The economy of many coastal areas relies on the natural beauty and bounty of estuaries. When those natural resources are imperiled, so are the livelihoods of the many people who live and work along the coast. As our population grows, the demands imposed on our natural resources increase and protecting these resources for all their natural, economic, and aesthetic values becomes even more important. An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where freshwater from rivers, streams, and groundwater flows to the ocean, mixing with the salty seawater. Although influenced by the winds and tides, estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by the reefs, barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that define an estuary s seaward boundary.
Estuaries come in all shapes and sizes and go by many different names.
They are often known as bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets, or sounds. Whatever the name or type, estuaries provide valuable functions. They are critical to the survival of tens of thousands of birds, mammals, fish, and other wildlife. Many different habitat types are found in and around estuaries, including shallow open waters, freshwater and salt marshes, sandy beaches, mud and sand flats, rocky shores, oyster reefs, mangrove forests, river deltas, tidal pools, sea grass beds, and wooded swamps. The wetlands bordering many estuaries perform valuable functions including water quality and flood protection and water storage.