Test Your Salt Marsh Smarts
Find out how much you really know about this vital coastal ecosystem
Feb. 2 was World Wetlands Day.
March 1 is World Seagrass Day, and all of March is Seagrass Awareness Month.
And the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem—what a mouthful!—is July 26.
But no single awareness day pays homage especially to salt marsh, a coastal ecosystem like seagrass and mangrove forests that nations around the world and coastal U.S. states increasingly acknowledge needs protection.
That’s why The Pew Charitable Trusts is showcasing salt marsh this year for Wetlands Month. Take our quiz and find out how your salt marsh smarts shake out.
If you got zero questions correct, you’re unseasoned when it comes to salt marsh knowledge. Learn more about salt marsh and Pew’s work to protect this vital habitat.
Learn more about salt marsh and Pew’s work to protect this vital habitat.
4|If you answered 1-3 questions correctly, you could use a little more salt marsh seasoning.
Learn more about salt marsh and Pew’s work to protect this vital habitat.
7|If you answered 4-7 questions correctly, you’re a few shakes short of a seasoned expert.
Learn more about salt marsh and Pew’s work to protect this vital habitat.
8|If you answered all eight questions correctly, you’re a seasoned salt marsh expert!
Learn more about salt marsh and Pew’s work to protect this vital habitat.
# wrong text: Sorry, that's incorrect. # right text: That's correct! # social text incomplete: Test your salt marsh smarts by taking our quiz. # social text complete: Test your salt marsh smarts! I scored {score} out of {total_questions}. Test yourself and share your results! # _imgurl : /-/media/post-launch-images/2024/02/salt-marsh/ ? True or false: Salt marshes don’t actually contain salt water.(!img[FabioMitidieri]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_1/16x9_m.jpg) /!) - True + False ! Salt marshes get their salinity from the seawater that comes in with the tides. They are marshy because their soils are made up of fine, muddy sediment and decomposing plant matter known as peat. ? True or false: Salt marshes can move.(!img[Richard Ellis/Alamy Stock Photo]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_2/16x9_m.jpg) /!) + True - False ! As sea levels rise, salt marshes can migrate to adjacent lands. But if access to other areas is blocked by roads, buildings, or elevation, the marshes drown. ? True or false: Salt marshes trap polluted runoff, making coastal water dirty and unhealthy.(!img[Mongkolchon Akesin]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_3/16x9_m.jpg) /!) - True + False ! By filtering runoff and excess nutrients, salt marshes help maintain water quality in coastal bays, sounds, and estuaries. ? Which of these threaten salt marshes?(!img[Teresa Kopec]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_4/16x9_m.jpg) /!) - Pollutants - Sea-level rise - Incompatible development + All of the above ! All of the above. Pollutants degrade the quality of waters that marshes need to survive, and incompatible development can block marshes from migrating as sea levels rise. If they cannot move, they will drown. ? True or false: One acre of salt marsh can absorb up to 1.5 million gallons of floodwater.(!img[Teresa Kopec]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_5/16x9_m.jpg) /!) + True - False ! Salt marshes are excellent buffers against floodwaters. One acre can absorb more water than 2.25 Olympic-size swimming pools can hold. ? True or false: Salt marshes are so dense, it’s difficult for animals to thrive there.(!img[Helen Hotson]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_6/16x9_m.jpg) /!) - True + False ! Because of their rich soil and dense vegetation, salt marshes are teeming with life. They serve as important nesting and breeding habitats for migratory birds, fish, shellfish, and invertebrates. In the southeastern United States, salt marshes are home to popular waterfowl and imperiled species such as the eastern black rail, the Florida manatee, the diamondback terrapin, and the salt marsh sparrow. ? True or false: Salt marshes are nature-based solutions to climate change.(!img[Mary Swift]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_7/16x9_m.jpg) /!) + True - False ! Like seagrasses and mangrove forests, salt marshes are a triple win: They provide habitat for many birds, fish, and other species; they absorb floodwaters and wave energy, decreasing property damage; and they sequester and store carbon at 10 times the rate of mature tropical forests, helping to moderate the effects of climate change. ? What region of the United States hosts a salt marsh swath nearly the size of the Grand Canyon National Park?(!img[Jay Fleming/Getty Images]({_imgurl}saltmarsh_8/16x9_m.jpg) /!) - Northeast - Alaska - West Coast + Southeast ! The southeastern U.S. is home to about a million acres of salt marsh, so Pew and its partners—the U.S. military; the Gullah/Geechee Nation; federal, state, and local governments; communities; fishermen; and others—led a one-of-a-kind effort to save this vital habitat in the region.Advancing Coastal Wetlands Conservation
Don’t miss our latest facts, findings, and survey results in The Rundown