Glossary

Abiotic physical properties of an environment

Adaptation a change in an organism allowing it to be better suited to live in its environment

Anaerobic respirationtype of respiration not involving oxygen use

Anoxic almost no oxygen present

Ballast water fresh or salt water held in ships to increase stability, ships fill tanks in one location and release water in a different location

Barrier island an island off the coast that protects the mainland

Bateau boat a light flat-bottomed boat

Best management practices a way to reduce the impact of non-point source pollution on waterways

Biotic the living things in an environment (plants and animals)

Blue carbon carbon removed from atmosphere by coastal plants and sediment and stored in coastal ecosystems

Brackish mixture of freshwater and seawater

Decomposition the process of breaking down naturally

Detritus leftover organic matter after decomposition (e.g. small pieces of decomposing marsh grass)

Dike a wall put in place to prevent flooding and control water flow

Ecosystem a system formed by the interaction between and among organisms and the physical environment

Erosion gradual wearing away of something by wind or water

Estuary the area where a river meets the ocean, resulting in a series of mixing zones from freshwater (0 ppt) to full strength seawater (36 ppt)

Eutrophication excess nutrients in the water

Greenhouse gases gases that trap heat in the atmosphere

Halophyte salt tolerant plants

High marsh upper zone of the salt marsh with infrequent flooding

Hypoxia oxygen levels low enough to stress organisms

Impervious surfaces material that water cannot penetrate such as roofs, roads, and parking lots

Impoundment an enclosed body of water

Intertidal an area submerged at high tide and exposed at low tide

Invasive species organisms not naturally found in an area which often compete with and become more abundant than native species

Invertebrate an animal lacking a backbone

Keystone species a species that plays a vital role in shaping an ecosystem

Living shoreline the use of plants, sand, oyster shell, and other organic material to stabilize a bank, thus protecting it from erosion

Low impact development utilizes on-site treatment of stormwater in an environmentally conscious way such as infiltration

Low marsh lower zone of the salt marsh flooded for most of the day

Monoculture the presence of only one plant in an area

Mud flat intertidal habitats with no plants, occurring in areas with weaker currents and muddy sediments

Native originally found or naturally occurring in an area

Niche a species’ role in an ecosystem

Non-point source pollution pollution which cannot be traced to a specific source but comes from multiple sources

Non-target organisms an organism not meant to be caught

Nutrients substances such as Nitrogen and Phosphorous, required for growth and reproduction, that runoff of nearby land into local waterways

Operculum a hard lid or flap that covers and protects (e.g. gill cover)

Oyster reef a large colony of oysters in the intertidal or subtidal habitats

Pluff mud Very fine muddy sediment in the tidal creek and low marsh zones that one can sink in

Refuge an area which provides shelter and protection

Resident an organism that spends its whole life in the salt marsh-tidal creek ecosystem

Salt panne area in the high marsh with high salinity and sandy sediments

Sand flat intertidal habitats occurring in areas with stronger currents and sandy sediments

Sea level rise an increase in sea level due to the melting of land ice

Semi-diurnal occurring twice a day

Sequester to take away and store something

Shell midden an area where empty oyster shells were piled by local tribes

South Atlantic bight Cape Hatteras, NC to West Palm Beach, FL

Stormwater runoff water that runs off the land into local waterways

Transient an organism that spends only part of its life in the salt marsh-tidal creek ecosystem

Turbidity the cloudiness of the water related to sediment levels

Upland border transition zone between the high marsh and uplands where plants must be able to tolerate some salt

Vegetative buffer generally undisturbed vegetation zone between development and salt marsh or estuary

Water quality a measure of water properties such as turbidity, oxygen, and nutrient levels often used to relate to organism health

Wetland marsh or swamp area that is always or frequently wet

Wrack broken off stems of Spartina alterniflora that move with the tide and accumulate in mats