PERFORMANC

E
TASK
IN
SCIENCE
KYLE CHINO B. TANSECO
GRADE 5 – LOYALTY
TEACHER YVETTE S. LAPERA
ESTUARIES
 An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish
water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a
free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone
between river environments and maritime environments and are
an example of an Eco tone. Estuaries are subject both to marine
influences such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water,
and to fluvial influences such as flow of freshwater and sediment.
The mixing of seawater and freshwater provides high levels of
nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making
estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world.

EXAMPLES OF ESTUARIES:
 intertidal zone

The intertidal zone is an extreme ecosystem because it constantly

experiences drastic changes. It is located on marine coastlines, including rocky
shores and sandy beaches. The intertidal zone experiences two different states: one
at low tide when it is exposed to the air and the other at high tide when it
is submerged in seawater. The zone is completely submerged by the tide once or
twice every day. This ecosystem is rife with research opportunities
for marine researchers like National Geographic grantee Swapnale Gole, who
studies the behaviour of sea anemones, crustaceans, and fish in the intertidal
zones of the Andaman Islands in India.

EXAMPLES OF INTERTIDAL ZONE:

FACTORS THAT CAN BE FOUND IN
ESTUARIES AND INTERTIDAL ZONE
BIOTIC FACTORS - (living components)
ABIOTIC FACTORS - (non-living components)

BIOTIC FACTORS

There are many abiotic factors that are found in estuaries. These
include plants and animals such as shrimp, fish and oysters. Life in estuaries are
threatened by human activity. This is because these marine animals are being killed
for food and water, from estuaries in specific, is being drained for drinking water.
On top of shrimp, fish , and oysters, there are boring sponges clown fish, sea
anemones, slipper lampets, blue crabs, and zoo-plankton. Plants inlcude mangrove
trees, phytoplankton, algae, seaweed, marsh grasses, pickle weeds, salt grass, alkali
health, marsh grassses, and salt marshes.

ABIOTIC FACTORS
 Similar to biotic features, there are many abiotic features in estuaries.
For example, temperature, sunlight, and the water in the estuary are all abiotic
factors. In an estuary the summer average rainfall is 4 inches, or 10 centimeters.
The winter average rainfall is 56 inches, or 142 centimeters. Average temperatures
vary upon location of the estuary.