The type of biota inhabiting these environments is also
determined by biogeography and climate. Mangroves are
common in the mid- to high-tidal zones of deltas in tropical climates and salt marshes occupy similar habitats in
temperate climates. Low-tidal flats generally support an
invertebrate benthos of varying biodiversity that include
molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, polychaetes, and
anemones, as related to biogeography and climate.
Estuarine deltas are a nexus for marine, tidal, and terrestrial wetlands to come together. Although each category of
wetland is subject to its own developmental and functional
sedimentary, hydrological, and hydrochemical processes,
they combine to illustrate the river-to-marine transitional
environment of deltas and conformably fit the overall
geometry of delta types (tide or wave dominated).
Whether they have a voluminous or scant sedimentary
budget, the delta will still contain a variety of wetland
types specific to its environmental conditions.
While each delta comprises a suite of small-scale landforms which are subject to wetting processes, from diurnal
to seasonal to intermittent, and the patterns of inundation,
waterlogging, and evaporation determine their
hydrochemistry and salinity, onto this pattern is projected
the effect of small-scale sedimentary lenses which can
store and discharge water at different rates and through
different pathways. These small-scale hydrological
responses create interactions with their surrounding bodies of water altering the hydrochemistry and salinity along
edges, margins, and juxtapositions. As a result of these
interactions, deltaic wetlands may differ not only in geometry and wetting mechanisms but, in the case of similar
wetland types, importantly, for biota, in hydrological and
hydrochemical characteristics.
Small-scale wetlands within the deltaic complex provide a greater range of habitats than can be seen from
a simple map, as is apparent when comparing the examples of the various deltaic wetlands. It is also clear that
biota discriminate at this localized and small-scale level.
Bibliography
Brearley, A., 2005. Ernest Hodgkin’s Swanland: Estuaries and
Coastal Lagoons of Southwestern Australia. Crawley: University of Western Australia Press.
Cresswell, I. D., Bridgewater, P. B., and Semeniuk, V., 2011. The
coastal habitats and vegetation of the Kimberley region. Journal
of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 94, 197–206.
Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2003. Western
Port Ramsar Site: Strategic Management Plan. Department
of Sustainability and Environment, 240 Victoria Parade, East
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3002. ISBN 1 74106 584 4.
Elliott, T., 1986. Deltas. In Reading, H. G. (ed.), Sedimentary Environments and Facies. Hoboken: Blackwell Scientific Publishing, pp. 113–154.
Galloway, W. E., 1975. Process framework for describing the morphologic and stratigraphic evolution of deltaic sediments. In
Broussard, M. L. (ed.), Deltas – Models for Exploration. Houston: Geological Society.
Pen, L., 1983. Peripheral vegetation of the Swan-Canning Estuary
1981. Perth/Western Australia: Department of Conservation &
Environment & Swan River Management Bulletin 113, July 1983.
Pen, L., Semeniuk, V., and Semeniuk, C. A., 2000. Peripheral wetland habitats and vegetation of Leschenault Inlet estuary. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, Special Issue on
the Leschenault Inlet Estuary, 83, 293–316.
Reineck, H. E., and Singh, I. B., 1980. Depositional Sedimentary
Environments, 2nd edn. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Saintilan, N., and Hashimoto, T. R., 1999. Mangrove-saltmarsh
dynamics on a bay-head delta in the Hawkesbury River estuary,
New South Wales, Australia. Hydrobiologia, 413, 95–102.
Semeniuk, V., 1983. Mangrove distribution in Northwestern Australia in relationship to freshwater seepage. Vegetatio, 53, 11–31.
Semeniuk, V., 1985. Development of mangrove habitats along ria
shorelines in north and northwestern Australia. Vegetatio, 60,
3–23.
Semeniuk, V., 1986. Terminology for geomorphic units and habitats
along the tropical coast of Western Australia. Journal of the
Royal Society of Western Australia, 68, 53–79.
