Estuaries

Estuarys have hard to define regions and limits but it is based on the salinity and that its enclosed body of water

most estuaries are recent in geological history when is this?

there are four main estuaries Tectonic - formed by [blank_start]tectonic[blank_end] activity along a fault line [blank_start]Fjord[blank_end]- formed by glacial activity coastal plain - essentially a flooded river Barrier or Bar-built - a body of water [blank_start]partially[blank_end] separated from the sea by a barrier

the most common estuaries are tectonic, and flooded is the most common in britian

The diagram shows a fjord estuary, fill in the key features

tectonic estuaries are caused by tectonic activity which allows [blank_start]flooding[blank_end] of the area and then is diluted by [blank_start]river[blank_end] input from the catchment. It is characterised by [blank_start]fault[blank_end]-bounded vally walls

What does the Glacial moraine do?

coastal estuaries are large shallow areas with very small partical size due to the low energy there, they are frequently exposed at low tides

whats the missing word

A bar-built estuarie has the same salinity for the whole of it

whats the missing word

salinity salt wedge - [blank_start]high[blank_end] river flows keeps salt influx at bay salinity [blank_start]stratification[blank_end] occurs Partially mixed - salinity [blank_start]varies[blank_end] with depth, moderate [blank_start]seaward[blank_end] flow well mixed - little vertical salinity variation

mixing in fjord estuaries occurs only at the sill and when there are sieches

why are estuaries dynamic

Role of EPS

estuaries are very productive due to a high availability of iron

Mussel beds are a major [blank_start]stabilising[blank_end] influence, they attache onto hard substrate by [blank_start]byssus[blank_end] threads and develop their own communities. they filter out a lot of particles and [blank_start]pollution[blank_end] making them a [blank_start]keystone[blank_end] species

spartina angelica stabilise the environment by collecting sediment in the axils of leaves allowing rhizome propagation

what are these key species