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ESTUARIES

WHAT IS ESTUARY

Latin, Aestuarium means tidal part of shore.


It is usually found where rivers meet the sea.
Estuaries are delicate ecosystem. It can be harmfully
affected by pollution, weather, human activities and
violation into the habitat of several species of plants and
animals.
It is a semi-enclosed portion of ocean that is somewhat
isolated by land and in which freshwater and salt water mix.
More than two thirds of the fish and shellfish we eat is
harvested on some parts of estuaries.

Estuary is another name for bay, sound, inlet, harbor, lagoon


freshwater estuaries are created when a river flows into a freshwater
lake.
Freshwater estuaries are not affected by tides,
Estuariesare among the most productive marine ecosystems with
high biomass of benthic algae, seagrass and phytoplankton
Nutrientsare imported from land, but also retained within the estuary
Sequence of communities: saltmarsh, seagrass bed, mudflat/sand,
pelagic
Partially enclosed by reefs, barriers Island or fingers of land. The most
productive ecosystems on Earth, containing more life.
Estuaries are known as the nurseries of the sea, as their sheltered
waters are perfect for spawning. Many marine animals depend on
estuaries at some point.
Salt marsh grasses and other estuarine plants help prevent pollution
and erosion, floods and stabilize our shoreline. In addition on creating
the food web for the altitudes of fish birds and mammals

Estuaries differ from other Oceanic environments by:

Depth Estuaries are shallow compared to ocean.


Salinity varies with tides and season. In the Philippines,
flooding during typhoons and rainy season can influence
the salinity of Estuaries because of an increased river runoff from the uplands.
Temperature is influenced by the: a) depth of the
estuaries,b) Tidal currents; c) different seasons for
example during winter, ice may form in the water. In most
of Asia and the Philippines where seasons are mostly wet
and dry, rainy season and dry season can influence the
temperature of the estuaries that will also affect the
inhabitants in it.

1. Saltmarsh Community (intertidal)


Saltmarsh Community (intertidal) Dominated by
marshgrasses (flow- ering plants) as high as 2 m,
which trap nutrient-rich sediments
most plant tissues are not grazed but get into detrital
food web
slow decay and deep sediment, saltmarshes growh
upwards, eventually filling the estuary and becoming
land

2. Seagrass bed (inter- to subtidal)


Eelgrass (temperate) and Turtlegrass (tropical)
few seaweeds, which do not grow well on muddy
sediment
many epiphytic diatoms on seagrass contribute to
primary production and serve as food for snails
habitat for sessile animals (hydroids)
seagrass biomass ends up in detritus
manatees and sea turtles graze Turtlegrass

3. Mud/Sandflats

Primary producers: epipsammic algae, mostly benthic


diatoms and dinoflagellates
cyanobacteria mats on mudflats

production 10% or less of seagrass beds and saltmarshes,

decreasing with grain size of sediment (mud more


productive than sand)
macro- and meiobenthos, often detrivores, living of
deposits from seagrasses and marshes
birds important grazers

4. Plankton Community
High production by nutrients imported by the
freshwater inflow
Highest production and biomass at intermediate
salinities. At head of estuary, nutrient concentrations
are high but turbidity by sediments suspended in river
water is high as well so that phytoplankton remains
light-limited; as sediments sink out of the water column
along the river plume and water turbidity decreases,
phytoplankton can make use of high nutrient
concentrations at intermediate salinities.
benthic filter-feeders profit from plankton production
high sedimentation of plankton from estuarine plumes
can cause oxygen consumption and anoxic sediments
at the seaward edge (even hypoxia in the water; for
example Mississippi River plume)

5. Mangroves
Mangroves replace saltmarshes in tropical regions (6075% of tropical and subtropical coastlines), upper tidal
zone
High salinity tolerance: broad distribution from high in
the estuary to almost fully marine water, but waveprotected zone
Mangroves: 12 genera, 60 species of flowering,
terrestrial trees and shrubs restricted to mangrove
swamps; shallow and far-reaching roots; airial roots help
in oxygen supply because the sediments are anoxic;
Viviparous growth: seeds germinate on the tree, and
young plants fall into the water

Ecological importance:
*Host and feed breeding birds.
*protect shoreline from erosion during tropical
storms.
*important fisheries and supply (boat and fire wood)
in native people.

Classification of Estuaries
1. Coastal plain estuaries are created when sea levels rise
and fill in an existing river valley.
2. Tectonic activity estuaries, the shifting together and rifting
apart of the Earth's crust, creates tectonic estuaries.
3. Bar-built estuaries happens when a lagoon or bay is
protected from the ocean by a sandbar orbarrier island,
4. Fjord estuaries are a type of estuary created by glaciers.

List of some Estuaries in the


Philippines

REFERENCE

(www.epa.gov//estuaries)
(National Oceania and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of
Commerce)
(core.ecu.edu/geology/woods/estuariesl.htm)

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