Estuaries and Salt Marshes Flashcards
1
Q
What is a Ria?
A
Steep-sided gorge flooded by the sea
2
Q
What is a coastal plain estuary?
A
Funnel-shaped with shallow conditions
3
Q
What is a bar-built estuary?
A
Sand bar forms, blocking part of river mouth
4
Q
What is a tectonic estuary?
A
Land drops, allowing sea in
5
Q
What types of estuary are there?
A
Ria Coastal plain estuary Bar-built estuary Blind estuary Delta-front estuary Tectonic estuary
6
Q
What is a euryhaline species?
A
Can adapt to a wide range of salinities
7
Q
What do benthic diatoms do in an estuary system?
A
Make the sediment more cohesive
8
Q
What are some examples of euryhaline organisms?
A
Green crab
Salmon
Shrimp
9
Q
What is allochthonous production?
A
Organic matter comes from outside the system
10
Q
What is an autochthonous production?
A
Organic matter is produced within the system
11
Q
types of tidal range
A
microtidal
mesotidal
macrotidal
hypertidal
12
Q
what are the 5 estuary zones?
A
- head
- upper reaches
- middle reaches
- lower reaches
- mouth
