Slough (wetland)

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 sometimes a narrow channel in a shallow salt-water marsh, usually flushed by the tide (not necessarily different from western example above).