Estuaries Vocab

2. plant adapted to thrive in saline environments, commonly found in estuarine marshes and mudflats
5. wedge-shaped intrusion of saltwater from the ocean into an estuary, which affect the distribution of salinity
7. type of estuarine wetland dominated by salt-tolerant grasses, rushes, and sedges
9. structure made up of oyster shells and live oysters that provide habitat
10. species of organisms capable of tolerating a wide range of salinity levels
11. the concentration of salt or dissolved salts in water
12. seafloor or sediment and the communities of organisms that live within it
16. complex pattern of water movement within an estuary

1. a flow of freshwater from river into an estuary, forming a visible riverine plume
3. volume of water that enters or exits an estuary with each tidal cycle
4. semi-enclosed coastal area where freshwater mixes with saltwater
6. the cloudiness or haziness of water caused by the presence of suspended particles
8. process which sediments, including silt and clay particles, settle out of water and accumulate in estuarine areas
13. underlying surface or material on the estuary's bottom
14. water in estuaries that has a salinity level between fresh and salt water
15. flat, muddy area in an estuary that is exposed at low tide