What is the difference between estuaries and wetlands

Usually located near estuaries, salt marshes are spongy areas with water content ranging from freshwater to salt-saturated. Affected by high and low tides, marshes boast an extremely diverse marine life and provide homes to reptiles and birds. As coastal habitats, marshes play an important role in healthy fisheries and shorelines, providing both cultural and economic benefits.

Serving as vital shelter for birds, the diverse salt marsh plants also provide food for marine life. Plus, by buffering waves, trapping sediment, and absorbing rainwater, marshes help prevent coastline erosion , protect water quality, and reduce flooding.

Located in the intertidal zone of tropical coastal areas and estuaries, mangrove trees cannot grow in areas with freezing temperatures. Here's a direct link to the video instead. Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.

However, there are also several types of entirely freshwater ecosystems that have many similar characteristics to the traditional brackish estuaries. For example, along the Great Lakes, river water with very different chemical and physical characteristics mixes with lake water in coastal wetlands that are affected by tides and storms just like estuaries along the oceanic coasts.

These freshwater estuaries also provide many of the ecosystem services and functions that brackish estuaries do, such as serving as natural filters for runoff and providing nursery grounds for many species of birds, fish, and other animals. Quick Reads. References and Links. Riparian Habitat Monitoring. Last updated: July 11, Tools Calendar Contact Us.

It appears that your browser doesn't support HTML5 video. Here's a direct link to the video instead. Here's what you need to know in less than a minute. There are many different kinds of wetlands and many ways to categorize them. NOAA classifies wetlands into five general types: marine ocean , estuarine estuary , riverine river , lacustrine lake , and palustrine marsh.