Mud/sand flats are complexes dominated by benthic diatoms and other small algae.
The photo at right shows flats and an emergent marsh near Grays River in the Columbia River estuary (WADOE 1997).
Controlling factors that affect mud/sand flat:
Currents
Elevation/Depth/Bathymetry
Hydrodynamics
Light
Nutrients
Salinity
Sediment Quality
Temperature
Turbidity
Ecosystem processes that are affected by mud/sand flat:
Primary Production
Food Web Support
Element Cycling
Sediment Supply and Trapping
Successional Development
