c. Great Lakes . Shorelines are generally steeply sloped and, 

 if exposed to open waters, are subject to a similar wave climate as 

 the exposed seacoasts of the North Atlantic. Consequently, the 

 Great Lakes marshes are of limited extent, confined to the protected 

 shores of bays and inlets. The marshes are largely limited to Lake 

 Michigan and Lake Huron (Hall and Ludwig, 1975). Marsh plants are 

 freshwater species with a few plants such as common reed {Phragmites 

 communis) (Fig. 3) which also occur in brackish marshes. 



Figure 3. Common Reed. 



Value. 



Salt marshes are valued as sources of primary production and as 

 nursery grounds for sport and commercial fishery species. They 

 stabilize and protect shorelines, provide turbidity control and a 

 damping effect upon storm surges, and store and recycle nutrients 

 and pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals. 



