Estuaries
Mashpee shares its two coastal embayments with adjoining towns. Popponesset Bay lies in both Mashpee and Barnstable while Waquoit Bay is shared with Falmouth. The thumbnails below lead to USGS maps of the Bays.
Click for Waquoit
Click for Popponesset
Estuaries are
places where rivers meet the sea. They are fascinating and beautiful ecosystems
distinct from all other places on earth.
An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water formed where freshwater from rivers and streams flows into the ocean, mixing with the salty seawater. Estuaries and the lands surrounding them are places of transition from land to sea, and from fresh to salt water.
The
tidal, sheltered waters of estuaries support unique communities of plants and
animals, specially adapted for life at the margin of the sea. Estuarine
environments are among the most productive on earth
(from EPA Estuaries)
Coastal Embayment Nutrient Overload causes an increase in the quantity of organic matter in our estuaries and is generally referred to as eutrophication. The overload is the result of nitrogen from human activities. This anthropogenic enrichment comes from many sources and results in excessive algae growth accompanied by its damaging impacts including:
Anthropogenic nitrogen sources feeding a coastal embayment come from its surrounding watershed that in many cases is thousands of acres. These sources include:
Benthos regeneration of nitrogen from bottom sediments is a contributing factor and is receiving increased attention from the scientific community.
Solutions to this serious problem require a concentrated effort to reduce or eliminate each identifiable source. The elimination of any one source will not be sufficient to clean-up the impairment.
Additional options to reduce coastal eutrophication include measures such as marsh rebuilding, sediment removal and tidal flushing improvements.