{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.estuary","code":"thing-q47053","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q47053/","name":"estuary","alternateNames":["mangrove estuary"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.TME"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A partially enclosed coastal body of water where fresh water from rivers mixes with seawater, influenced by tides, waves and river flow, classified by mixing as salt-wedge, partially mixed or well-mixed and by geomorphology as drowned river valleys, bar-built, fjords and tectonic estuaries, and including mangrove estuaries, named in a registry alias, in tropical regions; estuaries are highly productive nursery habitats for fish and birds and support ports and cities, but face pollution, dredging, habitat loss and sea level rise. Tidal currents and mudflats can be dangerous to visitors.","purpose":"Let an agent explain estuaries, relay classification, ecology, human uses and threats from coastal science and conservation sources, describe mangrove estuaries, route tidal hazards, and distinguish estuaries from deltas, lagoons, bays, river mouths as points and fjords as a subtype.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Brackish water","Tidal influence","High productivity","Human pressure"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What an estuary is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"Is someone stuck in mud or cut off by a rising tide, in which case call emergency services or the coastguard and do not try to wade out?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"What is an estuary, and how does it differ from deltas, lagoons, bays, river mouths and fjords?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"mangrove","name":"Mangrove estuaries","description":"Mangrove estuaries.","findings":[{"id":"mangrove-finding","name":"Mangrove estuaries","description":"Mangrove estuaries.","questions":[{"text":"What are mangrove estuaries?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific estuary?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"science","name":"Science","description":"Classification.","layers":[{"id":"mixing","name":"Mixing","description":"Mixing types.","findings":[{"id":"mixing-finding","name":"Mixing","description":"Mixing.","questions":[{"text":"How do salt-wedge, partially mixed and well-mixed estuaries differ?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"geomorphology","name":"Geomorphology","description":"Geomorphic types.","findings":[{"id":"geomorphology-finding","name":"Geomorphology","description":"Geomorphology.","questions":[{"text":"How do drowned valleys, bar-built estuaries and fjords form?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"ecology","name":"Ecology","description":"Ecology.","layers":[{"id":"nursery","name":"Nursery","description":"Nursery habitat.","findings":[{"id":"nursery-finding","name":"Nursery","description":"Nursery.","questions":[{"text":"Why are estuaries important nurseries for fish?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits salt marsh?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"birds","name":"Birds","description":"Waterbirds.","findings":[{"id":"birds-finding","name":"Birds","description":"Birds.","questions":[{"text":"Why do migratory waders depend on estuarine mudflats?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the information accurate?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Threats.","layers":[{"id":"pollution","name":"Pollution","description":"Pollution and development.","findings":[{"id":"pollution-finding","name":"Pollution","description":"Pollution.","questions":[{"text":"What do agencies report about estuary water quality, with findings attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the information current?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"sealevel","name":"Sea level","description":"Sea level rise.","findings":[{"id":"sealevel-finding","name":"Sea level","description":"Sea level.","questions":[{"text":"What do studies project about sea level rise and estuaries, and what adaptation debates exist, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral and attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Report water quality, salinity and tide data for an estuary with sources.","Support surveys of estuary wildlife within access rules.","Report pollution, illegal dumping or harm to wildlife to the authority."],"mustNot":["Discharge waste, ballast or contaminated water into an estuary.","Disturb feeding or roosting birds on mudflats.","Guide people onto tidal mudflats or channels without warning of tides and soft mud.","Present an estuary as safe for swimming or shellfish gathering without official data."],"requiresHuman":["Dredging, building or land reclamation decisions."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Estuaries are nurseries for fish and feeding grounds for birds, easily damaged by pollution.","Fast tides and mud trap and drown people every year."],"affectedParties":["Wildlife and fisheries","Coastal communities","Visitors"]},"owners":{"steward":"The public: held in common, with port, water and conservation authorities managing it.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Protected area and water body registers"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q1233637","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q15324","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q295469","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q3304561","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q3578576","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q37813","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"body of water","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"salt marsh","type":"related","note":"habitat"},{"target":"river delta","type":"related"},{"target":"lagoon","type":"related"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.estuary","Wikidata: Q47053 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47053)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Pritchard definition: 1967 year - widely cited","salinity range: from near 0 to about 35 psu - along the estuary","registry parents: river mouth, body of water, ecoregion note"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Mixing zone of river water and seawater","Mangrove estuary","Deltas build land from sediment; lagoons are separated by barriers; bays are coastal indentations; river mouths are points; fjords are glacial estuaries","Broad tidal waters with mudflats, salt marshes or mangroves where a river reaches the sea."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain classification","relay ecology","relay human uses and threats","route tidal hazards"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Being cut off by tides on mudflats","Pollution and eutrophication","Habitat loss from development"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Ramsar Convention","EU Water Framework Directive transitional waters","US National Estuary Program"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Coastal habitat where rivers meet the sea.","drowned river valley estuaries","bar-built estuaries","fjords","tectonic estuaries","mangrove estuaries"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q47053: estuary","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q47053","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Estuary","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should mangrove estuaries be a separate entry?","How should estuary monitoring data be linked?","Is the registry time domain classification appropriate?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q47053/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q47053/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-14T01:27:58Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:00+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}