Aestuarium Tidal inlet of the sea

Eastus - Tide
Estuary
A partially enclosed body of water along the coast where freshwater from rivers and
streams meets and mixes with saltwater from the ocean.

Peninsula protective landforms found in estuaries
Estuarine Environment
Estuarine environments are among the most productive natural habitats on earth, creating
more organic matter each year than comparably-sized areas of forest, grassland, or
agricultural land.
IMPORTANCE OF ESTUARY
HABITAT
Thousands of species of birds, mammals, fish, and other wildlife depend on estuarine habitats as
places to live, feed, and reproduce.
NURSERY
The quiet, shallow waters of estuaries often serve as "nurseries for fish and other animals. If the
water is polluted, then the young and fragile fish, shrimp and crabs will not live.
PRODUCTIVITY
Estuarine environments are among the most productive on Earth, creating more organic matter each
year than comparably-sized areas of forest, grassland, or agricultural land.
Because they are biologically productive, estuaries provide ideal areas for migratory birds to rest
and re-fuel during their long journeys.
WATER FILTRATION

Water draining from uplands carries sediments, nutrients, and pollutants to estuaries. As the water
flows through wetlands, much of the sediments, nutrient load, and pollutants are filtered out. This
filtration process creates cleaner and clearer water, which benefits both people and marine life.
As groundwater flow into the salt marsh from the surrounding drainage area, marsh grasses and
the surrounding peat extract excess pollutants and nutrients from it.

FLOOD CONTROL
Wetland plants and soils also act as natural buffers between the land and ocean, absorbing flood
waters and dissipating storm surges. This protects upland habitat as well as valuable real estate from
storm and flood damage.
BEDS OF SEAGRASS
Places where many seagrass plants that grow together are often called seagrass
meadows or seagrass beds.
What are sea grasses?
Sea grasses are plants that grow underwater but they are not the same as
seaweeds (algae). Some species of sea grass look very much like terrestrial (land) grass,
with straplike leaves or paired oval leaves.
Seagrasses are commonly found in shallow coastal marine locations, salt-marshes
and estuaries; in the tropics they are often found associated with mangroves.

Sea grasses get their energy from photosynthesisconverting sunlight into
energyand so must live in shallow water touched by the sun.
Habitat
Seagrass serves as its own unique habitat. The meadows provide canopy cover that
shelters small organisms such as invertebrates and juvenile fish, including commercial
fish species.
Many species of algae, bacteria and plankton grow directly on the living and dead
leaves. Some of these bacteria can extract nutrients (e.g. nitrogen) from the
environment and make it available to bigger animals.
Seagrass plants themselves help with creating a nutrient-rich environment: they take
up nutrients from the soil and release them into the water through their leaves, acting
as a nutrient pump.

Seagrasses don't just provide shelter for free-swimming animals, but also are a habitat
for non-moving organisms, such as these sea anemones.
Food Source
Live Seagrasses act as foods to some animals. Dugong, sea turtles, sea urchins and
some fish, crustaceans and birds eat seagrass as a major part of their diets.
Dead Seagrasses provides food for worms, sea cucumbers, crabs and filter feeders
such as anemones and ascidians. Further breakdown releases nutrients (nitrogen,
phosphorus) into the water where they are re-used by seagrasses and plankton.
Coastal Wetlands
Include all watersheds and the regions of land from which water drains directly into
the oceans.
Habitat
Coastal habitats provide spawning grounds, nurseries, shelter, and food for finfish,
shellfish, birds, and other wildlife.
The nations coastal resources also provide resting, feeding, and breeding habitat for
85 percent of waterfowl and other migratory birds, and nearly 45 percent of the
nations endangered and threatened species are dependent on coastal habitats.

Other Importance
Flood Storage Wetlands function as natural sponges that trap and slowly release
surface water, rain, snowmelt, groundwater, and flood waters and distribute these
waters more slowly over the floodplain, thereby lowering flood height surge.


Storm Surge Buffering Large amounts of wave energy and water from storms that
may otherwise do extensive inland damage are absorbed by coastal wetlands. Some
research indicates that the height of storm surge can be reduced by one foot for every
mile of vegetative wetlands that exists.
Erosion Control Wetland vegetation stabilizes the shoreline by holding sediments in
place with roots, absorbing wave energy, and breaking up the flow of stream or river
currents.

Water Quality Maintenance Wetlands reduce pollution of waterways by storing and
filtering urban runoff and removing or retaining nutrients and sediment carried by
runoff. Wetlands play a unique and critical function through their ability to recycle these
nutrients into usable substances. Wetland functions reduce the costs of constructing,
operating, and maintaining drinking water treatment plants.

Fish and Wildlife Habitat Wetlands are among the most productive ecosystems on
earth and contribute to a diversity of plants and animals. Wetlands provide fish and
wildlife with breeding, nesting, and nursery grounds, as well as needed shelter, food,
and migration stopovers.

Salt Marshes
Are coastal wetlands that are flooded and drained by salt water brought in by the tides.
Low Tide

High Tide

Higher Tide

Habitat
Saltmarshes play an important role as a juvenile habitat for species such as bream
and mullet.
Crabs are common in saltmarsh communities, and are a significant food source for
bream and other fish species.
Some species, such as common galaxias (Galaxias maculatus), deposit their eggs in
saltmarsh vegetation
Other Importance
Saltmarshes also act as a buffer and filtration system for sediments and nutrients
Salt marshes also protect shorelines from erosion by buffering wave action and
trapping sediments. They reduce flooding by slowing and absorbing rainwater and
protect water quality by filtering runoff, and by metabolizing excess nutrients.
Classification of Estuaries
Based on Geomorphology

Lagoon
forms when a shallow lagoon or bay is protected from the ocean by a sand bar or
barrier island.

Also called Bar-built Estuaries

formation of barrier beaches partially encloses the estuary, with only narrow inlets
allowing contact with the ocean waters.


Fjord
Fjords -type estuaries are formed in deeply eroded valleys formed by glaciers.

These U-shaped estuaries typically have steep sides, rock bottoms, and underwater sills
contoured by glacial movement.

Fjords are found in areas with long histories of glacier activity, like northern Europe,
Alaska and Canada.

Classical coastal plain Estuaries
are formed by the sea level rising and filling an existing river valley.

Also called drowned river valley estuaries.

Due to melted ice and the waters warmed, sea level rose. The rising seas invaded low-
lying coastal river valleys. Which form the coastal plain estuaries.
ESTUARIES BASED ON WATER BALANCE
POSITIVE ESTUARY-combined fresh water input from rivers, ground water and rainfall
exceeds evaporation
NEUTRAL ESTUARY-a balance between evaporation and fresh water input
NEGATIVE ESTUARY-The evaporation exceeds the combined fresh water input.

DID YOU KNOW?
OB RIVER or OBI RIVER
CHESAPEAKE BAY
THAMES RIVER

Type of Estuary Based on Hydrographic
Salt-wedge

Occur when the mouth of a river flows directly into salt water.
The circulation is controlled by the river that pushes back the seawater. .
Partially Mixed

Saltwater and freshwater mix at all depths; however, the lower layers of water typically
remain saltier than the upper layers.

Completely Mixed


Well-mixed estuaries have strong tidal mixing and low river flow that mix the sea water
throughout the shallow estuary.
Fjord-Type Estuary

Characterized by a deep elongated basin that is U-shaped and a ledge or barrier that
separates the basin from the sea.