River to Sea

Estuary

river meets the sea

fjords

deep estuaries carved by glaciers

bar built estuaries

shallow coastal currents deposit sand and create beaches or islands

low inflow estuaries can lead to what

reverse estuaries

osmoconformers

maintains its internal osmotic pressure to match the osmotic pressure of its surrounding environment

osmoregulators

organisms that actively maintain a stable internal osmotic pressure, independent of their surrounding environment, by regulating water and salt concentrations

anadromous fish

spend lives at sea migrate to freshwater to breed

catadromous fish

breed at sea and migrate to rivers to mature

meiofauna

small critters move between grains

what roles do estuaries serve for birds

overwintering habitat and foraging habitat

mangroves

flowering land plants adapted to live in the intertidal

mediating physical stress (mechanism of facilitation)

decreasing the impact of physical stress

Marsh Cordgrass

Spartina alterniflora

Foundation species

refers to a species that has a strong role in providing structure to a community

eutrophication

increase in primary production and organic matter accumulation in aquatic systems from excess nutrients