Abstract
It is hardly possible, if not impossible, to devise an accurate definition of an estuary which would satisfy scientists of all disciplines concerned with such systems. Essential concepts have long been discussed (Lauff 1967) and the most broadly recognized definition is that of Pritchard. “An estuary is a semi-enclosed coastal body of water which has a free connection with the open sea and within which sea water is measurably diluted with freshwater derived from land drainage” (Pritchard 1967). However, study of estuarine sedimentation and estuarine chemistry generally requires a broader definition, including the tidal zone, where no salinity gradient is observed but where dynamical tide may transport sedimentary particles.
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© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Martin, J.M., Brun-Cottan, J.C. (1993). Estuaries. In: Salomons, W., Bayne, B.L., Duursma, E.K., Förstner, U. (eds) Pollution of the North Sea. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73709-1_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-73709-1_5
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