GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TIDAL COVES OF THE CONNECTICUT RIVER ESTUARY

摘要

INTRODUCTION Estuarine environments are dynamic systems of both local and regional importance. Because estuaries are characterized by the confluence of saline and fresh waters, these brackish locations host a variety of species that tolerate a range of salinities. Anadromous fish (e.g., alewives) are born in freshwater and travel through estuaries to the ocean to breed and mature, whereas catadromous fish (e.g., American eel) mature in estuaries and migrate to the sea to spawn (CRWC, n.d.). Estuarine environments are vital to fish having both migration patterns. Estuaries are susceptible to changes in water content and chemistry, as tidal fluctuations change the distance that salt water intrudes upriver, and rainfall or snowmelt in the watershed dampens the input of saltwater and introduces terrestrial material. While these variations are natural and occur at regular intervals (semi-diurnal tides and spring freshets), their influences are not necessarily felt uniformly throughout an estuary.