Climate & Environment
Salt Marsh
Coastal wetlands of salt-tolerant plants in the intertidal zone — carbon-dense, fish-nurturing, storm-buffering ecosystems under heavy pressure.
Definition
A salt marsh is a coastal wetland ecosystem of salt-tolerant herbaceous plants in the upper intertidal zone of sheltered coastlines, regularly flooded by tides. Salt marshes sequester carbon at rates per hectare exceeding most forests (storing it in waterlogged sediments), buffer storm surges, filter nutrients and serve as nurseries for fisheries — making them a core "blue carbon" ecosystem alongside mangroves and seagrasses.
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