Semeniuk, V., 2000. Sedimentology and Holocene stratigraphy of
Leschenault Inlet. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, Special Issue on the Leschenault Inlet Estuary, 83, 255–274.
Semeniuk, C. A., and Semeniuk, V., 1990. The coastal landforms
and peripheral wetlands of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system.
Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 73(1), 9–21.
Semeniuk, C. A., and Semeniuk, V., 1995. A geomorphic approach
to global wetland classification for inland wetlands. Vegetatio,
118, 103–124.
Semeniuk, C. A., and Semeniuk, V., 2011. A comprehensive classification of inland wetlands for Western Australia using the
geomorphic-hydrologic approach. Journal of the Royal Society
of Western Australia, 94, 449–464.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, T. A., and Unno, J., 2000. The
Leschenault Inlet estuary – an overview. Journal of the Royal
Society of Western Australia, Special Issue on the Leschenault
Inlet Estuary, 83, 207–228.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, C. A., Tauss, C., Unno, J., and Brocx, M.,
2011. Walpole and Nornalup Inlets: Landforms, Stratigraphy,
Evolution, Hydrology, Water Quality, Biota, and Geoheritage.
Perth (Monograph): Western Australian Museum. ISBN 978-1920843-37-3.
Todd, D. K., 1959. Groundwater Hydrology. New York: John Wiley
& Sons.
Wright, L. D., and Coleman, J. M., 1973. Variation in morphology
of major river deltas as functions of ocean waves and river
discharge regimes. Bulletin of the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists, 57, 370–398.
Cross-references
Coastal Wetlands
Delta Plain
Deltas
Wetlands
ESTUARINE FLOCCULATION
Dorothy Joyce D. Marquez
Nannoworks Laboratory, National Institute of Geological
Sciences, University of the Philippines Diliman,
Quezon City, PH, Philippines
Synonyms
Aggregation; Coagulation; Floc formation
272
ESTUARINE FLOCCULATION
determined by biogeography and climate. Mangroves are
common in the mid- to high-tidal zones of deltas in tropical climates and salt marshes occupy similar habitats in
temperate climates. Low-tidal flats generally support an
invertebrate benthos of varying biodiversity that include
molluscs, crustaceans, echinoderms, polychaetes, and
anemones, as related to biogeography and climate.
Estuarine deltas are a nexus for marine, tidal, and terrestrial wetlands to come together. Although each category of
wetland is subject to its own developmental and functional
sedimentary, hydrological, and hydrochemical processes,
they combine to illustrate the river-to-marine transitional
environment of deltas and conformably fit the overall
geometry of delta types (tide or wave dominated).
Whether they have a voluminous or scant sedimentary
budget, the delta will still contain a variety of wetland
types specific to its environmental conditions.
While each delta comprises a suite of small-scale landforms which are subject to wetting processes, from diurnal
to seasonal to intermittent, and the patterns of inundation,
waterlogging, and evaporation determine their
hydrochemistry and salinity, onto this pattern is projected
the effect of small-scale sedimentary lenses which can
store and discharge water at different rates and through
different pathways. These small-scale hydrological
responses create interactions with their surrounding bodies of water altering the hydrochemistry and salinity along
edges, margins, and juxtapositions. As a result of these
interactions, deltaic wetlands may differ not only in geometry and wetting mechanisms but, in the case of similar
wetland types, importantly, for biota, in hydrological and
hydrochemical characteristics.
Small-scale wetlands within the deltaic complex provide a greater range of habitats than can be seen from
a simple map, as is apparent when comparing the examples of the various deltaic wetlands. It is also clear that
biota discriminate at this localized and small-scale level.
Bibliography
Brearley, A., 2005. Ernest Hodgkin’s Swanland: Estuaries and
Coastal Lagoons of Southwestern Australia. Crawley: University of Western Australia Press.
Cresswell, I. D., Bridgewater, P. B., and Semeniuk, V., 2011. The
coastal habitats and vegetation of the Kimberley region. Journal
of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 94, 197–206.
