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The term slough (In the UK, pronounced to rhyme
with bough; In the US, pronounced "slew") has several meanings related to wetland or aquatic features that seem to derive from local experience. For example:
- In the UK, a slough is a muddy or marshy area, for example see the probable derivation of Slough in Berkshire and other placenames called
Slough
- In eastern and southeastern United States, a slough
is a type of swamp or shallow lake system,
typically formed as or by the backwater of a larger waterway. It is similar to a bayou
with trees being present (that is, a swamp), and unlike a bog or marsh that lacks trees.
- In western U.S., a slough is a secondary channel of a river delta. While this is in essence the same
application of the term as in the eastern U.S., a singular difference is that there exist no native trees in the west that would
grow out into the waterway to form a swamp.
- In coastal California, a slough is a narrow channel in a shallow salt-water marsh, usually flushed by the tide (not necessarily different from western example above).
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