Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 3 views

    Estuaries

    Uploaded by

    forsurveyrecord
    Estuaries are coastal areas where freshwater rivers meet saline ocean waters, forming productive ecosystems. Estuaries can be classified by their origins and circulation patterns, and comprise producers, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, fish, and wildlife. They provide important ecological functions but are threatened by various human activities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Estuaries

    Uploaded by

    forsurveyrecord
    3 views16 pages
    Estuaries are coastal areas where freshwater rivers meet saline ocean waters, forming productive ecosystems. Estuaries can be classified by their origins and circulation patterns, and comprise producers, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, fish, and wildlife. They provide important ecological functions but are threatened by various human activities.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Estuaries are coastal areas where freshwater rivers meet saline ocean waters, forming productive ecosystems. Estuaries can be classified by their origins and circulation patterns, and comprise producers, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, fish, and wildlife. They provide important ecological functions but are threatened by various human activities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    3 views16 pages

    Estuaries

    Uploaded by

    forsurveyrecord
    Estuaries are coastal areas where freshwater rivers meet saline ocean waters, forming productive ecosystems. Estuaries can be classified by their origins and circulation patterns, and comprise producers, zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, fish, and wildlife. They provide important ecological functions but are threatened by various human activities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 16

    ESTUARIES

    ESTUARIES
    • Estuaries are the coastal areas where the saline
    waters of the ocean meet with the fresh water of
    the rivers. Estuarine habitats are usually very
    productive because of the accumulation of
    nutrients from a large catchment of a river.
    • An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of
    water that has a free connection with the open
    sea at one side and a river on the other side.
    Types of estuaries
    Types of estuaries
    Estuaries can be classified into 4 types depending
    on their origins:
    1) Coastal plain estuaries: In the past 18,000 years
    sea levels have risen some 125m. This has caused
    ocean water to rise into the mouths of rivers.
    2) Tectonic estuaries: Tectonic estuaries are coastal
    indentations due to faulting and subsidence. Both
    fresh and salt water flow into the depression
    resulting in an estuary.
    3) Bar-built estuaries: Bar-built estuaries form when
    a barrier is built parallel to the coast above sea level.
    These estuarine habitats are shallow and have
    limited tidal action due to a narrow inlet (connection
    to the ocean).
    4) Fjord estuaries: Fjords are steep, caused by glacial
    eroding. They are U-shaped. Fjords are often very
    deep (300-400m) but end in a shallow lip (a sill) due
    to glacial deposits.
    Estuaries can also be classified by the circulation patterns:

    • Salt Wedge:When the flow volume and velocity of the river draining into
    the sea exceeds that of the tidal forces of the sea, the effect of tidal
    actions on the estuary is reduced to a minimum. In estuaries formed at
    such river-sea interface, the river water floats above the seawater.
    • Well-Mixed:In this type of estuary, the mixing forces generated by the
    tidal action well exceed the output of rivers. Thus, intense turbulence is
    generated that mixes the estuarine waters well
    • Partially Mixed: In a partially mixed estuary, the force of tides is
    moderately higher than the river output so that significant turbulence is
    created in the waters of the estuary. Thus, seawater and freshwater mix
    moderately and salinity vary little vertically.
    • Inverse Estuary:In an inverse estuary, the salinity level of the estuary is
    higher than that in the open sea. Such estuaries are found in areas with an
    arid climate.
    • Intermittent Estuary:The salinity level of an intermittent estuary varies
    widely due to constant fluctuations in the supply of freshwater to the
    estuary
    • They are complex ecosystem comprising of three zones as,
    • Polyhaline zone(low salt): The marine side is called as lower
    estuary. It has a free connection to the sea with salinities
    exactly equal to that of the oceanic waters. It is called as
    Polyhaline zone.

    • Mesohaline zone (medium salt): The middle estuary which


    is subject to mixing of salt and freshwater is called as the
    mesohaline zone

    • Oligohaline zone(fully saline): The upper or fluvial estuary


    which is characterized by the flow of freshwater is known
    as oligohaline zone.
    Figure 1: Idealized cross section through a typical estuary showing
    vertical distribution of several important elements; note that organism
    sizes and vertical scale are exaggerated.
    • FIGURE 2: Idealized longitudinal section through a
    typical estuary from river to the sea. The vertical
    scale is exaggerated, and the darker area near the
    sediment surface indicates an oxidized zone.
    FIGURE 3 : Food web diagram for a typical estuarine
    ecosystem showing some feeding links among some of
    the major trophic groupings. Black lines and arrows
    indicate flow of food from source to consumer.
    The Biota of Estuaries
    The Biota of Estuaries are classified as
    a) Producers
    b) Zooplanktons
    c) Benthic invertebrates
    d) Fishes
    e) Birds and wildlife.
    Producers
    The Producers include
    • Phytoplankton - diatoms, dinoflagellates, green algae.
    • Microflora- algae living in and on mud , sand, rocks,
    and bodies or shells of animals)
    e.g- benthic diatoms.

    • Macroflora: large attached plants, including


    seaweeds, submerged eel grasses, emergent marsh
    grasses, and, in the Tropics, mangrove trees-
    • The emergent plants include Spartina, Juncus, Batis,
    Sallornia.
    Zooplankton
    • Zooplankton - grazing herbivores & carnivores.
    They include Copepods, larval fish, fish eggs,
    chaetognaths.
    • Larval invertebrates - oysters, clams, corals,
    etc.
    • jellyfish (small & large)
    • ctenophores - very abundant in plankton of
    estuaries.
    Benthic invertebrates
    • The benthic invertebrates include: clams,
    oysters, mussels, snails (mollusks)
    • polychaete, worms ,
    • amphipods,
    • decapods - crabs, shrimp, lobsters
    Fishes
    • The Fishes include the migratory fish which
    enter via the inlet are anadromous fish,
    striped bass and salmon, spotted seatrout,
    and red drum.
    • Estuaries provide the ‘nursery grounds’(places
    for young stages to grow rapidly) for most
    coastal shellfish and fish that are harvested
    not only in the estuary but offshore as well.
    Ecological value of estuaries

    • Estuaries are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth.


    • They maintain water quality through natural filtration as microbes
    break down organic matter and sediments bind pollutants.
    • They help maintain biodiversity by providing a diverse range of
    unique habitats that are critical for the survival of many species.
    Thousands of birds, mammals, fish and other wildlife use estuaries
    as places to live, feed and reproduce. Migratory birds use estuaries
    to rest and gain food during their journeys. Many species of fish and
    shellfish use estuaries as nurseries to spawn and allow juveniles to
    grow.
    • Natural buffer between the land and ocean, absorbing floodwaters
    and storm surges
    Threats to estuaries
    • Estuary margin development - population growth and coastal
    settlement.
    • Increased demands for recreational uses - such as boating and
    fishing.
    • Development in estuaries - such as marine farms and marinas.
    • Catchment development - such as forestry and agriculture.
    • Land clearance and reclamation.
    • Excavation and dredging for example for boat ramps and boat
    channels.
    • Introduction of invasive species such as Spartina
    • Resource extraction – such as fishing.
    • Long term climate changes including sea-level rise

    You might also like