Tidal flat

A tidal flat is a broad, gently sloping coastal area exposed at low tide and flooded at high tide. Its sediment and living communities are shaped by tides.

Tidal range: The vertical difference between consecutive high and low water levels at a place. Its size sets how much shore is exposed between high and low tides.
Estuary: A coastal water body where river water mixes with seawater. Many tidal flats occupy sheltered estuaries where river and marine sediments accumulate.
Migratory shorebird: A shorebird that travels seasonally between breeding and nonbreeding areas. Exposed flats provide feeding grounds for birds during migration.
Coastal squeeze: The loss of intertidal habitat when rising seas meet fixed coastal barriers or development. Seawalls and other barriers can prevent flats from migrating inland as sea level rises.
Intertidal zone: The coastal area alternately covered and uncovered by the tides. Tidal flats form a broad, sediment-rich part of this tidal zone.
Mud: A water-saturated mixture of fine mineral particles and organic matter. Its fine grains settle in sheltered, low-energy parts of tidal flats.
Benthic invertebrate: An invertebrate animal that lives on or within the bottom of an aquatic habitat. Worms, clams, and other invertebrates are abundant prey in flat sediments.
Sea-level rise: A long-term increase in the average height of the global ocean surface. It changes inundation patterns and sediment balance on tidal flats.
Sediment transport: The movement of sediment by water, wind, ice, or gravity. Tidal currents redistribute sand and mud across the flat.
Suspended sediment: Particles carried within a fluid rather than resting on its bed. Tidal currents deliver these particles that later settle onto the flat.

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