Term
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Definition
| An estuary formed when islands or geographical barriers form a wall between freshwater from rivers and saltwater from the ocean. |
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Definition
| A mixture of freshwater and saltwater; water that is less saline than ocean water. |
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Definition
| An estuary formed between glacial periods, when water from melting glaciers raises the sea level and floods coastal plains and low-lying rivers. Also known as a drowned river valley estuary. |
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Term
| drowned river valley estuary |
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Definition
| An estuary formed between glacial periods, when water from melting glaciers raises the sea level and floods coastal plains and low-lying rivers. Also known as a coastal plain estuary. |
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Definition
| Area of coastline where portions of the ocean are cut off from the rest of the sea. |
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Definition
| A region where freshwater is mixed with saltwater. |
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Definition
| Able to tolerate a broad range of salinities. |
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Definition
| A deep valley cut into the coastline glaciers and filled with a mixture of freshwater and saltwater. |
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Definition
| The region of a salt marsh closest to shore. |
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Definition
| A relatively small area of the ocean that has been partially isolated by the development of a barrier. |
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Definition
| The portion of a salt marsh that occupies the lower intertidal zone and that is covered by tidal water much of the day. |
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Definition
| A type of sediment composed of clay and silt. |
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Definition
| An estuary in which the surface water flows toward the river and the water along the bottom moves out to sea. |
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Term
| osmoconformer (ahz-moh-kuhn-FOHRmer) |
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Definition
| An animal whose tissues and cells can tolerate dilution. |
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Term
| osmoregulator (ahz-moh-REG-yoo-laytir) |
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Definition
| An animal that can maintain an optimal salt concentration in its tissues regardless of the salt content of its environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary that has a strong surface flow of freshwater and a strong influx of seawater. |
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Term
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Definition
| A mollusc in the family Littorinidae that inhabits the upper part of the intertidal zone. |
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Definition
| An estuary in which the surface water from the river flows out to sea and saltwater from the ocean moves into the estuary along the bottom. |
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Term
| pseudofeces (SOO-doh-fee-sees) |
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Definition
| Large, semisolid particles produced by bivalves and consisting of phytoplankton and detritus that they filter but do not consume. |
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Term
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Definition
| The angled boundary between saltwater and freshwater in an estuary that occurs when the rapid flow of river water prevents the saltwater from mixing with the freshwater. |
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Definition
| An estuary in which the seawater moves in and out along an angled boundary known as a salt wedge. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary that forms when earthquakes cause the land at the mouth of a river to sink, allowing seawater to cover it. |
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Definition
| An area of estuary that is exposed at low tide and covered at high tide. |
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Term
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Definition
| A mixing action that occurs in some estuaries at high tide due to seawater at the surface moving upstream more quickly than the bottom water from the river, causing the denser surface water to sink to the bottom and displace lighter freshwater, which moves to the surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| An estuary in which river flow is low and tidal currents play a major role in the circulation of the water, resulting in a seaward flow of water and a uniform salinity at all depths. |
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Term
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Definition
| A basically terrestrial area that contains a large amount of water, such as a salt marsh or swamp. |
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