Tidal creek and pan formation in intertidal salt marshes, Nigg Bay, Scotland

Abstract

Abstract Existing theories of creek and pan formation in intertidal salt marshes emphasise intertidal micro‐topography and resultant variation in vegetal colonisation as the basic factors controlling their pattern on the mature salt marsh. Morphological studies on certain Scottish marshes suggest that collapse of parts of the mature marsh surface results from sub‐surface piping phenomena. The existing theories of creek and pan formation are reviewed and an entirely new theory of formation is advanced.