NEW ERA UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

S/Y: 2022 -2023

CE 226-18
HYDROLOGY

ASSIGNMENT#4:

NAME: GAMMAD, BRYAN R. SCHEDULE: FRIDAY (5:30-8:30 PM)

SECTION: 2 CE -3 DATE OF SUBMISSION:
March 31 ,2023
ESTUARY
A place where a freshwater river or stream meets the ocean is called an
estuary. In estuaries, brackish water is created when a freshwater river and the
salty ocean mingle. Although not as salty as the ocean, brackish water has some
saltiness. Other names for an estuary include a bay, lagoon, sound, or slough. An
estuary has constant inflow and outflow of water. The largest freshwater flow is
produced by river mouths, whereas the highest saltwater flow is produced by tides.
Estuarine currents form when thick, salty seawater enters an estuary. Estuarine
currents can be generated by high tides. Due to the fact that saltwater is heavier
than freshwater, estuarine currents sink and flow close to the estuary's bottom.

An anti-estuarine stream forms when less concentrated freshwater from a

river enters the estuary. The greatest anti-estuarine currents are found close to the
water's surface. Anti-estuary currents are heated by the sun and are substantially
warmer than estuarine currents. Water level and salinity in estuaries change with
the tides. These characteristics change with the seasons as well. Rivers may
overflow the estuary with freshwater during the rainy season. The outflow from
rivers may decrease to a trickle during the dry season. The estuary contracts and
gets more saltier. hurricane surges and other ocean waves during a hurricane
season could fill the estuary with saltwater. However, most estuaries are shielded
from the full fury of the ocean. Barriers against ocean waves and wind are created
by geographical features including reefs, islands, mud, and sand.

THERE ARE FOUR DIFFERENT KIND OF ESTUARIES

• Coastal plain estuaries
• Tectonic estuaries
• Bar-built estuaries
• fjord estuaries

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COASTAL PLAIN ESTUARIES
Rising sea levels cause existing river valleys to be flooded, creating coastal
plain estuaries, also known as drowned river valleys. Barrier beaches or islands
that form parallel to the shoreline and divide the estuary from the ocean are
characteristics of bar-built estuaries. Sand or other materials deposited by ocean
waves build up to create barrier beaches and islands. Estuaries experience
changeable and dynamic chemical conditions, particularly salinity, as a result of
the daily mixing of freshwater and saltwater. In an estuary, freshwater and
saltwater occasionally may not mix very well. Fresh water entering the estuary is
less dense and salty than ocean water, thus it frequently floats on top of the latter.
The tidal range the difference between the average low tide and the average high
tide the form of the estuary, and the volume and flow rate of river water entering
the estuary all affect how much fresh water and seawater mix. These elements vary
from estuary to estuary and frequently fluctuate seasonally within one estuary. For
instance, a prolonged change in local winds or a strong spring rain can have a
significant impact on the salinity of an estuary's various regions. Isohalines are
used to gauge how much freshwater and saltwater combine in an estuary.

TECTONIC ESTUARIES
Tectonic estuaries are produced by the shifting together and rifting apart of
the Earth's crust. San Francisco Bay in California is a tectonic estuary. The San
Andreas fault and the Hayward fault meet near the San Francisco Bay. For
thousands of years, the area's complicated tectonic activity has been the cause of
earthquakes. The Golden Gate Strait, where the San Andreas fault meets the
Pacific Ocean, is located on the bay's coastal side. On the East Bay, close to where
the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers enter the estuary, is where the Hayward
fault is located. Down warping, the process of an area of the Earth sinking, is
influenced by the interaction of the San Andreas and Hayward faults.The San
Francisco Bay, like the Chesapeake, was only completely submerged during the
last ice age. Land surrounding the bay underwent post-glacial rebound when
glaciers withdrew; without the tremendous weight of the glacier on top of it, the
land rose in elevation. Through the Golden Gate, the Pacific Ocean rushed in,
flooding the downturned valley.

BAR BUILT ESTUARIES

Sandbars or barrier islands that are built up by ocean waves and currents
along coastal regions supplied by one or more rivers or streams are known as bar-
built or restricted-mouth estuaries. Most of the year, the streams or rivers that flow
into estuaries created by bars often have very little water in them. In certain
circumstances, the bars may develop into barrier islands or beaches, and the
estuary may end up permanently closed. Lagoons are safe, tranquil water spaces
that are located between the shore and barrier beaches or islands.
FJORD ESTUARIES
A fjord is a deep, long, narrow lake or sea drainage system that is
surrounded by steep hills on three sides. The mouth of the fjord is the term for the
seaward opening, which is frequently shallow. The sea bottom refers to the interior
of the fjord. It is not a fjord if the geological formation is wider than it is long.
Next, a bay or cove is present.
The enormous glacier tongues that altered the landscape during many ice
ages gave rise to the fjords. A fjord is a valley under the sea that is U-shaped, and
on the west coast, this valley is frequently encircled by stunning mountain
landscapes.
An underwater barrier known as "sea thresholds" or "ra" was created in front
of the glacier arm by the deposition of a gravel and sand moraine. the fjord's
shallower areas. Fjords frequently are quieter than the open sea because of this
narrow fjord opening threshold. Fjords serve as natural harbors as a result. One of
the few Norwegian words that has gained international recognition is fjord,
particularly in the context of direct use in English. The word fjord derives from the
Norse fjrr. The prehistoric Indo-European term *prts, which is derived from *por*
or *per and means "go," "pass," or "to put over on the other side," is where this
comes from.
Fjord derives from the same root as the word "fare" and means "where one
fares through." (travel). The word "fare" and the noun "ferry" share a same
ancestor.