Instructions
Your essay answer should be clear and succinct, amounting to perhaps 3-5 sentences totaling 50 to 80 words; longer essays are strongly discouraged. It is recommended that you prepare your answer in a separate document from which you copy it into Canvas.

Question 1 5 pts
Describe the two major controls that play a role in the mixing of saltwater and freshwater in estuaries and how the relative importance of these two factors determines the resultant salinity characteristics of the estuary.
A strong answer will describe the two major factors that determine the salinity characteristics of estuaries, noting the names given to the three types of estuarine circulation that are produced, and describing their characteristics in terms of both the changes in salinity from river to ocean and the extent of stratification within the estuary.

Question 2 1 pts
Which of the following types of estuary is most likely to be strongly stratified with stagnant bottom waters?

Fjords

Drowned river valley estuaries

Bar-built estuaries

Tectonic estuaries

Wide estuaries

Question 3 1 pts
What is the major difference between food webs in estuaries and those in the open ocean?

Sediment detritus serves as the basis of estuarine food webs

Benthic organisms rather than phytoplankton serves as the basis of estuarine food webs

The role of fish is diminished in estuaries

The order of trophic levels is reversed

There are no major differences between food webs in estuaries and in the open ocean

Question 4 3 pts
Identify which label best describes the characteristics of each of the three specific locations (A, B, C) in the Google Earth images of coastal estuaries. (Individual options for answers can be used more than once.)

Location A in Image 1
[ Choose ]Flood deltaSalt marshRiver deltaSand dunesTidal flats
Location B in Image 2
[ Choose ]Flood deltaSalt marshRiver deltaSand dunesTidal flats
Location C in Image 3
[ Choose ]Flood deltaSalt marshRiver deltaSand dunesTidal flats