What is an Estuary?
An estuary is a body of water formed where freshwater
from rivers and streams flows into the ocean, mixing with the seawater.
Estuaries and the lands surrounding them are places of transition
from land to sea, and from freshwater to saltwater. Although influenced
by the tides, estuaries
are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms
by the reefs, barrier
islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that surround them.
Return to Previous Page
|