Estuarine Pollution

Abstract

The estuaries of the world receive a large proportion of the waste discharged by mankind into aquatic environments. Within the sea, almost all pollution is concentrated into estuaries and nearshore coastal zones. When environmentalists or politicians talk about pollution in the sea, they are often really discussing pollution in estuaries. What do we mean by the word ‘pollution’? A useful definition is ‘The introduction into the estuarine environment of a diverse range of materials, derived from human activities, in such quantities that the environment is made less suitable for existing life forms’.