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Spring rains mean that the historic drought in Texas may be over and that’s very good news for Galveston Bay. The multi-year drought reduced freshwater flow into the Bay from the Trinity River and other tributaries, making it saltier and creating detrimental conditions for native finfish, crustaceans and shellfish. The high salinity levels also helped [...]

Beginning in mid-April whales begin to arrive in the Gulf of Maine, many with newborn calves, to feast on plentiful sand eels, copepods, plankton and fish. Familiar visitors to Maine’s cold waters include humpback whales (whose Latin name, Megaptera novaeangliae, means “Big-winged New Englander”), pilot whales, minkes and massive finback whales, which can grow to [...]

New research shows that estuaries are vital for salmon survival. Pacific salmon species—Chinook, Coho, sockeye, pink and chum, in particular—use intertidal marsh areas in estuaries as transition zones to acclimatize from fresh to salt water and back again as they complete their life cycles. Among the findings: marsh habitats are consistently used by juvenile Chinook [...]

Is the lower Hudson River really a river…or is it an estuary? The answer is both. In spring, rains and snow melt often force fresh water down the Hudson turning the tidal watercourse into an almost purely freshwater river. But by summer, salt water can push its way up the Hudson River more than 70 [...]

Estuaries may seem permanent and unchanging, but they are not. Weather patterns and seasonal cycles shape and affect estuaries. Winter storms and winds lash the coasts, raising waves that stir up and mix nutrients, silt and decaying organic matter in estuaries. Large storm waves carry a lot of energy that is released when the waves [...]

Winter flounder are unique among fishes of the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Unlike most coastal marine fishes including salmon, shad and herring, winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) enter estuaries in the late fall and early winter to spawn. These right-eye flat fishes like it cold thanks to an “anti-freeze” protein in their blood that protects [...]

Severe weather events—hurricanes, flooding, tsunamis, storms and heat waves—can be bad news for estuaries. Strong storms, particularly hurricanes, tropical storms, and nor’easters, can wreak havoc on estuarine ecosystems. While only about a third of all hurricanes make landfall, those that do can create dramatic surges in water levels that can push saltwater into coastal freshwater [...]

The current drought that Texas is suffering through is threatening the oysters of Galveston Bay. Galveston Bay needs freshwater to keep the salinity level of the Bay low to protect oyster reefs. Some predators and disease thrive in very salty waters, which can weaken and kill oysters. Oysters are the Bay’s keystone species, providing habitat [...]

The five Great Lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario—have often been described as “inland seas” and “freshwater oceans.” Besides terminology, they have something else in common with oceans: estuaries. While estuaries are traditionally defined as places where rivers (freshwater) meet the sea (salt water), scientists increasingly recognize that estuary-like conditions prevail along parts of the [...]

New England and other northerly points are renowned for the beauty of their fall leaves. Red, orange and gold foliage draws visitors from all over the country for peak viewing times. Salt marshes in temperate zones all over the United States go through much the same transformation during autumn. Dominant Spartina marsh grasses turn from [...]

Fall is a great time to explore the upper tidal portions of the Chesapeake’s rivers.  Scientists classify these waters as tidal fresh, which sounds like an oxymoron but isn’t. In these areas, downstream flow of fresh water is still strong enough to push back the salt water coming in from the Chesapeake, but the river [...]

Despite being one of the most biologically productive areas on Earth—an acre of estuarine salt marsh is many times more fertile than an acre of the best farmland—living in an estuary isn’t easy. Plants and animals that live in an estuary have to adapt to huge swings in salinity, for instance. Organisms that tolerate and [...]

Marshes, and particularly salt marshes, are renowned as “filters.” Streams and rivers flowing into marshes often carry large loads of sediment and silt which are trapped by marshes and used to build up and replace existing marsh soils that otherwise would be carried out into bays and estuaries. Marshes and other coastal wetlands also capture [...]

One commonly asked question is why oysters are traditionally eaten only during months with an “r” in them. There are two answers. One, earlier times lacked refrigeration and oysters spoil quickly in warm weather (months without an “r”: May, June, July and August) unless they are chilled. And two, oysters just don’t taste as good [...]

Not all estuaries are created equal. Or at least there are different types of estuaries. Most scientists classify estuaries geomorphologically—that is, how were they formed and what is the end result of those geological processes. Most American estuaries are one of four types: A coastal plain estuary, formed when the sea level rises into an [...]

More than 85 percent of the Chesapeake Bay’s shoreline is privately owned. And most of that is lined with hardened bulkheads or riprap designed to protect waterfront property from erosion and sea level rise.  These “hardened shorelines” take away from some of the Bay’s most productive acreage: the coastal marsh and intertidal areas that serve [...]

When we think about oil pollution in estuaries and along the coasts, many of us think of the giant oil rigs and big spills like the Deepwater Horizon spill last year. But most oil pollution is generally the result of small spills and leaks from boats and ships. When oil comes into shallow waters and [...]

That’s what the old timers would say and it meant you could dig for the many types of clams that make Puget Sound world famous for its good shellfish. But make sure you check local health advisories before digging for clams or harvesting oysters and mussels to eat. Some beaches are closed to harvesting due [...]

Trash and chemicals that end up in the street drain directly into our waterways. For example, old motor oil that is poured down a storm drain on the side of the street will wind up in Tampa Bay. Fertilizer and pet waste that do not get absorbed by lawns also flow into the streets, down [...]

Spring is the best time of year for planting trees, shrubs or other garden plants. Native trees and shrubs are an important part of a healthy Pacific Northwest. In the Pacific Northwest we still have lots of evergreen forests. But in our cities and suburbs, birds, animals and fish can benefit from having more native [...]