Worldwide Typology of Nearshore Coastal Systems: Defining the Estuarine Filter of River Inputs to the Oceans
Journal: Estuaries and Coasts
Year: 2011

We present a spatially explicit global overview of nearshore coastal types, based on hydrological, lithological and morphological criteria. A total of four main operational types act as active filters of both dissolved and suspended material entering the ocean from land: small deltas (type I), tidal systems (II), lagoons (III) and fjords (IV). Large rivers (V) largely bypass the nearshore filter, while karstic (VI) and arheic coasts (VII) act as inactive filters. This typology provides new insig