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The Seagrasses Of The Mid-Atlantic Coast Of The United States, E. W. Koch, R. J. Orth

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The mid-Atlantic region of the United States includes four states: Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. It is characterized by numerous estuaries and barrier- island coastal lagoons with expansive salt marshes and seagrass beds in most shallow-water areas. There are no rocky shores . Hard substrates are either man-made [rock jetties and riprap or wood pilings) or biogeniclly generated [oyster and worm reefs). Sediments are predominantly quartz sand in shallow exposed areas with finer grain sediments in deeper or well-protected areas . Marsh peat outcroppings or cohesive sediments are sometimes found in the subtidal areas adjacent to eroding marshes. Climatic …