Estuary

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water mixes with fresh water. The key feature of an estuary is that it is a mixing place for sea water and a significantly-sized river to supply fresh water. A tide is a necessary component to maintain a dynamic relationship between the two waters. Though something in the nature of an estuary can exist in a non-tidal sea, such areas go by names such as lagoon, ?tang or laguna. In non-tidal seas, the rivers naturally form deltas rather than estuaries.

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An estuary is typically the tidal mouth of a river, and estuaries are often characterised by sedimentation of silt which usually comes mainly from the sea though in some cases, that from the river predominates. The sand and mud banks and marshes are relied upon as habitat by, for example, wading birds. Estuaries are more likely to occur on submerged coasts, where the sea level has risen in relation to the land, as this process floods valleys to form rias, fjords etc, which can be classified as estuaries in cases where there is a significant river flowing into them.

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The estuaries are sometimes confused with fjords. The Lim bay in Istria, Croatia (Limski kanal in Croatian), is often called "Lim fjord" although it was not actually formed by glacial erosion but by the river Pazin?ica.

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Estuary is also a term used to describe the region of the Thames River and adjoining communities east of Central London in the United Kingdom. The term 'Estuary English' is frequently used to describe the accent of the people in this region, though it has since spread across South East England. It is sometimes mistaken for the Cockney accent by listeners unfamiliar with the varieties.

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Water: :This article focuses on water as it is experienced in everyday life. See water (molecule) for information on the chemical and physical properties of pure water (H2O, hydrogen oxide)....

Sea: A sea is a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, or a large, usually saline, lake that lacks a natural outlet such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a small freshwater lake without a natural outlet, but the term was applied to it anyway. The term is used col...

Sea water: Sea water is water from a sea or ocean. On average, sea water in the world's oceans has a salinity of ~3.5%. This means that for every 1 liter (1000mL) of sea water there are 35 grams of salts (mostly, but not entirely, sodium chloride) dissolved in it. This can be expressed as 0.6M NaCl. Water wi...

Estuary related Images and Photos (experimental)

Estuary	The Estuary	Humber Estuary Lighthouse	On the Estuary
River Estuary with a Castle	Estuary Scene with Boats and Fisherman	River Estuary with a Tower and Fortified Walls Ferry Embarking	The Inn on the Estuary
Sand Spit Connecticut River Estuary at Griswold Point	A River Estuary with Fishermen and Other Figures in Boats the Town of Haarlem Beyond 1675	The Lighthouse on Roten Sande in the Weser Estuary on Germany's Nordzee Coast	Yachts and Other Boats at Anchor in an Estuary