Reading Comprehension

Read the passage and answer the question.

Salt marshes, the muddy wetlands found where rivers meet the sea, act as natural buffers against coastal storms. Their dense grasses slow incoming waves and trap sediment, gradually building up the land and absorbing the energy of surges that would otherwise batter the shore. These marshes also store large amounts of carbon in their waterlogged soils, where the lack of oxygen slows decomposition. When marshes are drained or paved over for development, both protections are lost: the coast becomes more vulnerable to flooding, and the stored carbon is released back into the atmosphere.