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Charlotte Harbor
Charlotte Harbor Estuary is located on Florida's west coast near the city of Fort Myers and the tourist haven of Sanibel Island. It is 48 km long and 11 km wide with a total area of 699 sq. km. Encompassing a watershed of 7,190 sq. km, it is the second largest open water estuary in the state. The estuary includes Lemon Bay, San Carlos Bay, Estero Bay, Gasparilla Sound, Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass. The Myakka, Peace and Caloosahatchee rivers supply freshwater to the estuarine basin. The area has been designated an estuary of national significance by the Environmental Protection Agency and five National Wildlife Refuges are located within the Charlotte Harbor watershed. The marine and adjacent terrestrial habitats of Charlotte Harbor are home to numerous species of plants and animals, including 42 federally- and state-listed critical or threatened species. More than 250 fish, 275 shellfish, 316 bird, 44 mammal and 55 reptile species live in the watershed. 
Coordinates: 26.72° N 82.25° W Selected Characteristics: (USEPA, 1999) Surface Area: 805 km2 Drainage Area: 13,000 km2 Average Daily FW Inflow: 1 m3/s Average Depth: 2.0 m Average Salinity: 13 ppt Coastal Wetlands: 2,525 km2 Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: 214 km2 References: USEPA. 1999. Ecological condition of estuaries in the Gulf of Mexico. EPA 620-R-98-004. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Gulf Ecology Division, Gulf Breeze, Florida. 80 pp. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program. 2002. Located on the web at: http://www.charlotteharbornep.com. Association of National Estuary Programs (ANEP). Located on the web at: http://www.anep-usa.org/factcards/charlotte.htm Additional Information: Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program) Association of National Estuary Programs - Charlotte Bay Estuary Keywords: Charlotte, Harbor, Lemon Bay, San Carlos Bay, Estero Bay, Gasparilla Sound, Pine Island Sound, Matlacha Pass, Threatened species |
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Harte
Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
To give proper credit to the original authors, please cite information taken from GulfBase by the original source as displayed. 
To cite GulfBase, use:
F. Moretzsohn, J.A. Sánchez Chávez,
and J.W. Tunnell, Jr., Editors. 2010.
GulfBase: Resource Database for Gulf of Mexico Research.
World Wide
Web electronic publication. http://www.gulfbase.org, 02 September 2010. |
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