Estuaries

What is an estuary

A semi-enclosed body of water where salt and fresh water mix

Why are estuaries important?

1. They make nurseries for wildlife

2. They are used for commercial fisheries/food sources

3. Used a buffer/protection against the mainland from bad weather

4. Has a collection of biodiversity that benefits the ecosystem

Vertically Mixed Estuary

a shallow estuary where freshwater and seawater are thoroughly mixed, resulting in uniform salinity from the surface to the bottom

Slightly Stratified Estuary

a type of estuary where river water and ocean water are partially mixed due to strong tidal turbulence

Highly Stratified Estuary

one where freshwater lies on top of saltwater with very little mixing, creating a sharp vertical difference in salinity

Salt Wedge Estuary

highly stratified estuary where a strong river flow pushes a wedge-shaped layer of dense seawater upstream along the bottom, while less dense freshwater flows over it

Suspension Feeder

a method of eating where an animal filters food particles from the water column.

Deposit feeder

the process where organisms eat sediment to get nourishment from the organic matter and microbes within it

What is wrack 

piles of organic debris, primarily seaweed, that accumulate on beaches, providing a crucial habitat and food source for a wide variety of marine and terrestrial organisms

What is a grazer

a secondary consumer or carnivore/omnivore that feeds on herbivores

Other plants within a salt marsh

1. Pickleweed

2. Poison Ivy 

3. Juniper 

4. Golden Rod 

5. Phragmites

What organisms are filter feeders 

1. Ribbed Mussels 

2. oysters 

3. Barnacles 

4. clams 

what organisms are deposit feeders

1. fiddler crabs 

2. clam worms 

3. shrimp 

How are ribbed mussels beneficial to a salt marsh? 

1. Their feces are released into the soil, then cycled into nitrate for plants and surrounding organisms to fertilize

2. They use their byssal threads to naturally hold around and help stabilize roots within a high-energy environment 

Osprey

Fish Hawk

Spartina Alterniflora

Cord grass

Spartina Patens

Salt Marsh Hay

Costal Plain Estuary

a partially enclosed body of water where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salty seawater( comes from glaciers, too) . examples including the Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and the Thames River.

Fjord(s) estuary

long, narrow, and deep estuaries with steep sides that were formed when glaciers carved out valleys, which were then flooded by seawater. They are common in places like Alaska, Chile, New Zealand, and Scandinavia

Bar Built estuary

coastal bodies of water formed where sandbars or barrier islands, created by waves and currents, separate them from the open ocean. the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, particularly along the coasts of North Carolina, Texas, and Florida.

Tectonic estuary

forms when tectonic activity, like faulting, creates a depression or basin that fills with seawater

Why are blue crabs important to salt marshes

they are key predators of marsh-grazing snails, which prevents the snails from over-consuming marsh grasses and destroying the habitat

why are diamond back terrapins important to salt marshes

they help maintain the health of the environment by controlling populations of herbivorous invertebrates like periwinkle snails

Why are ribbed mussels important to salt marshes 

they are "ecosystem engineers" that improve salt marsh health by filtering water, stabilizing sediment, and enhancing plant growth

Why is detritus important?

it is a major food source, a key component of nutrient cycling, and provides habitats for organisms

How to fiddler crabs benefit Spartina plants

aerating the soil, increasing oxygen for roots, and returning nutrients to the sediment as they feed on decaying matter

Osmoregulator

an organism that actively maintains a constant internal balance of water and solutes, regardless of external environmental changes

osmoconformer

an organism that actively maintains a constant internal balance of water and solutes, regardless of external environmental changes

High Marsh Zone

• Highland elevation

• Rarely floods, reached by salt spray, and overflow from the weather 

• Dryer area, but high plant activity due to little flooding (cordgrass)

• Fine sediment of mud but, anaerobic 

• Provides support for birds, plants, fiddler crabs, and outside organisms (raccoons) 

• Expansive

Low Marsh Zone

• Low land elevation 

• Flooded by daily tides 

• Low plant diversity from floods 

• Narrow

• Provides support for fiddler crabs, fish, and ribbed mussels 

Why are organisms important to a salt marsh

protect coastlines from erosion and flooding, provide critical nursery habitats for fish and shellfish, and act as powerful carbon sinks that help mitigate climate change