estuaries

What is estuary ?
is

a body of water formed where

freshwaterfrom rivers and streams flows
into the ocean, mixing with theseawater
. Estuaries and the lands surrounding
them are places of transition from land
to sea, and from freshwater to saltwater.

Importance of estuary
The

sheltered waters of estuaries are

home to countless plants and animals
that like to live in water that is part fresh
and part salty.

 Estuaries

protect water quality by

filtering out dirt and pollution. In
addition, estuaries and the land
surrounding them are places where
people live, sail, fish, swim, and bird
watch. As a result, estuaries are often
the centers of our coastal communities.

 Estuaries

are one of themost

productive ecosystems in the world,
so there is a great diversity of animals
and plants that live there.

Plant that grows in

estuary

Smooth cordgrass

 Smooth

cordgrass is one of the most

common forms of marsh vegetation
found in Rhode Island salt marshes and
is a vital plant species in the estuary

Sea lavender

 Also

known as Limonium nashii, sea

lavender grows during the summer
months and is at full bloom in August.
The plant grows to be about 12 inches
and consists of small oval-shaped
leaves. These plants are farthest away
from the water in estuary biomes.

Spike grass

 Spike

grass, also known as salt grass

and scientifically known as Distichlis
spicata, is a short grass species that
grows near and around marshland. It is
the most common type of grass along
the shoreline of estuaries.

Animals that grows in

estuary

Great egret

 The

great egret is a large heron which,

as an adult, has entirely white plumage
with contrasting black feet and long,
black legs.Colour is added by its bright
yellow bill, tipped with black, and the
greenish-yellow area between the bill
and the eye .

Hermit crab

 Hermit

crabs are known to be one of the

free swimming aquamarine saltwater
animals, that somewhat resembles a
snails structure, minus the slow paced
move.
Its protective armor orhermit crab
shellsserves two purposes both
beneficial for survival and protection

Native littleneck clamp

 The

range of this species is from Alaska

to Mexico. It is similar in size and
appearance to the Manila littleneck. It is
a medium-size clam, oval to round in
shape. The external surface is marked
with concentric rings and radiating
ridges which produce a cross-hatched
appearance.

Estuaries in the philippines

River-estuary of Lobo, Batangas

Estuaries in the world

Hudson River Estuary

 New

York City, with a population of over eight

million people, is located at the mouth of the
Hudson River Estuary which stretches 153 miles
inland from the Atlantic Ocean and includes a
wide range of wetland habitats. Home to more
than 200 species of fish, the Hudson River
Estuary serves as a nursery ground for sturgeon,
striped bass, and American shad. It also supports
an abundance of other river-dependent wildlife,
especially birds. (Photo: Stanne/NYSDEC )

Old Woman Creek National

Estuarine Research Reserve.

 It

is located on the south-central shore

of Lake Erie in Erie County, Ohio, three
miles east of Huron. It is the only "Great
Lakes-type" freshwater estuary in the
National Estuarine Research Reserve
System, and features freshwater
marshes, swamp forests, a barrier
beach, an upland forest, and a portion of
nearshore Lake Erie.

Chesapeake bay

 The

Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in

the United States and is one of the most
productive bodies of water in the world.

The

Chesapeake watershed spans 64,000

squares miles, covering parts of six states
Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania,
Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of
Columbia. Over 17 million people live in this
area.

Problems and issues

Pathogens
Pathogens

are disease-producing
organisms such as bacteria and viruses.
The sources of these organisms are
human waste, pasture runoff, and waste
products of marsh animals such as
nutria and birds.

Hydrologic modification
Hydrologic

modification is considered
the linchpin problem of the basins,
indicating that all other problems
revolve around, and are often affected
by it. When we build levees, dredge
canals, or cut through natural ridges, the
natural flow of water is changed.

 In

other cases, it can result in changed

salinity of water bodies. As a result,
fresh marsh can be changed to a more
salt tolerant type. In more extreme
cases, marsh can be converted to open
water.

Habitat loss
What

is known about the rate of habitat

conversion, and ultimately land loss in the
coastal areas of the Barataria and
Terrebonne basins, is that it is alarmingly
high. Studies through 1978 showed that
over 11,500 acres of land a year were
being lost as it slowly converted to open
water due to subsidence or other factors.

Eutrophication
When

too many nutrients, such as

phosphorus and nitrogen, are in the
water, a condition known as
eutrophication occurs. The process
begins with an accelerated growth of
algae with the end result being that
oxygen in the water is depleted as plant
matter decays, killing fish and shellfish.

Toxic substance
Water,

animal tissue, and sediment

testing have identified a variety of toxic
substances in the basins. Some of the
substances are known cancer-causing
agents while others affect reproduction.
When some animals consume
contaminated food, the toxic
concentration is magnified.

Change in living resource

Approximately

735 species of birds,

finfish, shellfish, reptiles, amphibians,
and mammals spend all or part of their
life cycle in the estuary. Several of the
species are either categorized as
threatened or endangered.

Thank you