You are here: Home › Ecosystems › Estuaries › Photo Album
Estuaries
Estuaries are highly dynamic places. Winds, tides, and freshwater flowing into an estuarine area sculpt the landscape and create constantly changing physical and chemical conditions. In some areas, such as the birdfoot delta where the Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico, the change can be quite rapid. New land can be created or existing areas wiped away even within the course of a single major storm. Despite this instability, and probably because of it, estuarine areas are highly productive. These areas support great populations of plants and animals, but only those that can tolerate changes in characteristics such as salinity and temperature.
