Westport Montessori

1.3 - I can describe the features of an estuary.

Complete all the simulations below and take Cornell notes in your notebook under LT 1.3

On the NOAA Ocean page below, only read these sections:

NOAA National Ocean Service Education: Estuaries TutorialEstuaries are bodies of water and their surrounding coastal habitats typically found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries harbor unique plant and animal communities because their waters are brackish—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.

Explore the simulation below for a few minutes, then take the "River Wrap" quiz by clicking on the binoculars in the top right corner. You will see questions similar to those on graded quizzes in the near future!

The following articles are NOT required, but may be useful to you if you need more information on estuaries.

Many Of The West's Estuaries Have Vanished: Here's Why That MattersMore than 85% of the West Coast's estuary habitat has vanished since white settlers first arrived. What little remains is under threat from sea level rise.

Deaths of Manatees, Dolphins and Pelicans Point to Estuary at RiskThe Indian River estuary in Florida, an ecosystem that supports more than 4,300 species of wildlife, is buckling under the strain of decades of pollution generated by coastal Florida’s explosive development, many fear.

This Battery Runs on the Hidden Power of EstuariesFreshwater-saltwater ecosystems could provide bountiful renewable energy

Furry engineers: sea otters in California's estuaries surprise scientistsIt is not just at sea that North America’s smallest mammals with a huge appetite are benefitting the ecosystem

Need data??? Check these out for data to use on estuaries...

By the Numbers: 35 million pounds | Chesapeake Bay ProgramThe Chesapeake Bay-wide commercial blue crab harvest recorded during the 2014 season