Elwha river estuary, Washington State. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care
Excerpts;
Oceanographer uncovers the relationship between size and productivity in one of the world’s most complex ecosystems.
They exist all over the world, are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth and are home to a diverse array of wildlife. They also are essential to the global economy. They are estuaries — coastal embayments where fresh river water and salty ocean water meet.
But this simple definition belies the estuary’s complexity, diversity and importance to human sustainability…
