| Abstract |
Twelve years of studies in the Apalachicola Bay system are reviewed.Included are data on geography, hydrology, chemistry, geology, and biology. The system is part of a major drainage area including four rivers and associated wetlands in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.It is a shallow coastal lagoon fringed by barrier islands and dominated by wind effects and tidal currents.River bottomlands (channels, sloughs, swamps, and backwater) and periodically flooded lowlands are important components.Principal influences on biological processes are basin physiography, river flow, nutrient input, and salinity.Water quality is affected by periodic wind and tidal influences and freshwater inflows.The system is in a relatively natural state, though hardly pristine.But economic development and population growth are beginning to threaten it.The area`s economic and ecological importance as a food producer and shelter for diverse species has inspired a movement to protect its natural resources, including State and Federal land-purchase programs, integration of county land-use regulations into a comprehensive development, and creation of the Apalachicola River and Bay National Estuarine Sanctuary. |
