Animation Demonstrates the Role Estuaries Play in Water Filtration

One key component of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System is estuary education, which helps educate students and teachers on the valuable role estuaries play in our daily lives. One particular service estuaries provide is filtering nutrients and pollutants from land runoff. This new animation, Estuaries: Nature’s Water Filters, demonstrates how estuaries remove toxins, sediment, and nutrients as water flows from land to sea. An interactive pollution game helps enhance students’ understanding of what causes decreased water quality and which practices are beneficial to improving water quality. Educators can share this animation with their students in conjunction with several of our estuary education resources.