Water Transitions

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is thirty-four to
thirty-seven parts per thousand (ppt.), but on a particularly rainy morning,
the salinity may decrease to something as low as thirty-two ppt. (Stuller
29).

The mixing of freshwater and sea water forms a third type of water,
known as brackish water. Brackish water can be found in a variety of
mixing zones such as river deltas, freshwater title marshes, estuaries,
fjords, and in the middle of the ocean (Stuller 30). To begin with,
freshwater traveling towards the sea carries suspended particles. As the
particles make contact with saltwater, an electrochemical reaction called
flocculation takes place. The clay with a positive charge, and the sodium
chloride with a negative charge, combine and form a heavier particle that
descends to the bottom of the mixing zone and creates a layer of mud
(Stuller 28). This is one of the reasons that a mixing zone is a thriving
ecosystem. A salt wedge estuary is one of these transitional zones. The
water closest to the ...

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