Monterey Bay

Salt Marsh

Tidal salt marshes such as Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary are biologically rich places that provide habitat for resident and migratory birds, plants, marine mammals and fish. The vegetation here naturally filters impurities from the water before entering the ocean, and also acts as a carbon sink by removing and storing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Elkhorn Slough is home to over 340 species of birds, as well as California sea otters and harbor seals. While it was historically a shallow freshwater marsh, this ecosystem has been altered by humans and as a result is invaded by the tidal flow of seawater – functioning more like a tidal salt marsh than a freshwater slough.