What is Driftwood?
[[Image:Driftwood_Expanse,_Northern_Washington_Coast.png|thumb|250px|An expanse of driftwood along the northern coast of Washington state.]] [[Image:driftwood.in.bath.england.arp.jpg|thumb|250px|Driftwood caught on a [[weir]] of the River Avon, [[Bath, England|Bath]], [[England]]]] '''Driftwood''' is [[wood]] that has been washed onto the [[shore]] of a sea, river, or lake by winds, [[tide]]s, [[wave]]s or man. In some [[waterfront]] areas, driftwood is a major [[wikt:nuisance|nuisance]]. However, the driftwood provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other aquatic species as it floats in the ocean. [[Gribble]]s, [[shipworm]]s and [[bacterium|bacteria]] [[:wikt:decompose|decompose]] the wood and gradually turn it into [[nutrient]]s that are reintroduced to the [[food web]]. Sometimes, the partially decomposed wood washes ashore, where it also shelters birds, plants, and other species. Driftwood can become the foundation for [[sand dune]]s. Driftwood can be: *a [[tree]] or part of a tree that is in a large body of water because of strong winds or [[flood]]ing *buildings and their contents that are in the sea because of floods, storms and [[tsunami]]s *wooden objects placed into the water from shore *remains of wooden ships and boats *lost [[cargo]] ==In history== According to [[Norse mythology]], the first humans, [[Ask and Embla]], were formed out of two pieces of driftwood, an [[Ash tree|ash]] and an [[elm]], by the god [[Odin]] and his brothers, [[Ve]] and [[Vili]]. Driftwood carried by [[Arctic]] rivers was the main, or sometimes only, source of wood for some [[Inuit]] and other Arctic populations living north of the [[tree-line]] until they came into regular contact with [[Europe]]an traders. Many people use driftwood as parts of decorative [[furniture]] or other [[art]] forms, and it is a popular element in the scenery of fish tanks. {{stub}} [[Category:Wood]]