In some contexts, the term estuary refers to an estuary.
The Latin word aestuarium came to Spanish as estero . The term, according to the context and the region , can be used in different ways.
An estuary can be an estuary : the place where a river flows into the sea and the river waters join the sea waters. Furthermore, an estuary is called a marshy surface that, due to a filtration (from a lagoon or a river) or due to the accumulation of rain, fills with water. On the other hand, a puddle , a stream and a stream can also be given this name.
The most common use of the notion is associated with the swamp that forms in a low area as a result of drainage that is not efficient. This flooding or waterlogging confers particular characteristics to the estuary in terms of its flora and fauna.
The Iberá Wetlands and the Great Pantanal
The Iberá Wetlands , which are located in northeastern Argentina, are among the best known in the world. Belonging to the province of Corrientes , more precisely to its northeastern area, they are developed in more than 12,000 square kilometers and stand out for their biodiversity . In terms of its extension, it is only surpassed by the so-called Pantanal or Great Pantanal , an alluvial plain found in western Brazil and in the surrounding regions of Paraguay and Bolivia.
Together, the Pantanal and the Iberá Wetlands make up a wetland so extensive that it is in second place in the world and are part of the so-called Iberá macrosystem , a hydrographic system that is around 45,000 square kilometers in surface, where we can find an ecosystem tropical and subtropical areas of truly considerable diversity.
A swampy surface is usually called an estuary.
Biological diversity
Given the peculiar geography that characterizes this estuary and the difficulties it presents to those who wish to visit it, even today it enjoys a very varied and rich animal population. This does not mean that its fauna is safe; Several of the species that make it up are considered threatened and have made this estuary their habitat precisely because they do not have many other options.
Some of the animal species that inhabit the Iberá Wetlands are the following: the capybara, the pampas deer, the swamp deer, the maned wolf (also known as the maned wolf ), the river wolf. (which is actually an otter ), the alligator, the black alligator, the howler monkeys, the curiyú boa and a wide variety of birds, such as the pirincho.
In the Iberá Wetlands there is also an abundant and diverse ichthyofauna (the group of fish that are found in a well-defined area). Among the species that stand out from this group are the following: armed, dorado, pacús, palometas, tarariras, mojarras and surubís. Regarding the jaguar, it is believed that it became extinct throughout the first half of the 20th century, the same thing that happened to the collared peccary, the choker wolf, the anteater and the tapir .
The flora of the Iberá Wetlands has a large number of aquatic species, such as the water poppy and the camalote, from which arises the phenomenon known as embalsados , the name given to floating islands.
Other estuaries
Esteros de Camaguán , in central Venezuela , is the name of a municipality and a wildlife reserve . These estuaries, subject to a seasonal regime, constitute a wetland formed by dunes and an extensive alluvial plain.
In Chile , finally, the lower courses of a river and even other torrents are called estuaries, such as the Arrayán estuary , the Ramón estuary and the Chacabuco estuary , among others.