Estuaries mix river fresh water with ocean salt in nursery shallows
Where rivers meet the sea, tides push salt upstream while fresh water fans outward, creating brackish gradients that few habitats can match for productivity.
Shrimp, crabs, and juvenile fish fatten in those shallows before moving offshore. Marshes and mudflats along the estuary edge trap sediment and buffer inland shores.
An estuary is a handshake between inland and ocean ecology. Keeping these mixing zones clean protects wildlife habitats that feed both river and coastal food webs.
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