WHAT IS A SALT MARSH?
Salt marsh in early summer.
Marshes are wetlands made up of grasses and other non-woody plants. One plant, smooth cord grass, dominates most of the salt marshes in eastern North America.
A Maine salt marsh
Salt marshes are tidal wetlands growing in salty water. Generally the water is less salty than the ocean, but too salty to drink.
Salt marshes are found mostly in quiet waters especially in bays and lagoons and in the mouths of creeks and rivers.
Low and high tide in winter.
The tides bring water in and out of the salt marsh. The tug of the moon's gravity makes the water rise and fall. The sun 's gravity also pulls, but not as much.