Definitions
What is an estuary
A semi-enclosed body of water where freshwater meet and mix
Freshwater flowing into saltwater is what kind of factor?
Abiotic
Where do stenohaline species live?
On the outer edges of the estuary, either the ocean side or river side.
River delta
Glacial deposits give strong evidence for what?
An ice age or ages
What is a bar-built estuary
an estuary built by a sand bar or barrier island that partially
traps freshwater coming from a river from entering the open ocean.
Why is an entire section of this module devoted to the factors needed for an ice age?
Because the ice age had a profound effect on the oceans and estuaries of the world AND it supports the creation account in the Bible with observable data.
Meiofauna refers to what?
Microscopic organisms living in between marine sediment particles
The San Fransisco Bay is an example of this.
A tectonic estuary
What is a salt wedge?
A diagonal delineation of salt water; because sea water is heavier, it sinks and as the salt water moves across the bottom, freshwater above flows over it.
What is a fjord?
formed by glaciers cutting deeply into the earth as they flowed toward the coast, valleys became submerged and rivers flowed into them;
Explain why having birds with all the same bill length and prey burrowing at all the same depths would be devastating.
Entire mudflats could be without infauna due to huge flocks of a single bird; in other words, prey species would be wiped out leaving little for any other birds if a large flock came through and ate everything.
What are the two types of infauna feeding?
Deposit feeding (eats detritus settled onto the sediment) and filter feeding (organisms filter suspended particles out of the water when the tide is in, less common).
Where are cordgrasses found and what is their function?
Salt marshes, wetlands also acceptable; cordgrasses grow in the lowest parts of the ocean side of salt marsh and help to stabilize substrates by minimizing the effects of wave action.
why is the substrate of an estuary mostly mud?
Because of the constant deposits of silt and clay eroded from upriver and from organic sources put down in the estuary.
What is a Euryhaline species?
a species that can tolerate a wide range of salinities.
What type of organisms are the major primary producers in the mudflats?
Diatoms, other photosynthesizing plankton and bacteria are the major primary producers in the mudflats.
When does predation by birds most often happen?
During low tide
Channels are estuarine areas where water is present when?
Both high and low tide
What is the difference between a uniformitarian and a catastrophist?
a uniformitarian is a scientist that believes that most things we see on earth today are the result of slow, gradual processes that act over a very long time. Catastrophists believe that most of the major geological features of the earth are a result of wide scale catastrophes.
What are interstitial spaces?
the spaces between the substrate particles.
How do estuaries help other ocean ecosystems?
outselling is the overflow of excess detritus from estuarine ecosystems into nearby ecosystems. This production of food enhances the health of the other ecosystems.
Name two strategies for dealing with the changing salinity of water
osmoconforming, osmoregulating, reduce exposure by closing shells, stop feeding, burrow in mud
what is another name for coastal plain estuaries?
Drowned river valleys
What are the three things needed for the continual build up of ice to happen to result in an ice age?
Cool summers, warmer oceans and a lot of snowfall.