Estuarine, intertidal, organic, open, eulittoral
This category includes marsh habitat that can form just at the high water mark on beaches with some wave energy; it is an uncommon type because generally 'open' beaches with substantial wave energy have sandy rather than organic substrate, and dune grass rather than marsh vegetation.
Habitat attributes
Class ID:
85
Class name:
Estuarine, intertidal, organic, open, eulittoral
Length:
6.0 km (in WA)
Primary substrate:
Organic
Secondary substrate:
Mud
Tertiary substrate:
Substrate stability:
Stabilized by vegetation
Substrate key details:
No stable surface features
Wave exposure:
Protected, Very protected
Blue book classes:
Estuarine intertidal organic: Partly enclosed - Marshes [variety of river and creek deltas]
Map/survey site examples:
Inner Fidalgo Bay; mouth of Skokomish River
Fish sampling sites:
Beach seine: Fidalgo Bay
Diagnostic species:
- Deschampsia beringensis
- Distichlis spicata
- Salicornia depressa
- Argentina egedii
- Juncus arcticus
- Calamagrostis nutkaensis
- Leptocottus armatus
- Hypomesus pretiosus
- Platichthys stellatus
- Oligocottus maculosus
- Gasterosteus aculeatus
Species notes:
Habitat classification system:
Type:
Map link: