ABSTRACT
The estuarine and coastal areas along the northeastern Gulf Coast are characterized by a series of habitats that are controlled to a considerable degree by the physiographic features of the adjoining freshwater drainage basins and associated Gulf connections (Figure 2.1). The coastal zone and associated freshwater drainages of the north Florida area extend from the Perdido River and Bay system in eastern Alabama and the western Panhandle of Florida to the small blackwater rivers on Apalachee Bay. Nine of the 12 major rivers and 5 of the 7 major tributaries of Florida occur in this region. The upland watershed of the north Florida Gulf Coast, which is located in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, includes about 135,000 km
. The combined area of the inshore estuarine systems in the region
≈
2150 km
. The coastal zone in this area is characterized by saltwater marshes, sandy beaches, tidal creeks, intertidal flats, oyster reefs, seagrass beds, subtidal unvegetated soft bottoms, and a broad assemblage of transitional habitats. Most of the inshore habitats of the major bays and estuaries are dominated by freshwater runoff and groundwater contributions from associated river basins. The salinity regimes of these areas are variously affected by major river systems or, as is the case in Apalachee Bay, by a series of small rivers and groundwater flows. The combined drainage of springs and streams contributes about 1 billion gallons of fresh water per day to Apalachee Bay, which is the only study area not affected by a major alluvial river system (Livingston, 1990).