Department of Sustainability and Environment, 2003. Western
Port Ramsar Site: Strategic Management Plan. Department
of Sustainability and Environment, 240 Victoria Parade, East
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3002. ISBN 1 74106 584 4.
Elliott, T., 1986. Deltas. In Reading, H. G. (ed.), Sedimentary Environments and Facies. Hoboken: Blackwell Scientific Publishing, pp. 113–154.
Galloway, W. E., 1975. Process framework for describing the morphologic and stratigraphic evolution of deltaic sediments. In
Broussard, M. L. (ed.), Deltas – Models for Exploration. Houston: Geological Society.
Pen, L., 1983. Peripheral vegetation of the Swan-Canning Estuary
1981. Perth/Western Australia: Department of Conservation &
Environment & Swan River Management Bulletin 113, July 1983.
Pen, L., Semeniuk, V., and Semeniuk, C. A., 2000. Peripheral wetland habitats and vegetation of Leschenault Inlet estuary. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, Special Issue on
the Leschenault Inlet Estuary, 83, 293–316.
Reineck, H. E., and Singh, I. B., 1980. Depositional Sedimentary
Environments, 2nd edn. Berlin: Springer Verlag.
Saintilan, N., and Hashimoto, T. R., 1999. Mangrove-saltmarsh
dynamics on a bay-head delta in the Hawkesbury River estuary,
New South Wales, Australia. Hydrobiologia, 413, 95–102.
Semeniuk, V., 1983. Mangrove distribution in Northwestern Australia in relationship to freshwater seepage. Vegetatio, 53, 11–31.
Semeniuk, V., 1985. Development of mangrove habitats along ria
shorelines in north and northwestern Australia. Vegetatio, 60,
3–23.
Semeniuk, V., 1986. Terminology for geomorphic units and habitats
along the tropical coast of Western Australia. Journal of the
Royal Society of Western Australia, 68, 53–79.
Semeniuk, V., 2000. Sedimentology and Holocene stratigraphy of
Leschenault Inlet. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, Special Issue on the Leschenault Inlet Estuary, 83, 255–274.
Semeniuk, C. A., and Semeniuk, V., 1990. The coastal landforms
and peripheral wetlands of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system.
Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 73(1), 9–21.
Semeniuk, C. A., and Semeniuk, V., 1995. A geomorphic approach
to global wetland classification for inland wetlands. Vegetatio,
118, 103–124.
Semeniuk, C. A., and Semeniuk, V., 2011. A comprehensive classification of inland wetlands for Western Australia using the
geomorphic-hydrologic approach. Journal of the Royal Society
of Western Australia, 94, 449–464.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, T. A., and Unno, J., 2000. The
Leschenault Inlet estuary – an overview. Journal of the Royal
Society of Western Australia, Special Issue on the Leschenault
Inlet Estuary, 83, 207–228.
Semeniuk, V., Semeniuk, C. A., Tauss, C., Unno, J., and Brocx, M.,
2011. Walpole and Nornalup Inlets: Landforms, Stratigraphy,
Evolution, Hydrology, Water Quality, Biota, and Geoheritage.
Perth (Monograph): Western Australian Museum. ISBN 978-1920843-37-3.
Todd, D. K., 1959. Groundwater Hydrology. New York: John Wiley
& Sons.
Wright, L. D., and Coleman, J. M., 1973. Variation in morphology
of major river deltas as functions of ocean waves and river
discharge regimes. Bulletin of the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists, 57, 370–398.
Cross-references
Coastal Wetlands
Delta Plain
Deltas
Wetlands
ESTUARINE FLOCCULATION
Dorothy Joyce D. Marquez
Nannoworks Laboratory, National Institute of Geological
Sciences, University of the Philippines Diliman,
Quezon City, PH, Philippines
Synonyms
Aggregation; Coagulation; Floc formation
272
ESTUARINE FLOCCULATION