Coasts and Oceans Theme Report
Australia State of the Environment Report 2001 (Theme Report)
Australian State of the Environment Committee, Authors
Published by CSIRO on behalf of the Department of the Environment and Heritage, 2001
ISBN 0 643 06751 5
Habitats and species (continued)
Saltflats
Saltflats are saline, mostly dry habitats in the tropical north that are devoid of large plants. They may be subject to tidal inundation.
Saltflats are common in Australia, with extensive areas in the southern region of the Gulf of Carpenteria where there are some 4000 km2 (Ridd et al. 1988). Although there are few plants, saltflats do support much algal growth, and algal mats can be found on some saltflats. Occasional tidal inundation of saltflats during summer in this region allows salt and nutrients in outflowing waters to reach the nearshore waters of the Gulf of Carpenteria. The ecological effects of this outflowing are unknown but may be important to the survival of juvenile prawns in the Gulf of Carpenteria.
There has not been much research on the ecological value of saltflat habitat to date.