Essay - The Kill Van Kull Took a Bus to One of...

The Kill Van Kull took a bus to one of the better known estuaries located between Staten Island and Bayonne, New Jersey to obtain the water sample. There are many estuaries in Staten *****, but perhaps the ***** Van ***** is the best known. The word "Kill" comes from "Kille," meaning "riverbed" in Dutch. The estuary, a 50-foot-deep passage since 2005, from Newark Bay to Upper New York *****, is importance for its long history ***** allowing supply ships to pass back and forth ***** ***** Port Newark and Elizabeth Marine Terminal ***** New ***** Harbor (Vadino 1). The channel is an "*****," or partially-enclosed coastal ***** with several streams *****d rivers flowing into it, which drains into the open sea. The Kill Van Kull is four miles long (6.4 km) and 5 miles (8 km) wide.

In 1990 several oil spills on the Kill Van Kull made people aware of ***** danger to wildlife that industrial traffic could have on the waterways ***** ***** wildlife *****in them (Shaner 1). ***** entire waterway, which includes the Hackensack and Passaic rivers on ***** Bay, ***** drains into Arthur Kill, has been contaminated by abandoned chemical plants and other toxic wastes being drained ***** it.

***** Kill ***** Kull is considered a tidal strait, which means that the fresh water draining from inland meets with ***** saltwater tide. The salt water marsh filters water, contains runoffs and provides a natural habitat for wildlife while preventing erosion of the shore. The Environmental Protection Agency says that "most estuaries are at risk due to human activities, both past and present" and this is true of ***** Kill Van Kull (U.S.E.P.A. 1). As a result, the surrounding marshlands were also endangered. However, efforts ***** ***** ***** for the preservation of the ***** marshes and ***** quality of the ***** and shoreline has begun to improve.

***** salinity of ocean water runs ***** about 3.1 to 3.8%, and has a density of (average) 1.025 g/ml, compared to fresh water, which is 1.000 g/ml at 4°C. When seaw*****er is mixed with ***** water runoff from rivers ***** streams, the seawater has much less salinity. Seawater has more dissolved ions than fresh water (Gale 1), but solutes, such as bicarbonates are much lower, as sodium and chlorine tend to last longer, ***** calcium precipitates ***** more quickly in seawater. A mixture of ***** two kinds of water presents certain animals and plants with an ideal environment in ***** to live, as some salt water mixed with ***** water stimulates growth ***** certain *****, which attracts ***** fowl and sea life into the area.

***** Staten Island salt ***** contain a mixture of *****nimal, fish, fowl and plant life ***** is not seen anywhere else, except in ***** habitat where salt and fresh water mix. The salt marshes support mallard ducks, swans, black duck, migratory birds, monarch butterflies, striped bass, geese, turtles and hundreds ***** breeds of birds and ***** as well ***** thousands ***** ***** water grasses and