Mississippi Sound

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Surface Area
4792.00km2
Drainage Area
69700.00km2
Average Daily Freshwater Inflow
1234.61m3/s
Average Depth
4.00m
Average Salinity
24.00
Coastal Wetlands
4326.09km2
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
121.41km2

From: USFW, 1982
Mississippi Sound extends from Lake Borgne, Louisiana to Mobile Bay, Alabama, spanning the entire Gulf coast of the state of Mississippi. The Sound is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by a series of narrow islands and sand bars including Cat, Ship, Horn, Petit Bois and Dauphin islands. Water exchange with the Gulf takes place through numerous passes. Numerous coastal bays are contained within the system including St. Louis Bay, Biloxi Bay, Pascagoula Bay and Grand Bay. The Escatawpa, Pascagoula, Tchoutacabouffa, Biloxi, Wolf and Jourdan Rivers (east to west) provide freshwater to the estuary.

The Mississippi Department of Natural Resources maintains over 20 marine reserves in the area, and the protected areas of these islands form a portion of the Gulf Islands National Seashore (see link below).

References

  • USFW, 1982. Gulf Coast Ecological Inventory Map; Mobile- Ala., Miss., LA. area. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

  • 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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