Apalachee Bay

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Surface Area
412.00km2
Drainage Area
11900.00km2
Average Daily Freshwater Inflow
150.08m3/s
Average Depth
3.00m
Average Salinity
30.00
Coastal Wetlands
2812.56km2
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
129.50km2

From: USFW, 1982; USEPA, 1999
Apalachee Bay is located at the western extent of Florida's Big Bend coastline. Freshwater inputs into the estuary include the Ochlockonee, Sopchoppy, Wakulla, Wacissa, Aucilla, Enconfina and Fenholloway Rivers. The bay is in direct contact with the Gulf of Mexico but also contains some smaller, more isolated embayments including Ochlockonee, Dickson and Oyster Bays.

The region is characterized by limestone 'karst' topography and includes the popular tourist/diving area of Wakulla Springs (see link below). The estuarine ecosystem begins just offshore in the shallow waters of the Apalachee Bay. Forested swamps are located throughout the region, a great deal of which is protected by the 275 sq. km St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. The area is home to a wide range of terrestrial species and also provides nursery grounds for fish, oysters and other aquatic animals. The refuge utilizes man-made impoundments, which attract thousands of migratory waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds, as well as other wildlife.

References

  • USFW. 1982. Gulf Coast Ecological Inventory Map; Gainsville, and Tarpon Springs, FL area. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1982.

  • 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.

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