What is an estuarine system?

Definition. The Estuarine System (Fig. 3) consists of deepwater tidal habitats and adjacent tidal wetlands that are usually semienclosed by land but have open, partly obstructed, or sporadic access to the open ocean, and in which ocean water is at least occasionally diluted by freshwater runoff from the land.

Why are estuarine systems important?

Estuaries are very important to the lives of many animal species. Estuaries filter out sediments and pollutants from rivers and streams before they flow into the ocean, providing cleaner waters for humans and marine life.

What are the characteristics of estuarine?

Estuary Characteristics. Salinity: An estuary is a place where sea water is measurably diluted by fresh water from land drainage. The mixture of fresh and salt water provides a variety of habitats for animals and plants in the area.

What are the five types of estuarine communities?

There are four different kinds of estuaries, each created a different way: 1) coastal plain estuaries; 2) tectonic estuaries; 3) bar-built estuaries; and 4) fjord estuaries. Coastal plain estuaries (1) are created when sea levels rise and fill in an existing river valley.

What is estuarine habitat?

An estuarine habitat occurs where salty water from the ocean mixes with freshwater from the land. The water is generally partially enclosed or cut off from the ocean, and may consist of channels, sloughs, and mud and sand flats. River mouths, lagoons, and bays often constitute estuarine habitat.

What is an estuarine wetland?

An estuarine wetland is a brackish habitat where freshwater meets the saltwater. Estuaries contain nutrients and sediment from both the land and sea connecting the two and fueling an abundant assemblage of plants, animals, and invertebrates.

What are the ecosystem services of the estuarine ecosystems?

Estuaries provide a range of valuable ‘ecosystem services’ for humans such as food provision, water filtration, nutrient regulation and storm protection (see Figure 1).

Why estuarine habitat is a very productive area?

Estuaries tend to be very rich in organisms. Ocean tides in the narrow confines of an estuary provide relatively strong currents. As we pointed out in Chapters 6 and 18, coastal waters tend to be considerably more productive than fresh waters. Tidal currents, with their mixing action, help to drive this production.

What are the examples of estuarine?

Examples of this type of estuary in the U.S. are the Hudson River, Chesapeake Bay, and Delaware Bay along the Mid-Atlantic coast, and Galveston Bay and Tampa Bay along the Gulf Coast.

What are 4 types of estuaries?

The four major types of estuaries classified by their geology are drowned river valley, bar-built, tectonic, and fjords.

What is estuarine in biology?

Estuarine habitat is a body of water formed at the coast as a result of the action of tides which mix salt water from sea with fresh water from the land. The mixing of salt water and fresh water results in the formation of a brackish water. This brackish water is what is called estuarine.

What are the factors affecting estuarine habitat?

The factors which affect estuarine habitats are common to aquatic habitat and these include temperature, wind, relative humidity, light and pH.