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Bay Flats

Ecoregion in Coast Ranges, CA

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The Bay Flats ecoregion includes the near-water flats around San Pablo Bay in the north and those at the southern end of San Francisco Bay. Elevations are sea level to about 10 feet on Quaternary bay fill of silt and clay. High tides inundate most of the area. Soil temperature regimes are isomesic and soil moisture regimes are aquic. Common vegetation includes pickleweed and saltgrass. The southern part of the ecoregion is warmer and drier than the northern part, and has less summer fog. The southern part receives 14–16 inches of annual precipitation, whereas the northern part receives 20–28 inches. Several salt evaporation ponds are found in the southern Bay Flats, where saltwater is impounded within levees in the former tidelands. As the water evaporates, microorganisms of several kinds change the color of the water. Restoration efforts are underway to return some salt ponds to a mix of tidal marsh, mudflat, and other wetland habitats.

— EPA

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