These areas benefit from their proximity to land and their connection to the ocean.
Land areas are a source of nutrients, and the ocean provides stability.
The result is that Saltmarshes contain some of the most productive land on earth. This tremendous productivity combined with the stable conditions maintained by the adjacent ocean make saltmarshes ideal nurseries for young sea life. Saltmarshes are also excellent filters that can remove natural and human-produced pollutants from coastal waters. As useful and important as they are, saltmarshes are under pressure in many areas of the country. Marshes lie in the path of coastal resort development, marshes receive much of the pollution sent down rivers, and marshes are often caught between rising sea level and armored coasts .