Editing Mudflat (section)

==Ecology==
[[Image:Stewart Island Oban Mudflats.jpg|thumb|Mudflats near [[Oban, New Zealand|Oban]] on [[Stewart Island/Rakiura|Stewart Island]], [[New Zealand]]]]

Tidal flats, along with intertidal [[salt marsh]]es and [[mangrove]] forests, are important [[ecosystem]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://irlspecies.org/index.php|title=Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory Home|website=irlspecies.org}}</ref> They usually support a large population of wildlife,<ref>Aldea, K. (2022). The Unvegetated Tidal Flats in Catanduanes Island, Philippines: Current and Future Trends. In T. Shinbo, S. Akama & S. Kubota (Eds.), " Interdisciplinary Studies for Integrated Coastal Zone Management in the Region along the Kuroshio: Problem-Based Approach by Kuroshio Science" (pp.76-82).https://kochi.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=pages_view_main&active_action=repository_view_main_item_detail&item_id=8635&item_no=1&page_id=13&block_id=21</ref> and are a key habitat that allows tens of millions of migratory [[shorebirds]] to migrate from breeding sites in the northern hemisphere to non-breeding areas in the southern hemisphere. They are often of vital importance to [[migratory bird]]s, as well as certain species of [[crab]]s,<ref>Triño, A. T., & Rodriguez, E. M. (2000). Mud crab (Scylla serrata) culture in tidal flats with existing mangroves. In J. H. Primavera, M. T. Castaños, & M. B. Surtida (Eds.), ''Mangrove-Friendly Aquaculture: Proceedings of the Workshop on Mangrove-Friendly Aquaculture organized by the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department, January 11–15, 1999, Iloilo City, Philippines'' (pp. 171–176). Aquaculture Department, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center. https://repository.seafdec.org.ph/handle/10862/454</ref> [[mollusk]]s and [[fish]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/ramsar_wetland/pamph/manko_34.pdf|title=Manko - Tidal Flat, Mangrove Forest}}</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]] mudflats have been classified as a [[Biodiversity Action Plan]] priority habitat.

The maintenance of mudflats is important in preventing coastal erosion. However, mudflats worldwide are under threat from predicted [[sea level rise]]s, land claims for development, [[Dredge|dredging]] due to shipping purposes, and [[soil contamination|chemical pollution]].<ref name=Murray/> In some parts of the world, such as East and South-East Asia, mudflats have been reclaimed for [[aquaculture]], [[agriculture]], and industrial development. For example, around the [[Yellow Sea]] region of East Asia, more than 65% of mudflats present in the early 1950s had been destroyed by the late 2000s.<ref>{{Citation | first1 = J. | last1 = MacKinnon | first2 = Y.I. | last2 = Verkuil | first3 = N.J. | last3 = Murray | year = 2012 | title = IUCN situation analysis on East and Southeast Asian intertidal habitats, with particular reference to the Yellow Sea (including the Bohai Sea) | series = Occasional Paper of the IUCN Species Survival Commission No. 47 | pages = 70 | publisher = IUCN | place = Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK | isbn = 9782831712550 | url = http://www.iucn.org/asiancoastalwetlands/ | access-date = 2014-08-01 | archive-date = 2014-06-24 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20140624015227/http://www.iucn.org/asiancoastalwetlands/ | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>
{{Citation | last1  = Murray | first1 = N.J. | last2 = Clemens | first2 = R.S. | last3 = Phinn | first3 = S.R. | last4 = Possingham | first4 = H.P. | last5 = Fuller | first5 = R.A. | year = 2014 |title = Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea| journal = Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment | volume = 12 | issue = 5 | pages = 267–272 | doi = 10.1890/130260 | url = https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf }}/</ref> It is estimated that up to 16% of the world tidal flats have disappeared since the mid-1980s.<ref name=Murray/>

Mudflat sediment deposits are focused into the [[intertidal zone]] which is composed of a barren zone and marshes. Within these areas are various ratios of sand and mud that make up the sedimentary layers.<ref name=Reineck>{{cite book |last1=Reineck |first1=H. E. |first2=I. B. |last2=Singh |title=Depositional Sedimentary Environments |edition=2nd |location=New York |publisher=Springer-Verlag |year=1980 |pages=418–428 |isbn=0-387-10189-6 }}</ref>  The associated growth of coastal sediment deposits can be attributed to rates of subsidence along with rates of deposition (example: silt transported via river) and changes in sea level.<ref name=Reineck/>
 
Barren zones extend from the lowest portion of the intertidal zone to the marsh areas. Beginning in close proximity to the tidal bars, sand dominated layers are prominent and become increasingly muddy throughout the tidal channels. Common bedding types include laminated sand, ripple bedding, and bay mud. [[Bioturbation]] also has a strong presence in barren zones.

[[Marshes]] contain an abundance of [[herbaceous plant]]s while the sediment layers consist of thin sand and mud layers. [[Mudcrack]]s are a common as well as wavy bedding planes.<ref name=Reineck/>  Marshes are also the origins of coal/peat layers because of the abundant decaying plant life.<ref name=Reineck/>
[[Salt pan (geology)|Salt pans]] can be distinguished in that they contain thinly laminated layers of clayey silt. The main source of the silt comes from rivers. Dried up mud along with wind erosion forms silt dunes. When flooding, rain or tides come in, the dried sediment is then re-distributed.<ref name=Reineck/>

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File:ISS013-E-75163 - View of Tunisia.jpg|alt=Satellite view of the Kneiss Islands, Tunisia|Satellite view of the [[Kneiss|Kneiss Islands]], [[Tunisia]].
File:Skagit_Bay_6308.JPG|Gulls feeding on mudflats in [[Skagit Bay]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], [[United States]]
Image:brewster mudflat.jpg|Mudflats in   in [[Brewster, Massachusetts]], [[United States]], extending hundreds of yards offshore at the low tide. The line of [[Wrack (seaweed)]] and seashells in the foreground indicates the [[tide|high-water mark]].
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