Where the River Meets the Ocean

1. Where the River Meets the Ocean Ms. Bridgeland

2. Estuaries • Another important environment along the ocean’s edge • Coastal inlets or bays where fresh water from the river mixes with salty ocean water

3. Coastal Inlet: The “entrance” or connection between a bay and an ocean

4. Bay: a large body of water connected to the ocean or sea

5. Fresh water and Salt water mix

6. “Brackish” • Water that is partly salty and partly fresh water • Water that is in an estuary is called brackish. • Fresh water + Salt water = Brackish.

7. Coastal Wetlands • Are found in and around estuaries. • Coastal wetlands have brackish, so have salt and fresh water mixed together • Wetland: a land area that is saturated (or completely filled) with water • In the United States, most wetlands are: • 1) Mangrove Forests • 2) Salt Marshes

8. Coastal Wetland

9. 1) Mangrove Forest • A wetland that is made up of Mangrove trees that grow in brackish water • Mangrove trees protect the coastline from the wind and waves during storms • Mangrove trees’ roots trap sediment from the land and create a protected “nursery” rich in nutrients for many young animals • Orchids, reptiles, birds, crabs

10. Mangrove Forest

11. 2) Salt Marshes • Have smelly mud made up of sediments, animal and plant matter, and nutrients carried into the marsh by fresh water and tides • Cordgrassis the most common plant in the marsh –survives well in salt water • Animals that live in salt marshes: fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters, crabs, herons, egrets, stilts

12. Salt Marshes

13. Where are Mangrove Forests and Salt Marshes? • Mangrove Forests are found in southern Florida and along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico • Salt Marshes are found along the east coast from Massachusetts to Florida.