Name _________________________________________Class Period ___________Date_______________
Estuary Notes
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water where
________________________________ mixes with
___________________________________.
Estuaries are home to a wide variety of birds, _________________________, plants, and other
wildlife.
Nurseries of the Sea
______________% of all fish and shellfish spend part of their lives in Estuaries.
The mixture of freshwater and salt water in an estuary is called ___________________________
water.
Salinity
 The ocean is normally ~___________%
salinity.
 In an estuary the freshwater mixes with the
salty water and lowers the salinity to
anywhere between ____________________%.
Estuaries are unique
Characteristics depend on:
 Local climate
 Freshwater flowing in
 ______________________
 Currents
Fill in the boxes of this picture
Estuaries are protected from the full force of the ocean by
________________________________________________ or other land forms.
Nutrients
Estuaries are rich in life partly because of the ____________________ introduced from rivers and
streams.
Human Impact
 Rivers and streams also bring
_______________________________.
 Estuaries can ______________________________ out
pollutants before they reach the sea.
 Estuaries are also threatened by the large
number of ____________________________ that
want to live beside them.
Label this picture
Name _________________________________________Class Period ___________Date_______________
 Populations in counties next to the coast are growing _______ times faster than other
counties.