1. ESTUARY

2. WHAT ARE ESTUARY AND HOW DO THEY
FORM
• An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where fresh
water from land meets and mixes with salt water from the ocean.
• As the sea rose it drowned river valleys and filled glacial troughs. Once
formed, estuaries make good sediment traps, filling with sediment from
both the land and the sea. Sediment from the land include muds and
clays delivered by rivers. These is how(Virginia and Maryland) and
Galveston Bay (Texas) are classical examples of this type of estuary.

3. FEATURES OF AN ESTUARY
• Strong winds that blow across the
surface waters of large estuaries
may cause water not to circulate.
Friction between the wind and
surface of the water results in the
movement of the surface.
• Rivers bring fresh water into the
estuary. The freshwater which
travel time slows is as it mixes
with estuarine water. therefore
the water spends some time in the
estuary before it gradually exits
into coastal waters. rivers provide
a continuous input
of sediment into the estuary.