river estuary
Where freshwater meets saltwater
A river estuary is where a river meets the sea, creating a zone where freshwater and saltwater mix.
Estuaries are typically brackish, with salinity varying by tide and season.
They often form productive ecosystems—nurseries for fish and shellfish, habitats for migratory birds.
The river estuary teemed with herons and crabs.
- coastal wetlandsSaturated shoreline ecosystems
- tidal flatsCoastline exposed at low water
- deltaSymbol denoting variation
- firthNarrow coastal inlet
- bankPlace holding deposits
brackish water · fishing grounds · shipping channel · stratification · low tide · mudflats · salt marsh · tidal creek · tidal bore · barrier islands · oysters · mud crab · sea bass · confluence · flocculation · halocline · mangroves · migratory birds
- tideshigh tide, low tide, ebb tide, tides, flood tide
river estuaryriver source
Origin of flowing water
headwaters · spring · headspring · mountain stream · upper reaches
river estuarywaterfall
Descending river over precipice
rapids · cataract · cascade · torrent · whitewater
river estuaryfreshwater spring
Natural groundwater emergence point
alpine lake · mountain stream · glacial melt · mountain spring · freshwater source