Estuaries and Mudflats

Flashcards covering the definitions, formation, and characteristics of estuaries and mudflats, as well as the adaptations of life in these environments.

What is an estuary?

An estuary is where tidal waters meet with seawater, which reduces velocity and increases deposition.

What type of water is found in estuaries due to the mixing of tidal and fresh water?

Weakly salty or brackish water.

How do estuaries typically form?

They are sheltered areas in the mouth of a river where velocity decreases and seawater mixes with water from the river.

What landform is often found in estuaries due to the meeting of river and sea water causing a decrease in velocity and deposition?

Mudflats.

What are the key conditions required for mudflats to form?

Low wave energy and an input of fine silts and clays from rivers.

What process causes clays to stick together and be deposited in seawater, leading to the formation of mudflats?

Flocculation, where the natural negative charges of clays are neutralized by salt water.

What must plants and animals in mudflats be able to deal with?

Conditions of rising and lowering tides, and changing salinity as new salt water is diluted by river flow.

What is the term for plants and animals that can live in salty environments like mudflats?

Halophytes.