Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water - Online Term Paper

The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water



When examining waters transition from fresh to salt as well as from salt
to fresh one quickly finds the importance of estuaries. In terms of geology,
present-day estuaries are young and ephemeral coastal features. Today's
estuaries began to take their current form during the last interglacial period,
when sea level rose about 120 m (Braun 36). However, the relatively high sea
levels and extensive estuaries found today have been characteristic of only
about 10 to 20 percent of the last million years. When sea level was lower,
during glaciation periods, estuaries were much smaller than they are at present
and were located on what is now the continental slope. Unless sea level ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

force seawater inland as a
countercurrent and produce a saltwater wedge below the freshwater surface waters
(Bellamy 62).
Estuaries are always in a state of change and hardly ever in a steady
state. The principal energy source are tides, causing estuarine mixing, but wind,
wave motions, and river runoff can also be important locally (Braun 45). Salt
water and fresh water mix to form brackish water. The three main estuarine ones—
saltwater, brackish, and freshwater—can shift seasonally and vary greatly from
one area to another because of changes in river flow. Also, an area of an
estuary can change from stratified to well-mixed during the spring neap-tide
cycles.
The most highly stratified estuaries are the ones that receive a large
amount of fresh water but that have a relatively low tidal range. Partially
mixed estuaries have moderate freshwater inflow and tidal range. The brackish
zone of such estuaries may have a salinity of 2 to 10 parts per thousand (ppt),
compared with ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.


Already a member? Login


CITE THIS PAGE:

The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water. (2006, June 25). Retrieved December 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Keys-To-Unlocking-Transitions-Water/48141
"The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 25 Jun. 2006. Web. 23 Dec. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Keys-To-Unlocking-Transitions-Water/48141>
"The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water." Essayworld.com. June 25, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Keys-To-Unlocking-Transitions-Water/48141.
"The Keys To Unlocking Transitions In Water." Essayworld.com. June 25, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/The-Keys-To-Unlocking-Transitions-Water/48141.
JOIN NOW
Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays


PAPER DETAILS
Added: 6/25/2006 05:45:07 PM
Category: Science & Nature
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 419
Pages: 2

Save | Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS
Save and find your favorite essays easier

SIMILAR ESSAYS
» Robin Hood Summary
» Of Mice And Men - Theme
» How To Grind
» Organ Trade and Sale
» The Parable Of The Doorkeeper
» Brutus Inner Conflict Using Lag...
» What Can Be Done About Global W...
» Acid Base Extraction
» That's So Gay
» The Tiger And The Lamb
Copyright | Cancel | Contact Us

Copyright © 2024 Essayworld. All rights reserved