Marine Biology

Wave action

Muddy shores are developed only along the shores of mild wave action and therefore these shores restricted to the intertidal areas of enclosed bays, lagoons and especially estuaries. Mild wave action facilitates the fine grained particles brought in by the freshwaters to settle and form muddy substratum or mud flats. As these areas are with minimal water movements, the slope of the intertidal is much less than that of the sandy beaches and thus these areas are referred as mud flats. Furthermore, these areas are stable than sand substrates and more conductive to the establishment of permanent burrows.