THE ECOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICAN ESTUARIES PART IX: NOTES ON THE ESTUARY OF THE ORANGE RIVER

Abstract

The Orange River presents a type of estuary previously undescribed for southern Africa. The estuarine fauna is extremely poor and lacks a true estuarine component. An analysis of the physical and chemical conditions indicates that the environment is particularly forbidding and it is suggested that the striking paucity of the fauna may be related to the short length of the estuary in winter and its complete disappearance in summer.