Estuaries extend for hundreds of miles along the coast, thus enabling them to serve as "traps" for inland nutrients as they are washed towards the sea. These nutrients are then further concentrated in estuarine basins as these shallow waters evaporate in the warm sun. When, organic and mineral sediments are added to the mix (by ocean tides and currents), the end result is a highly fertile area that provides food and shelter to unique communities of plants and animals. In fact, all estuarine plants and animals are specially adapted for life in this ever-changing environment (i.e., salinity, water temperature and level continuously fluctuate with each passing tide).
In addition to serving as important habitat for wildlife, the wetlands that fringe many estuaries also perform other valuable services. Water draining from the uplands carries sediments, nutrients and other pollutants. As the water flows through fresh and salt water marshes, much of the sediments and pollutants are filtered out. This filtration process creates cleaner and clearer water, thus benefiting all living organisms associated with the estuary. Wetland plants and soils also act as a natural buffer between the land and ocean, absorbing flood waters and dissipating storm surges. This protects upland organisms, as well as valuable real estate from storm and flood damage. Marsh grasses and other estuarine plants also help prevent erosion and stabilize the shoreline.
Lastly, there are tangible and direct economic benefits of estuaries that should not be overlooked. Tourism, fisheries and other commercial activities thrive on the wealth of natural resources estuaries supply. Estuaries are among the most biologically productive systems on Earth. More than two-thirds of the fish and shellfish commercially harvested in coastal waters spend part or all their lives in estuaries. The protected coastal waters of estuaries also support important public infrastructure—serving as harbors and ports vital for shipping, transportation and industry.
In short, estuaries provide us with a whole suite of resources, benefits and services. Some of these can be measured in dollars and cents, others cannot. Estuaries are an irreplaceable natural resource that must be managed carefully for the mutual benefit of all who enjoy and depend on them.
NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves System
Estuary Live! will highlight the diversity of the nation's estuaries. Students log on to www.estuarylive.org to participate in live field trips featuring NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves and EPA's National Estuary Programs. As classrooms tour the estuaries, they submit questions that are answered during the broadcast by trained naturalists.
The live tours will be supplemented with videos from the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (Florida), Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Alabama), San Francisco Bay National Estuary Program (California), Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program (Massachusetts) and the Peconic Bay National Estuary Program (New York). Students can still submit questions during the video clips, and an educator from the featured estuary will answer the question live over the Internet.
As part of Estuary Live!, NOAA and EPA will be hosting an audience at the Department of Commerce auditorium on October 3, 2002, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. NOAA and EPA employees are encouraged to attend and will be joined by classrooms from the Washington D.C. area participating in Estuary Live!. This segment of Estuary Live! will feature a field trip through the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, in Maryland. Attendees will be greeted by special guests and will have an opportunity to peruse exhibits from NOAA and EPA offices, as well as tour the National Aquarium.
Estuary Live!, the featured event for National Estuaries Day, will once again be hosted by the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. The North Carolina Reserve developed the concept of Estuary Live! and has worked to expand the program from a local program into a national program.
Estuary Live! is an innovative approach to education. We are able to extend our reach to students who live far from the coast and may not have an opportunity to travel to see an estuary in person," said Susan Lovelace, education coordinator at the North Carolina Reserve and co-founder of the program. "Last year, we had an international audience of 20,000 viewers participate in Estuary Live!. This year we are expecting an even larger audience!"
National Estuaries Day will officially be celebrated on October 5, 2002, as part of Coast Weeks. In future years, it will always be on the last Saturday of September. National Estuaries Day provides coastal communities with an opportunity to explore their local estuaries. Last year, each of the 25 National Estuarine Research Reserves hosted recreational and educational activities to entice the surrounding community to come to the reserve and learn about the local ecosystem. This year's goal is to get even more people out to the Reserves and National Estuary Programs to learn about their local estuaries.
Relevant Web Sites
EPA's National Estuary Programs
More information about National Estuaries Day, Estuary Live! and local events
NATIONAL ESTUARIES DAY CELEBRATION FOCUSES ON EDUCATION
National Estuaries Day (October 2, 1999)
Media Contact:
September 17, 2002 — An estuary is a partly-enclosed coastal body of water. Although it has a free connection with the open ocean, salt water is diluted with fresh water from inland rivers and creeks—creating what is known as "brackish water." Although influenced by the tides, estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by the reefs, barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that define an estuary's seaward boundary. Estuaries come in all shapes and sizes, which are referred to by many different names (e.g., bays, lagoons, harbors, inlets, sloughs, bayous, or sounds) and characterized by many different habitats (including shallow open waters, freshwater and salt marshes, sandy beaches, mud and sand flats, rocky shores, oyster reefs, mangrove forests, river deltas, tidal pools, sea grass and kelp beds and wooded swamps). Some familiar examples of estuaries include San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, Chesapeake Bay, Boston Harbor, and Tampa Bay.
Why are Estuaries so Important?
The productivity and variety of estuarine habitats facilitate a diverse abundance of wildlife. Estuaries are the essential living, eating and breeding habitat to birds, fish and mammals, providing spawning and nursery areas for commercially important fish and shellfish. For example, they provide ideal spots for migratory birds to rest and refuel during their seasonal migrations. Likewise, many species of fish and shellfish rely on the sheltered estuarine waters as spawning and nursery areas, thus giving them the nickname "nurseries of the sea." Hundreds of marine organisms, including most commercially valuable fish species, depend on estuaries at some point during their development. Shore birds, fish, crabs and lobsters, marine mammals, clams and other shellfish, marine worms, sea birds, and reptiles are just some of the animals that make their homes in and around estuaries. These animals are linked to one another and an assortment of specialized plants and microorganisms through complex food webs and other interactions.
Among the cultural benefits of estuaries are recreation, scientific knowledge, education and aesthetic values. Boating, fishing, swimming, surfing and bird watching are just a few of the numerous recreational activities people enjoy in estuaries. As transition zones between land and water, estuaries are invaluable laboratories for scientists and students, providing countless lessons in biology, geology, chemistry, physics, history and social issues. Estuaries are often the cultural centers of coastal communities, serving as the focal points for local commerce, recreation, celebrations, customs and traditions. Estuaries also provide a great deal of aesthetic enjoyment for the people who live, work, or recreate in and around them.
NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves System helps to fulfill its' mission to sustain healthy coasts by improving the nation's understanding and stewardship of estuaries. Established by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, the reserve system is a network of 25 protected areas that represent different biogeographic regions of the United States. Each reserve is a "living laboratory" in which scientists conduct research and educators communicate research results. Reserve staff members work with local communities and regional groups to address natural resource management issues, such as non-point source pollution, habitat restoration and invasive species. Through integrated research and education, the reserves help communities develop strategies to deal successfully with these coastal resource issues.
ESTUARY LIVE!
Classrooms across the country will experience the nation's estuaries through a live broadcast over the Internet, on October 3 and 4, 2002. The interactive tour - called
"Estuary Live!" - is the featured event for the 14th annual National Estuaries Day, an interagency campaign lead by NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves System to promote the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them.
Eight estuaries will be featured during Estuary Live!, including: Pamlico Sound, N.C.; Elmer's Island, La.; South Slough, Ore.; Salish Sea, Wash.; North Inlet, S.C.; Charlotte Harbor, Fla.; Great Bay, N.J.; and Jug Bay, Md. NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves and EPA's National Estuary Programs will be working together in each of these locations to host an exciting estuarine odyssey through their local estuary.
NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserves System
David Miller, NOAA, (202) 482-0013 or Theresa Eisenman, NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System, (301) 713-3132 ext. 105