An estuary is a body of water usually found where a river meets the sea, mixing fresh water draining from the land with salty seawater into a brackish habitat unlike either parent body. This salty-fresh mix is a nursery ground for a large share of the fish humans catch, and supports plant and animal communities specifically adapted to fluctuating salinity and tide.
Facts
Disputed
Annual Precipitation (mm)990mm is the source global ocean+land blended figure; the source does not isolate an estuary-specific figure. Estuaries occur on coastlines in every climate zone, so the same global ocean blend already used on the Marine and Open Ocean biome entities is applied here. Typical Low Temperature (C)13C is the low end of a single named example cited by the source, the Alan Estuary in England, not a global figure. Estuaries occur in every climate zone from tropical to Arctic wherever a river meets tidal water, and no single settled global range was found on an accessible source. Typical High Temperature (C)17C is the high end of the same single named example, the Alan Estuary in England, not a global figure; see this entity's temperature-low-c StatusNote for the same caveat. Connections
Demonstrates
Estuaries are a classic corridor for migratory fish and birds moving between fresh water, the open sea and the shore.
Source Estuaries (NOAA Ocean Service)
Home To
Source European Eel (Wikipedia)
Source Greater Flamingo (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Precipitation (Wikipedia)
WikipediaWikipedia, Precipitation, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia, Precipitation, lead section
the globally averaged annual precipitation is 990 millimetres (39 in), but over land it is only 715 millimetres (28.1 in)
2. Estuary Biome (Earth Eclipse)
Earth EclipseTemperature sectionQuote, Temperature section
The temperature in Alan estuary in England, for example, ranges from 13 to 17 degrees Celsius or 55 to 63 degrees Fahrenheit.
Estuaries (NOAA Ocean Service)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationNOAA Ocean Service, Estuaries, overview section
Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea.
- In Category: Biomes
- Demonstrates: Migration
View the Source Estuary (Wikipedia)
WikipediaDefinition sectionQuote, Definition section
They can have many different names, such as bays, harbors, lagoons, inlets, or sounds, although some of these water bodies do not strictly meet the above definition of an estuary and could be fully saline.
European Eel (Wikipedia)
Greater Flamingo (Wikipedia)
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