Estuaries and Marshes
What are some other marine ecosystems?
Goal:
Goal:
When most people hear the term marine ecosystem, they think of what scientists call the pelagic zone, or open ocean. In the open ocean, marine ecosystems are defined by how much sunlight a depth receives. But the open ocean is not the only place to find marine ecosystems.
Marine ecosystems start much closer to the shore. The first ocean ecosystem is the estuary, or bay. An estuary is an area where freshwater rivers and streams flow into the saltwater ocean. An estuary may contain different habitat types, including sandy beaches and rocky shores; mud or sand flats; freshwater, brackish, and salt marshes; and shallow open waters. Watch the video to learn more about estuaries.