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What is a watershed?
Area of land that channels rainfall, snowmelt, and run off into a common body of water
What is an estuary?
Semi-Enclosed body of water in which ocean water is significantly diluted by fresh water from land runoff
Where geographically do we find estuaries?
Coasts
What are other names for estuaries?
Bays, Lagoons, Harbors, Inlets
What are the for main types of estuaries?
Coastal Plains, Bay Built, Fjord, Tectonic
Describe Coastal Plains
Where the sea invades an existing river valley
Describe Bay Built
Result from offshore barrier islands above sea level
Describe Fjord
Created by glacier erosion
Describe Tectonic
Results from movement of earth’s crust
What causes variations in salinity in an estuary?
Location & Tides
Describe the relationship between salinity and depth in a salt wedge estuary
Zero salinity at surface level. The deeper you go, the higher the salinity levels
Why are estuaries considered highly productive
They provide good protection, water quality and nurseries
Euryhaline vs Stenohaline
Euryhaline tolerates high ranges of salinity, Stenohaline tolerates narrow ranges of salinity
What type of salinity does Brackish Water contain?
Intermediate
The salinity of seawater
35 PPT
The salinity of Freshwater
0.5 <
The salinity of estuaries
17ppt
Why is the ocean salty?
Weathering of rocks, atmosphere and hydrothermal vents
Two main components of Salt water
NaCl
Are there large numbers of organisms in an estuary?
Yes
Is there great species diversity in an estuary?
No because the large variation of salinity means only certain fish can live there
Note 
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