The Bohai Sea salt marsh area (WWF ID: PA0902) includes the deltas of the Yellow River and the Luan River where the rivers flow into the Bohai Sea in China. The salt marshes and muddy areas that are wet during high tide and dry during low tide are important places for birds traveling along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. This area is facing a lot of stress from human activities.

Location and description

The ecoregion borders the crescent-shaped shore of Bohai Bay, located in the northwest part of the Bohai Sea. The river deltas are growing due to silt carried by the Yellow River from the loess soil areas to the west and by the Luan River from the north.

Both natural and artificial wetlands are found in large areas of the region. Natural wetlands, such as reed fields and tidal flats, have become much smaller in recent years because they have been changed into aquaculture areas and developed for other uses. Artificial wetlands include paddy fields, salt fields, reservoirs, and ponds. Part of the region is a Ramsar Convention wetland, which is considered important on a global scale. The Dongying-Huang He Nature Reserve is an area that lies on the second-largest oil field in China.

Climate

The climate of the ecoregion is a Humid continental climate with hot summers, classified as Dwa in the Köppen system, and dry winters. This climate has large differences in temperature between seasons, with summers that are hot, where at least one month has an average temperature above 22°C (72°F). Winters are cold, with monthly precipitation less than 10% of the wettest summer month. The average yearly precipitation in the region is 592 mm, and this amount can vary by up to 20%.

Flora and fauna

The area has many different habitats shaped by the mixing of fresh water and silt from rivers with salt water from the sea. The grasslands inside the region are covered mostly with Kunai grass (Imperata cylindrica), while the saltwater meadows have plants that can survive in salty conditions, like Suaeda. Most of the inland freshwater areas have been changed into rice fields and fish farming ponds.

This region is a key resting place during migration for the endangered Red-crowned crane and Siberian crane. The vulnerable Saunders's gull uses the area as one of its few places to raise young. The area has high biodiversity: scientists have found 367 bird species and 197 fish species in the Shandong delta alone.