Mudflats • Saltmarshes • Sea level changes •
Process relationships

The tide is the central feature around which intertidal mudflats and saltmarshes function, through erosion/accretion and the development and maintenance of tidal creek networks. The tide also sets the maximum height to which saltmarshes can accrete vertically. Seawater enters the tidal creeks on the flood tide, gradually filling them as the tide rises until the water spills over and floods the adjacent intertidal mudflats and saltmarsh. Following high tide slack water, the water drains back off the saltmarsh and mudflats, initially over the leading edge of the saltmarsh and then through the creeks until the entire intertidal area is exposed once more.

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