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Famous Estuaries Quiz: Test Your Knowledge

Estuaries are fascinating natural environments where freshwater from rivers meets the saltwater of the sea. They play a vital role in ecosystems, support diverse wildlife, and have significant historical and economic importance. This quiz will test your knowledge of estuaries in the UK and around the world, including tidal phenomena, key ports, and famous estuarine birds.

About Estuaries

An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of water where freshwater from rivers mixes with seawater. Estuaries are rich in nutrients and serve as nurseries for many marine species. They also act as important economic hubs with ports, fisheries, and tourism.


Take the Quiz


  1. What tidal phenomenon occurs when the incoming tide forms a wave that travels up a river against the current?
  2. Which shallow rectangular bay and multiple estuary on the east coast of England is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK?
  3. The mouth of which bay, which includes parts of Maryland and Virginia, is the largest estuary in the United States?
  4. Name the mix of fresh and salt water which commonly occurs in estuaries?
  5. Which UK river has the largest estuary by volume?
  6. The Medway Estuary is an important site for which bird, known for its distinctive upwardly curved beak and as the emblem of the RSPB?
  7. Which estuary is formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda in South America?
  8. Which large natural harbour in Dorset is the estuary of several rivers, including the Frome?
  9. Which city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River?
  10. What is the London Array, off the Kent coast in the outer Thames Estuary?
  11. On the banks of which estuary are the major UK ports of Hull, Grimsby, and Goole located?
  12. Which inlet, forming part of the border between England and Scotland, is the estuary of the River Eden and the River Esk?


Answers



  1. A tidal bore (or bore)
  2. The Wash
  3. Chesapeake Bay
  4. Brackish water
  5. The Severn Estuary
  6. Avocet
  7. The Río de la Plata (River Plate or La Plata River)
  8. Poole Harbour
  9. Shanghai
  10. A large wind farm
  11. The Humber Estuary
  12. The Solway Firth