salt marshes

What do you think of when you hear the term "salt marshes"? Do you picture wet grass swaying towards the crystal aqua sea? Can you imagine the beautiful scaly fish inside of that blue aura and the animals living in the green? Or do you think of something salty? Or of green swamps?
Well in the dictionary,

Here are some quick facts about salt marshes
* important link between the ocean and the land
* provides food and shelter for many mammals, birds and fish [ex. Shellfish]
- animals can hide from predators in the marsh vegetation
- Salt marsh plants die and decompose, creating organic detritus [a food source]
- algae [another important food source] are in salt marshes
* they are like giant sponges because
- protect upland areas from erosion by waves and currents
- can absorb and lessen the impact of floods
- can maintain water quality by filtering out pollutants
* salt marshes are sometimes called tidal marsh...