Willard S. Moore coined the term subterranean estuary (STE) as that part of the coastal aquifer ‘where groundwater derived from land drainage measurably dilutes seawater that has invaded the aquifer through a free connection to the sea’ more than two decades ago (Moore, 1999). In doing so, Moore was calling attention to the potential importance of this zone, long studied by terrestrial hydrologists, to marine systems. Since then, we have accumulated indisputable evidence of the importance of STEs and their associated submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal ecosystem function. Yet, subterranean estuaries are often not considered distinct systems in the land-ocean continuum either from an academic viewpoint or for developing integrative monitoring and management. This invisibility means that the impact of STEs on ecosystem state has been neglected when environmental assessments that aim to meet coastal water quality and ecosystem health targets are performed. It is possible that our current broad definition of STEs, as well as misuse and misunderstanding of terminology, partly explain their de-facto transparency to the wider coastal scientific community. Here, we argue for the inclusion of STEs as important, interconnected systems driving water quality, ecology, and biogeochemical cycles in nearby coastal ecosystems. To achieve broader recognition, we first need to address the perceived compartmentalization of surface and groundwater systems, as well as overcome a pigeon-holed approach to research often confined within narrow disciplinary boundaries. The establishment of open-water estuarine science over the last several decades shows that such obstacles are surmountable. A lack of awareness and recognition of STE functions impedes a holistic understanding of coastal ecosystems and slows down the development of cause-effect relationships for a science-based approach to ecosystem management.

威拉德·S·摩尔（Willard S. 1999）。这样做时，摩尔呼吁人们注意这个区域的潜在重要性，这一区域由陆地水文学家长期研究，对海洋系统具有重要意义。从那时起，我们已经积累了无可争议的证据，表明STE及其相关的海底地下水排放（SGD）在沿海生态系统功能中的重要性。然而，无论从学术角度还是在发展综合监测和管理方面，地下河口在陆地-海洋连续体中通常都不被认为是独立的系统。这种不可见性意味着，在进行旨在满足沿海水质和生态系统健康目标的环境评估时，STE的减少对生态系统状态的影响已被忽略。我们目前对STE的广泛定义，以及对术语的误用和误解，可能部分解释了它们对更广泛的沿海科学界的实际透明度。在这里，我们主张将STE作为重要的，相互关联的系统包括进来，以驱动附近沿海生态系统中的水质，生态和生物地球化学循环。为了获得更广泛的认可，我们首先需要解决地表水和地下水系统的分隔问题，并克服通常局限于狭窄学科范围内的以鸽子为中心的研究方法。在过去的几十年中，开放水域河口科学的建立表明，这些障碍是可以克服的。缺乏对科学，技术和工程功能的认识和认识，阻碍了对沿海生态系统的全面了解，并减缓了基于科学的生态系统管理方法的因果关系的发展。