ABSTRACT
Tidal wetlands occur in some of the most dynamic areas of the Earth and are positioned at the interface between land and sea where two of the most powerful forces acting on the planet’s waters collide. Light and heat from solar energy evaporate water and move it to the atmosphere, while gravity from the moon and sun propels the ebbing and fl owing of tides, resulting in low and high water events on diurnal time scales. Vegetation, also fueled by solar energy, plays a crucial role in stabilizing coastal boundaries. At the mouths of the rivers, edges of embayments, and lagoons, these two great forces interact in complex ways to form the hydrodynamic framework for the development of tidal wetlands.
