What is the origin of the word estuary?
The word estuary comes from the Latin term aestuarium, meaning tidal inlet of the sea. This root derives from aestus, which translates to tide.
Questions about Estuary
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did most existing estuaries originate during geological history?
Most existing estuaries originated during the Holocene epoch roughly 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. Rising sea levels flooded river-eroded valleys that had been scoured by glaciers.
How do scientists define an estuary in terms of water composition?
Scientists define an estuary as a semi-enclosed coastal body of water with a free connection to the open sea. Within this boundary, seawater is measurably diluted by freshwater from land drainage.
Why are salt wedge estuaries distinct from other types of estuaries?
Salt wedge estuaries occur when river output greatly exceeds marine input and tidal effects remain minor. Freshwater floats on top of denser seawater that moves landward along the bottom in a thin layer.
Which cities were located on estuaries by the early 1990s?
Twenty-two of the thirty-two largest cities in the world were located on estuaries by the early 1990s. Land run-off carries industrial, agricultural, and domestic waste into rivers before discharging them into estuarine waters.