Reflections on a Salt Marsh

Morning’s clouds are reflected in the high-tide waters of a salt marsh. The back-barrier marshes of North-East Florida along the Nassau River lie... more

by W Chris Fooshee

Title

Reflections on a Salt Marsh

Artist

W Chris Fooshee

Medium

Photograph

Description

Morning’s clouds are reflected in the high-tide waters of a salt marsh. The back-barrier marshes of North-East Florida along the Nassau River lie between the beaches and the mainland. They are filled with life. and their waters rise and fall with the tides ... inhaling … and ... exhaling … life.

Salt marshes, like these between Jacksonville and Fernandina, Florida, are coastal wetlands regularly flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides. Because the soil may be composed of deep mud and peat, they are wet and marshy. Peat is made of decomposing plant matter, it is waterlogged, root-filled, and very spongy, and can be several feet thick.

Intertidal habitats are essential for healthy fisheries, coastlines, and communities. They provide food, refuge, and nursery habitat for more than 75 percent of fisheries species, including shrimp, blue crab, and many fin fish.

Uploaded

January 13th, 2024