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67 Greater Thames Estuary
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The Greater Thames Estuary Natural Area comprises the coast and low-lying hinterland, indented by several estuaries of varying sizes, between the mouth of the Stour Estuary on the Essex/Suffolk border and the Swale Estuary in north Kent. The intertidal zone is dominated by soft sediments, forming extensive saltmarshes and mudflats. These are separated along most of its length by man-made sea defences from the low-lying land on alluvial soils. These areas were formerly subject to more frequent flooding, but are now mainly arable land, with much grassland and still some substantial areas of grazing marsh. Urban development on the coast is mainly confined to higher ground except in the inner Thames Estuary.
The Natural Area is bounded on the landward side by rising ground which marks, more or less, the limit of its maritime character, as exemplified by brackish watercourses and the use by coastal wildfowl and wader populations.
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Natural Area profile available - Size 671.3 kb
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