1 Sea Level Rise and Wetland Loss : an Overview

Many birds, alligators, and turtles spend their entire lifetimes communing between wetlands and adjacent bodies of water, while land animals that normally occupy dry land visit the wetlands to feed. Herons, eagles, sandpipers, ducks, and geese winter in marshes or rest there while migrating. The larvae of shrimp, crab, and other marine animals find shelter in the marsh from larger animals. Bluefish, flounder, oysters, and clams spend all or part of their lives feeding on other species supported by the marsh. Some species of birds and fish may have evolved with a need to find a coastal marsh or swamp anywhere along the coast (Teal and Teal 1969). Wetlands also act as cleansing mechanisms for ground and surface waters.