5 Lovely Reasons Why We “Heart Estuaries”
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Celebrating #IHeartEstuaries is a popular way to show your love to these bodies of water where rivers meet the sea.
1. Estuaries Are Nurseries of the Sea
Estuaries are often called the “nurseries of the sea,” because so many animals love to reproduce and spend the early part of their lives there. Most of the fish and shellfish we eat—including salmon, herring, crabs, and oysters—spend some or all of their life in estuaries. Estuaries provide habitat for about 68 percent of the United States’ commercial fish catch and 80 percent of recreational catch. On the West Coast, they also serve as critical nurseries for threatened and endangered juvenile salmon and steelhead making their transition from freshwater to the ocean. Estuaries are also a major stopover point for migratory animals such as waterfowl.
Bays, harbors, sounds, and other estuaries include habitats like marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds. You might also find oyster reefs, kelp forests, and rocky or soft shorelines. Each of these habitats are populated with creatures that thrive in that setting. With so much variation, it’s no wonder that estuaries are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth.
2. Estuaries Help Us Fight Climate Change
We also love our planet, and estuaries play an important role in protecting communities from the impacts of climate
change. Salt marshes and seagrass beds serve as natural infrastructure. They can protect coastal communities from flooding and erosion by soaking up water and storm energy. Marshes, mangroves, and seagrass beds in estuaries capture and store carbon from greenhouse gasses—like carbon dioxide—from the atmosphere. This is known as coastal blue carbon.
Their ability to help fight climate change has economic value as well. NOAA partner Restore America’s Estuaries released a report focused on the economic value that estuaries provide by protecting communities from the impacts of flooding and climate change.
