Climate & Environment
Tidal Flat / Mudflat
Intertidal sediment ecosystems feeding millions of migratory birds and protecting coasts — among the most threatened habitats on Earth.
Definition
Tidal flats are low-lying coastal sediment zones alternately submerged and exposed by the tides, ranging from mudflats to sandflats. They are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth: their invertebrate-rich sediments fuel the flyways of tens of millions of migratory shorebirds (the Yellow Sea flats being the critical refuelling stop of the East Asian–Australasian Flyway), while filtering nutrients, storing blue carbon and buffering coasts against storms and sea level rise.
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