estuaries

salinity

Dissolved mineral concentration

• tidalOf sea rhythms
• mixingCombining into one mass
• saltwaterOcean water, chemically speaking

freshwater · saline · halocline · anadromous · brine · lagoon · delta · saltmarsh · tidewater · mangrove

shoreline

Land-water boundary

• intertidalZone between high and low watermarks
• littoralRelating to seashores
• foreshoreIntertidal coastal zone

inlets · bays · mudflats · sandbanks · mangroves · saltmarshes · tidelands · seagrass · sedimentation · erosion

ecotone

Boundary between distinct habitats

• gradientRate of change across space
• thresholdPoint of beginning
• fluxContinuous change or flow

intermediate · boundary · continuum · interface · river mouth · outflow · confluence · watershed · drainage · upstream

spawning

Releasing eggs to reproduce

• breedingReproductive cultivation of organisms
• larvaeImmature metamorphosing creatures
• fingerlingsJuvenile fish for stocking

fry · hatchlings · juveniles · rearing · refuge · sanctuary · habitat · shellfish · crabs · shrimp

ecosystem

Interconnected organisms and surroundings

• speciesFinest taxonomic rank
• floraPlants of a region
• faunaAnimal life collectively

habitat · endemic · diversity · conservation · ecology · population · keystone · indicator · trophic · food web

• watersoceans, seas, Red Sea, lakes, Black Sea
• wildlife habitatswildlife refuge, breeding grounds, nesting sites, forests, game reserve
• hydrologyrivers, streamflow, aquifers, aquifer, lakes
• ocean scienceoceanography, marine biology, marine ecosystems, marine science, marine research
• aquatic zonescoastal zones, marine habitats, aquatic habitats, continental shelf, deep sea
• coastal managementcoastal erosion, coastal wetlands, sea level rise, seawalls, coastal flooding