Mud flats are found on coastlines where the shore is protected from waves and the sediments are very fine. These areas are often associated with what we call an estuary - an area where fresh water meets the ocean. Mud flats are very productive habitats with organisms living along the edges (in salt marshes), intertidally on top of the mud, intertidally under the mud, and in channels of permanent water. Each of these areas has distinctive species. This lesson will focus on the mud flats found in California.
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