The Estuary Guide

Estuaries database

The following list of estuaries are compiled from Futurecoast data for UK coast estuaries.

You can search the database by estuary name or by geomorpohological type using the drop-down lists below.

The bathymetry used for the updated analysis of estuary properties was created for the EA project INVEST. In general, this provides a good description of the main water body.

However, in many cases the intertidal is not resolved (even if the water body includes these areas). For some long-narrow channels, such as Stour (Kent), we found that the coverage is limited. This means that direct measures such as volume and surface area should be of the right order of magnitude, but derived parameters such Dronkers gamma, and the channel and storage volumes should be used with caution.

It is also important to note that the estuary properties are based on the Cycle 3 Water Environment Regulations (WER) waterbody boundaries (formerly Water Framework Directive) and these do not always align with what might typically be used as the estuary or inlet boundary.

Alternatively take a look at the viewer.

Open Estuaries Database Viewer

Note that for five estuaries (Blackwater, Colne, Hayle, Humber and Mersey) advanced users requiring in-depth attributes can download a comprehensive csv from the final row in the table of parameters.