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Salt Marsh
Salt Marshes have brackish water with 2 - 2.5% salt while ocean water is a about 3.5% salt.
Salt Marsh
Tides change on Hilton Head about every 6 hours and 10 minutes. This is mid-tide at the Coastal Discovery.
Salt Marsh at high tide
Tides on Hilton Head average 5-7 feet but can go as high as 11-12 at the new moon and full moon.
Hilton Head has the second highest tides on the east coast of North America.
Hilton Head has the second highest tides on the east coast of North America.
Salt Marsh
SC has the largest area of salt marsh on the east coast with 30% of all salt marshes.
50% of the state's marshes are in Beaufort county.
50% of the state's marshes are in Beaufort county.
Marsh grasses
Two main grasses have adapted to life in the salt marsh. Black Needlerush (round, pointed blades) on the marsh high side because it needs fresh water....
Salt Marsh
..and Spartina aka smooth cord grass which excretes the salt from the water onto its flat blades.
Salt Marsh in winter
The grasses die in winter and fall into the water.
dead grasses
Seeds develop and fall on the marsh floor to provide new grasses.
Wrack at the beach
Tide carries the dead grass to the ocean. This eventually decays and provides nutrients for our rich sea life.
Spartina (Smooth Cord Grass)
In spring and summer all is green. Look at the small white critters on the blades of grass.
marsh periwinkle snails
These snails live on the spartina and go up and down rasping off detritus and also removing the salt deposited on the leaves.
Blue Crab
In exchange for removing the salt from the leaves, the spartina provides the periwinkle snails a place to avoid blue crabs.As the tide rises, the snails climb to the top of the grass to stay out of the water and avoid the blue crabs that like to snack on them.
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