Mudflat
Coastal wetlands formed by tidal sediment deposition.
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Mudflats are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments are deposited by tides or rivers.[1] A 2019 global analysis estimated tidal flats cover at least 127,921 km² of Earth's surface, an extent comparable to mangroves.[2] Sheltered bays, bayous, lagoons, estuaries, freshwater lakes, and salty lakes or inland seas are all locations where tidal flat ecosystems can be found, according to a 2019 global analysis.[2]
Quick Facts
- Key countries
- Indonesia
- China
- Australia
- United States
- Canada
- India
- Brazil
- Myanmar
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
Approximately 50% of global tidal flats occur within eight countries, and 44% lie within Asia.[3] Some mudflats, such as those around Anchorage, Alaska, consist of fine glacial-silt that can become quicksand when disturbed.[4] Four people are known to have drowned on Anchorage mudflats after becoming stuck as the tide came in.[4] Mudflats support tens of millions of migratory shorebirds traveling between northern and southern hemispheres.[5]
Between 1999 and 2019, a 2022 analysis estimated that global tidal flats lost 7,000 km², while gains of 6,700 km² occurred in the same period, largely balancing the losses.[3] Historically, tidal flats were viewed as unhealthy and lacking economic value, leading to frequent dredging and conversion into farmland.[6] By the late 2000s, over 65% of the mudflats that existed in the early 1950s in the Yellow Sea region had been eliminated.[7]
What the research sources say
The same source notes that within these areas are various ratios of sand and mud forming sedimentary layers, with coastal sediment growth attributed to subsidence rates, deposition rates, and sea-level changes.[8] Dried mud combined with wind erosion forms silt dunes, and flooding or tides redistribute the dried sediment.[9] Thin layers of sand and mud make up the sediment in marshes, which are also rich in herbaceous plants.[8] Common features include mudcracks and wavy bedding planes; marshes give rise to coal or peat layers due to the decay of abundant plant life.[8]
According to Reineck, rivers are the primary source of silt found in mudflats.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Sloblands", www.askaboutireland.ie; Roche, "Celebrating the Slobs", The Irish Times (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Murray, "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 2019, p. 222–225 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Murray, "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 2019, p. 222–225; Murray, "High-resolution mapping of losses and gains of Earth's tidal wetlands", Science, 13 May 2022, p. 744–749 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Associated Press - Man dies on Alaskan Mudflat (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory Home", irlspecies.org; Aldea, K. (2022). The Unvegetated Tidal Flats in Catanduanes Island, Philippines: Current and Future Trends. In T. Shinbo, S. Akama & S. Kubota (Eds.), " Interd (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dredging Indian River Lagoon Wetlands 1920 - 1950s" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: MacKinnon, "IUCN situation analysis on East and Southeast Asian intertidal habitats, with particular reference to the Yellow Sea (including the Bohai Sea)", IUCN, 2012, p. 70; Murray, "Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea", Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2014, p. 267–272; Murray, "The global distribution and trajectory of tidal flats", Nature, 2019, p. 222–225 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reineck, "Depositional Sedimentary Environments", Springer-Verlag, 1980, p. 418–428; Reineck, "Depositional Sedimentary Environments", Springer-Verlag, 1980, p. 418–428 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Mudflat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reineck, "Depositional Sedimentary Environments", Springer-Verlag, 1980, p. 418–428 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Mudflat (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Mudflat (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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