KBM 601E - Estuaries&Deltas Hydraluics

Course Objectives

An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water is measurably diluted with fresh water derived from land drainage.

Course Description

If the coastal ocean is the region where the continents and the ocean overlap, the estuaries are the place where they really meet. In estuaries, freshwater collected over vast regions of the land pours into an ocean, which sends salt water upstream far beyond the river mouth. Vigorous mixing between the two fluids creates a unique environment, with large potential for life forms able to handle the associated large variability in environmental conditions.