Bodies of water which are located at the lower end of a river and are subject to tidal fluctuations
A somewhat restricted body of water where the flow of freshwater mixes with saltier water transported, by tide, from the ocean Estuaries are the most productive water bodies in the world
bodies of water along coasts that are formed when fresh water from rivers flows into and mixes with salt water from the ocean2
The areas of inlets or mouths of rivers which are influenced by the tides and where salt and fresh water mixes
An area where fresh water meets salt water; for example, bays, mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and lagoons
An area where fresh water meets salt water; for example, bays,mouths of rivers, salt marshes, and lagoons
A partially enclosed body of water formed where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salty seawater before flowing into the ocean Estuaries support unique communities of plants and animals and serve as nursery grounds for many species of fish and shellfish
n (L aestuarium, part of the seacoast over which the tide ebbs and flows, from aestus, the tide) an inlet or arm of the sea; especially the wide mouth of a river, where the tide meets the current pl estuaries
(a) The seaward end or the widened funnel-shaped tidal mouth of a river valley where fresh water comes into contact with seawater and where tidal effects are evident; e g a tidal river, or a partially enclosed coastal body of water where the tide meets the current of a stream (b) A portion of an ocean, as a firth or an arm of the sea, affected by fresh water; e g the Baltic Sea (c) A drowned river mouth formed by the subsidence of land near the coast or by the drowning of the lower portion of a nonglaciated valley due to the rise of sea level
A bay or drowned valley where a river meets the sea It is a zone where fresh and salt water mix and in which nutrients washed from the land can collect Often highly productive areas in biological terms, frequently serving as nursery areas for a variety of marine lifeforms
Regions of interaction between rivers and near-shore ocean waters, where tidal action and river flow create a mixing of fresh and salt water (Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, 1990)
(1) A semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the OPEN SEA The seawater is usually measurably diluted with freshwater (2) The part of the RIVER that is affected by TIDES (3) (SMP) The zone or area of water in which freshwater and saltwater mingle and water is usually brackish due to daily mixing and layering of fresh and salt water
a bay or inlet, often at the mouth of a river, in which large quantities of freshwater and seawater mix together These unique habitats are necessary nursery grounds for many marine fishes and shellfishes
An embayment of the coast in which fresh river water entering at its head mixes with the relatively saline ocean water When tidal action is the dominant mixing agent it is usually termed a tidal estuary Also, the lower reaches and mouth of a river emptying directly into the sea where tidal mixing takes place The latter is sometimes called a river estuary
An estuary is the wide part of a river where it joins the sea. naval manoeuvres in the Clyde estuary. estuaries the wide part of a river where it goes into the sea. Partly enclosed coastal body of water in which river water is mixed with seawater. An estuary is thus defined by salinity rather than geography. Many coastal features designated by other names are in fact estuaries (e.g., Chesapeake Bay). Some of the oldest continuous civilizations have flourished in estuarine environments (e.g., the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Nile delta, the Ganges delta, and the lower Huang He valley). Cities such as London (River Thames), New York (Hudson River), and Montreal (St. Lawrence River) developed on estuaries and became important commercial centres
a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea in which freshwater and saltwater mingle and water is usually brackish due to daily mixing and layering of fresh and salt water
An estuary is in essence an interface: it is an area where a river meets the sea, where aquatic and marine life meet terrestrial life in marshes and wetlands, and where fresh water can still be influenced by tides Estuaries can be defined by a salinity gradient that ranges from ocean salinity of 35 0 ppt (parts per thousand) to fresh water with salinity of less than 0 5 ppt
An embayment of the coast in which fresh river water entering at its head mixes with saline sea water When tidal action is the main mixing agent it is known as a tidal estuary
Region of interaction between rivers and near-shore ocean waters, where tidal action and river flow mix fresh and salt water Therefore estuaries mainly consist of brackish water Eutrophic Referring to water that is rich in nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous Eutrophication Enrichment of water, which causes excessive growth of aquatic plants and increasing activity of anaerobic microorganisms As a result the oxygen levels in the water quickly decline and the water chokes, making life impossible for aerobic water organisms