Farther south, marshes become more South Atlantic coastal marshes are in 



extensive all along the coast and in the South Carolina and Georgia, where 68% of 



large, drowned-valley estuaries (the the east coast's regularly flooded S. 



Delaware and Chesapeake Bays). Many of alterniflora marshes occur (Table lj. 



the marshes along the mid-Atlantic coast Spartina aTterni flora remains the dominant 



are fairly brackish and have Spartina higher plant until, in Florida, mangrove 



alterniflora only on the creek banks in swamps gradually replace salt marshes, 

 the saltier regions. The largest of the 



Table 1. The acreage of Spartina alterniflora marsh in 

 the States of the Atlantic seaboard (Spinner 1969). 



State Marsh area Percent of total 



Totals 921,628 100.00% 



