Question

Explain some of the main physical (environmental) characteristics of estuarine systems.

Answer 1

Estuarine system ---- this is a system of water body where sea water and fresh water mix up or meet up. It have a transition zone which have both characteristics of freshwater and marine or sea water. This transition zone is also called ecotone.

Main Physical Characteristics of Estuarine system :

1) Salinity

It is the amount of salt present in Estuarine. We know marine or sea water consist of high quantity of salt while freshwater has no or very very less amount of salt. So, when sea and freshwater mix up they will have salinity and it depends on the amount of different water contributing. That means if sea water is contributing more in forming estuarine then it will have high salt concentration while if freshwater contributes more than will have less salinity.

Salinity also effects the depth of estuarine. As the salinity increases depth also increases. Also effects the rate of evaporation.

2) Substrate

As the sea water and freshwater mix up they mix by the help of tides and the drainage. They do not only mix their waters but also carry sediments like soil, sand, organic and inorganic materials or substrates ,etc with them. And these materials sediment there and also provide land for production. Cultivation is done on them and they are very productive because of high organic content and water. They can also get converted into a plain land due to the eutrophication of estuarine.

3) other physical factors

Other factors include temperature. The temperature of water also depends on the depth of estuarine. It provides place for natural flora and fauna so temperature is an important factor affecting their survival.

Eutrophication or organic matter deposition. The more eutrophic the water body the more the clarity of water is reduced and hence promote the growth of certain plants and animlas and all contributing it to transform it into land.