Purify. Provide. Protect.
Salt and Brackish Marshes
Salt and brackish marshes cover Delaware’s coast from the upper margins of Delaware Bay south to the Inland Bays. Flooded twice daily by tidal waters carrying salt water from the ocean and bay, these habitats are strongly influenced by salinity - becoming less salty the further up bay, river and stream. Dense stands of Spartina grasses characterize the treeless landscape. A more varied flora and fauna can be found as the water becomes less salty.
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Salt Marsh |
Salt Marshes
Salt marshes provide critical nursery habitat for fish and shellfish, vital resting areas for migratory waterfowl and wading birds, and protect us from impacts of coastal storms and floods. Historically, many coastal marshes were drained or ditched for agriculture or mosquito control. Restoring tidal flow is a key restoration focus.
Unexplained vegetation dieback is a current concern. This sudden wetland dieback has mainly impacted saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and appears as brown vegetation. As the cordgrass deteriorates, the mudflats that usually support the plants become exposed. Rapid death of marsh grasses is cause for concern because these plants hold sediments and organic materials together. Without living plant communities rapid erosion and marsh losses can occur. The cause is unknown, however, scientists predict that it is an interaction of several human induced stresses including sea level rise and climate change.
NEXT: Freshwater Tidal Marshes  |
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 What You Can Do to Help
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Wetland Benefits |
Quick Links |
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Simple changes at home:
•Reducing or eliminating use of fertilizers and pesticides
•Never overwatering your lawn
•Picking up pet waste
•Using a mulching mower
•Landscaping with native plants
•Participating in local cleanup activities
•Removing invasive plants
•Installing a rain barrel
•Adding a rain garden to your landscape
•Reducing impervious surfaces (solid surfaces that water can not drain through) on your property
Check out our How You can Help page! |
Salt marshes provide crucial protection from the impact of coastal storms and floods. Marshes help reduce damage during storm events by absorbing wave energy and flood waters before they reach nearby upland areas. This protects property owners from costly damage from flooding an associated decreased property values. |
Page 1: Salt Marshes
Page 2: Freshwater Tidal Marshes
Page 3: Scrub-Shrub Wetlands
Jump to Seasonal Freshwater Wetlands
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