The Gironde estuary is a navigable estuary in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Garonne just downstream of the centre of Bordeaux. Covering around 635 km2 (245 sq mi), it is the largest estuary in western Europe.
The Gironde estuary in Pauillac
Islands of the Gironde at the Bec d'Ambès where the rivers Dordogne (right) and Garonne (left) join into the estuary
The Mark II canoes used in Operation Frankton, the British attack on Bordeaux in 1942
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environments and are an example of an ecotone. Estuaries are subject both to marine influences such as tides, waves, and the influx of saline water, and to fluvial influences such as flows of freshwater and sediment. The mixing of seawater and freshwater provides high levels of nutrients both in the water column and in sediment, making estuaries among the most productive natural habitats in the world.
Río de la Plata estuary
New York–New Jersey Harbor Estuary
River Exe estuary
Estuary mouth located in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
