Mudflat

A low-lying coastal area of fine sediment exposed at low tide and covered by water at high tide. Its shifting surface supports specialized organisms and traps organic matter.

Tidal current: A water current generated by the rise and fall of tides. Flood and ebb currents move fine sediment across mudflats.
Tide: The periodic rise and fall of sea level caused mainly by the Moon's and Sun's gravity. The tidal cycle alternately exposes and submerges the flat.
Shorebird migration: The seasonal movement of shorebirds between breeding and nonbreeding areas. Many migrants depend on exposed mudflats as feeding stops along their routes.
Blue carbon: Carbon captured and stored by coastal and marine ecosystems. Organic-rich mudflat sediment can retain carbon, though storage varies by site.
Wadden Sea: A shallow North Sea coastal system of tidal flats and barrier islands spanning the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. Its extensive tidal flats are a defining example of this habitat.
Tidal range: The vertical difference between high and low water levels during a tidal cycle. It helps determine how much of a mudflat is exposed and for how long.
Intertidal zone: The coastal area between the highest and lowest normal tide levels. Mudflats occupy a soft-sediment part of this broader coastal zone.
Benthic ecosystem: The community of organisms living on or within the bottom of an aquatic environment. Mudflat food webs are built largely from animals living in or on sediment.
Coastal erosion: The wearing away and landward retreat of shorelines by waves, currents, and other processes. Changes in sediment supply or sea level can erode mudflat surfaces.
Morecambe Bay: A large tidal bay on England's northwest coast, known for extensive intertidal sands and mudflats. Its broad intertidal landscape illustrates how tidal flats shape a bay.

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