What is an estuary? Estuaries Coastal lagoons Semi-enclosed coastal body of water free communication with ocean ocean salinity is measurably diluted by runoff

Types of Estuaries According to Their Origin (Pinet, 2003) Types of Estuaries According to Their Origin

(Pinet, 2003)

(Pinet, 2003)

San Francisco Bay (Pinet, 2003)

Typical Estuarine Circulation

Types of Estuaries According to Their Stratification (Pinet, 2003) Competition between tidal forcing and buoyancy forcing

Typical circulation in a fjord Typical profile of net velocity mouth head Typical profile of salinity (density) depth

(Pinet, 2003)

Rio de la Plata Estuary Argentina

Example of fjord head mouth Here we see the upper 20 m, where the action takes place, illustrating a very thin buoyant layer (3 m thick) of fresh and cold water This layer is well contained west of the sill Heavy water is blocked by the sill

(Pinet, 2003)

S Axial Distributions Chesapeake Bay T Spring of 1999 t The mouth of the bay is on the right S Axial Distributions Chesapeake Bay T Spring of 1999 t

(Pinet, 2003)

Example of Well-Mixed Estuary

Types of Estuaries According to their water balance Net Mass Loss No Mass Loss

Inverse Estuary Normal Estuary Looking into lagoon Red = Water going out Blue = Water going in Inverse Estuary Normal Estuary

Salt-plug estuary ER M. Tomczak’s Web Site