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Estuary Ecosystem

Estuaries are coastal ecosystems where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. They serve as transitions between land and sea. Estuaries are highly productive environments that support unique plant and animal communities adapted to changing salt levels. However, estuaries are delicate and can be negatively impacted by pollution, weather, and human activities.

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Jobu BC
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630 views11 pages

Estuary Ecosystem

Estuaries are coastal ecosystems where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with saltwater from the ocean. They serve as transitions between land and sea. Estuaries are highly productive environments that support unique plant and animal communities adapted to changing salt levels. However, estuaries are delicate and can be negatively impacted by pollution, weather, and human activities.

Uploaded by

Jobu BC
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Estuarine ecosystem

Jobelle Cabonce
EstuarY
a partially enclosed, coastal water body where freshwater
from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the
ocean
ETYMOLOGY
• originated from Latin words aestus meaning “tide”
and aestuarium meaning “tidal part of a shore”
EstuarY
• serves as transition places from land to sea
• affected by the tides but protected from the full force of ocean
waves, winds and storms by land forms such as barrier islands
or peninsulas
• estuarine environments are among the most productive on
earth
• support unique communities of plants and animals specially
adapted for life at the margin of the sea
EstuarY
Many different habitat types are found in and around
estuaries including:
• shallow open waters • rocky shores
• freshwater and • oyster reefs
saltwater marshes • mangrove forests
• swamps • river deltas
• sandy beaches • tidal pools
• mud and sand flats • seagrass beds
EstuarY
Estuaries are delicate ecosystems;
they can be adversely affected by pollution,
weather, human activities and
encroachment into the habitat of several
species of plants and animals
EstuarY
How do Estuaries differ from other Oceanic environments?
• the enormous daily and seasonal variability in salinity and
temperature
• Depth – Estuaries are shallow compared to the ocean
• Salinity – varies with tides and season
• Temperature is influenced by the: a) depth of the estuaries;
b) tidal currents; c) different seasons
EstuarY
Classification of Estuaries:
• Coastal-plain estuaries
- basically drowned river valleys where the present
sedimentation rate is not in pace with the post-glacial
inundation
• Fjords
- formed from ice age valley glaciers that broadened and
deepened the valley floor
EstuarY
Classification of Estuaries:
• Bar-built estuaries
- strictly speaking also drowned river valleys but in this
case the sedimentation rate is in pace with the
inundation, creating a more mature estuarine type
• Tectonic Estuary
- the tectonic shifting together and rifting apart of the
Earth’s crust, creates tectonic estuaries
EstuarY
Cities with Estuaries:
• Puerto Princesa Underground River Estuaries
• Manila and Pasig River
• Cebu River Estuaries
• Ilog River Estuary, Negros Occidental
• Quinaorian River at Victorias City
• Himamaylan River, Negros Occidental
EstuarY
Cities with Estuaries:
• New York and Hudson River Estuary
• Caete Estuary, Brazil
• Mondego Estuary of Portugal
• River Loire, City of Nantes, France
• River Yangtze Estuary

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