Estuaries Payton Collins December 1 st, 2011

The Basics and Terminology  An estuary is the area in which rivers meet the sea.  One of the most productive ecosystems in the world.  Estuaries are partially enclosed.  Seawater mixes with freshwater, nutrients, and pollution from rivers, and streams and land runoff.  Must be adaptable to daily and seasonal changes in tidal and river flows, and land runoff of eroded soil sediment and other pollutants.  Salinity alone can increase or decrease 20% in a season.

 Coastal wetlands are land areas covered with water all or part of the year.  Found around estuaries  Examples include river mouths, inlets, bays, sounds (narrow stretches of water forming an inlet or connecting two wider areas of water such as two seas or a sea and a lake), salt marshes (in temperate zones), and mangrove forests (the tropical zone equivalent of salt marshes). More on Marshes

Estuaries in the United States

 88,000+ miles of coastal wetlands  100+ estuaries  Louisiana- home to 40% nation’s coastal wetlands  Chesapeake Bay – nation’s largest estuary  This estuary alone supports more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals. U.S. Estuaries

 Typical animals in estuaries~  Shellfish (oysters, crabs, lobsters)  Shore and sea birds  Raccoons, skunks, opossums (attracted by plants and animals)  Typical plants in estuaries~  Salt meadows  Mangroves  Cordgrass Biodiversity

 Estuaries provide ecological and economic services~  Filter toxic pollutants, excess plant nutrients, sediments, and other pollutants.  Reduce storm damage; absorb waves and store excess water produced by storms and tsunamis.  Provide food, habitats, and nursery sites for a variety of aquatic species. Benefits from Estuaries

 Global Climate Change  Algal bloom, invasive species, estuary climate/water temperature changes  Pollution from upland areas  Dams block nutrient flow  Extreme weather conditions  Floods, hurricanes, storms Environmental Damage to Estuaries

 Currently developed/developing solutions~  Enhancing the natural defenses provided by wetlands, barrier islands and reefs.  Supporting the natural replenishment of sediments from rivers and beaches.  Protecting inland buffers to enable habitats to migrate. How Can We Help?

 Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). (2010). Salt Marshes. Retrieved from m  Miller, Jr. G. T. (2007). Living in the Environment: Principles, Connections, and Solutions (15 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education.  Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP). (2011). Project Group: Coastal Wetlands and Estuaries. Retrieved from Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Estuaries-and- Coastal-Wetlands.aspx Citations

 Ayub, Zarrien (2010). Effect of Temperature and Rainfall as a Component of Climate Change on Fish and Shrimp Catch in Pakistan. The Journal of Transdisciplinary Environmental Studies, vol. 9, no. 1. Retrieved from tes.dk/vol_9_no_1__page_15/no%204%20%20Zarrinem%20A yub%20(high).pdf  U.S. Department of the Interior. (2007). The Role of Climate in Estuarine Variability. Retrieved from tml  C., Tommy, and B., Kyle (n.d.). Estuary Home. Retrieved from Citations (2)

 National Wildlife Federation (n.d.). Global Warming Impacts on Estuaries and Coastal Wetlands. Retrieved from and-Habitat/Estuaries-and-Coastal-Wetlands.aspx  Estuaries. (n.d.). The Encyclopedia of New Zealand (online). Retrieved from  New Hampshire Public Television. (2011). Estuaries. Retreived from Citations (3)