The World of the Salt Marsh: Appreciating and Protecting the Tidal Marshes of the Southeastern Atlantic Coast

The World of the Salt Marsh is a wide-ranging exploration of the southeastern coastits natural history, its people and their way of life, and the historic and ongoing threats to its ecological survival.Focusing on areas from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, Charles Seabrook examines the ecological importance of the salt marsh, calling it ";a biological factory without equal."; Twice-daily tides carry in a supply of nutrients that nourish vast meadows of spartina (Spartina alterniflora)a crucial habitat for creatures ranging from tiny marine invertebrates to wading birds. The meadows provide vital nurseries for 80 percent of the seafood species, including oysters, crabs, shrimp, and a variety of finfish, and they are invaluable for storm protection, erosion prevention, and pollution filtration.Seabrook is also concerned with the plight of the people who make their living from the coast’s bounty and