorer</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Sloblands". www.askaboutireland.ie. <a href="http://www.askaboutireland.ie/enfo/irelands-environment/county-focus/wexford/wexford-sloblands/" target="_blank">http://www.askaboutireland.ie/enfo/irelands-environment/county-focus/wexford/wexford-sloblands/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Roche, Richard. "Celebrating the Slobs". The Irish Times. <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/celebrating-the-slobs-1.48177" target="_blank">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/celebrating-the-slobs-1.48177</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Murray, N.J.; Phinn, S.R.; DeWitt, M.; Ferrari, R.; Johnston, R.; Lyons, M.B.; Clinton, N.; Thau, D.; Fuller, R.A. (2019), "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 565 (7738): 222–225, Bibcode:2019Natur.565..222M, doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8, PMID 30568300, S2CID 56481043/ <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Murray, N.J.; Phinn, S.R.; DeWitt, M.; Ferrari, R.; Johnston, R.; Lyons, M.B.; Clinton, N.; Thau, D.; Fuller, R.A. (2019), "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 565 (7738): 222–225, Bibcode:2019Natur.565..222M, doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8, PMID 30568300, S2CID 56481043/ <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Murray, Nicholas J.; Worthington, Thomas A.; Bunting, Pete; Duce, Stephanie; Hagger, Valerie; Lovelock, Catherine E.; Lucas, Richard; Saunders, Megan I.; Sheaves, Marcus; Spalding, Mark; Waltham, Nathan J.; Lyons, Mitchell B. (13 May 2022). "High-resolution mapping of losses and gains of Earth's tidal wetlands" (PDF). Science. 376 (6594): 744–749. Bibcode:2022Sci...376..744M. doi:10.1126/science.abm9583. PMID 35549414. S2CID 248749118. <a href="https://pure.aber.ac.uk/ws/files/50771054/abm9583_CombinedPDF_v5.pdf" target="_blank">https://pure.aber.ac.uk/ws/files/50771054/abm9583_CombinedPDF_v5.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"Dredging Indian River Lagoon Wetlands 1920 - 1950s". Archived from the original on 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2011-10-28. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130320113810/http://www.mrcirl.org/marker/marker1701/0701.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20130320113810/http://www.mrcirl.org/marker/marker1701/0701.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Associated Press - Man dies on Alaskan Mudflat <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alaska-mud-flats-silt-drowning-96bba1b5a8a463118e3a886ae2b01499" target="_blank">https://apnews.com/article/alaska-mud-flats-silt-drowning-96bba1b5a8a463118e3a886ae2b01499</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory Home". irlspecies.org. <a href="https://irlspecies.org/index.php" target="_blank">https://irlspecies.org/index.php</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Aldea, K. (2022). The Unvegetated Tidal Flats in Catanduanes Island, Philippines: Current and Future Trends. In T. Shinbo, S. Akama & S. Kubota (Eds.), " Interdisciplinary Studies for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Region along the Kuroshio: Problem-Based Approach by Kuroshio Science" (pp.76-82).https://kochi.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=8635&item_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21 <a href="https://kochi.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=8635&item_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21" target="_blank">https://kochi.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=8635&item_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Triño, A. T., & Rodriguez, E. M. (2000). Mud crab (Scylla serrata) culture in tidal flats with existing mangroves. In J. H. Primavera, M. T. Castaños, & M. B. Surtida (Eds.), Mangrove-Friendly Aquaculture: Proceedings of the Workshop on Mangrove-Friendly Aquaculture organized by the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, January 11–15, 1999, Iloilo City, Philippines (pp. 171–176). Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. https://repository.seafdec.org.ph/handle/10862/454 <a href="https://repository.seafdec.org.ph/handle/10862/454" target="_blank">https://repository.seafdec.org.ph/handle/10862/454</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"Manko - Tidal Flat, Mangrove Forest" (PDF). <a href="http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/ramsar_wetland/pamph/manko_34.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/ramsar_wetland/pamph/manko_34.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Murray, N.J.; Phinn, S.R.; DeWitt, M.; Ferrari, R.; Johnston, R.; Lyons, M.B.; Clinton, N.; Thau, D.; Fuller, R.A. (2019), "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 565 (7738): 222–225, Bibcode:2019Natur.565..222M, doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8, PMID 30568300, S2CID 56481043/ <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>MacKinnon, J.; Verkuil, Y.I.; Murray, N.J. (2012), IUCN situation analysis on East and Southeast Asian intertidal habitats, with particular reference to the Yellow Sea (including the Bohai Sea), Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 47, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN, p. 70, ISBN 9782831712550, archived from the original on 2014-06-24, retrieved 2014-08-01 <a href="9782831712550" target="_blank">9782831712550</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Murray, N.J.; Clemens, R.S.; Phinn, S.R.; Possingham, H.P.; Fuller, R.A. (2014), "Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea" (PDF), Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 12 (5): 267–272, doi:10.1890/130260/ <a href="https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf" target="_blank">https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Murray, N.J.; Phinn, S.R.; DeWitt, M.; Ferrari, R.; Johnston, R.; Lyons, M.B.; Clinton, N.; Thau, D.; Fuller, R.A. (2019), "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 565 (7738): 222–225, Bibcode:2019Natur.565..222M, doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0805-8, PMID 30568300, S2CID 56481043/ <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Reineck, H. E.; Singh, I. B. (1980). Depositional Sedimentary Environments (2nd ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 418–428. ISBN 0-387-10189-6. <a href="0-387-10189-6" target="_blank">0-387-10189-6</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Reineck, H. E.; Singh, I. B. (1980). Depositional Sedimentary Environments (2nd ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 418–428. ISBN 0-387-10189-6. <a href="0-387-10189-6" target="_blank">0-387-10189-6</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Reineck, H. E.; Singh, I. B. (1980). Depositional Sedimentary Environments (2nd ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 418–428. ISBN 0-387-10189-6. <a href="0-387-10189-6" target="_blank">0-387-10189-6</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>Reineck, H. E.; Singh, I. B. (1980). Depositional Sedimentary Environments (2nd ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 418–428. ISBN 0-387-10189-6. <a href="0-387-10189-6" target="_blank">0-387-10189-6</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Reineck, H. E.; Singh, I. B. (1980). Depositional Sedimentary Environments (2nd ed.). New York: Springer-Verlag. pp. 418–428. ISBN 0-387-10189-6. <a href="0-387-10189-6" target="_blank">0-387-10189-6</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>