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Estuaries: Anthropogenic Impacts

  • Living reference work entry
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Encyclopedia of Coastal Science

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series ((EESS))

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Definition

Anthropogenic impacts are defined as marked adverse effects of human activities on estuarine environments (Kennish 2015a).

Introduction

Estuaries are coastal environments with exceptional ecological, recreational, and commercial value (Day et al. 2012; Kennish 2015a). They provide a wide array of ecosystem services , including diverse habitats (e.g., open waters, submerged aquatic vegetation, unvegetated bottom sediments, tidal flats and creeks, and fringing wetlands) that serve as nursery, feeding, and refuge areas for numerous estuarine, marine, and terrestrial organisms. The rich food supply in estuaries supports many biotic communities . Numerous marine species of recreational and commercial importance utilize estuaries during their life; for example, these coastal systems play a significant role in the production of marine fisheries. Adjoining wetland habitats are particularly important in the life history of fish, shellfish, migratory birds, and other...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

    Michael J. Kennish

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  1. Michael J. Kennish
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Correspondence to Michael J. Kennish .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Education & Research Foundation, Fletcher, North Carolina, USA

    Charles W. Finkl

  2. Coastal Education & Research Foundation , Coconut Creek, Florida, USA

    Christopher Makowski

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Kennish, M.J. (2017). Estuaries: Anthropogenic Impacts. In: Finkl, C., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science . Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_140-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_140-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-48657-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-48657-4

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