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Florida Bay

February 16, 2024

Florida Bay is the bay located between the southern end of the Florida mainland (the Florida Everglades) and the Florida Keys in the United States. It is a large, shallow estuary that while connected to the Gulf of Mexico, has limited exchange of water due to various shallow mudbanks covered with seagrass.[1] The banks separate the bay into basins, each with its own unique physical characteristics.

Southern third of Florida, showing Florida Bay in pale green off the southern tip of the mainland

Description edit

Encompassing roughly one-third of Everglades National Park,[2] Florida Bay is variously stated to be 800 square miles (2,100 km2),[3] or 850 square miles (2,200 km2),[4] or 1,000 square miles (2,600 km2).[5] Nearly all of Florida Bay is included in Everglades National Park. The southern edge, along the Florida Keys, is in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The bay muds of portions of Florida Bay have been cored to develop insights on the paleontology of previous biota.[1]

The bay receives freshwater from two major drainage basins: Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough. The clean freshwater delivered by these sloughs is essential for maintaining water levels and preventing salinity levels from getting too high.[6] The bay currently receives less than half of the freshwater from the sloughs compared to historic, pre-drainage conditions.[6]

Flora and fauna edit

The bay's many basins that are broken up by banks serve as plentiful fishing grounds for snook (Centropomus undecimalis), redfish (Sciaenops ocellatus), spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), tarpon (Megaflops atlanticus), bonefish (Albula vulpes), and permit (Trichinous falcatus), among others.[7]

The bay is home to many species of wading birds. Most notably, Roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja), Reddish egrets (Egretta rufescens), and Great White Herons (Ardea herodias occidentalis) have unique subpopulations that are largely restricted to Florida Bay.[8] Other bird species include Bald eagles, seagulls, pelicans, sandpipers, cormorants, ospreys, and flamingos.[9]

Bay land animals include raccoons, opossums, bobcats, and fox squirrels.[9]

Environmental issues edit

Florida Bay has undergone a series of ecological changes beginning in the late 1980s that have severely altered the ecosystem.[10] Originally, clean freshwater flowed south through the state into the Florida Bay. To support the state's agricultural water needs, namely for sugar cultivation, the water was rerouted and no longer flows into the Bay, causing numerous and severe environmental issues and loss of native wildlife.

Seagrass die-off edit

 
Rafts of dead seagrass in Florida Bay. 2015.

The rerouting of the flow of freshwater to the Bay coupled with periods of drought have caused massive seagrass die-offs.[11] The first major die-off occurred from 1987 to 1991 as thousands of hectares of turtlegrass beds (Thalassia testudinum) were devastated by high levels of toxic dissolved sulfide.[12] 10,000 acres died in the central and western bay, and almost 60,000 additional acres suffered reduced productivity and biomass as a result.[13] Then, following the 2015 drought, extreme temperatures and heightened salinity reduced the amount of oxygen that could remain dissolved in the water, causing periods of anoxia during nighttime and thereby damaging the health of the turtlegrass in the bay. During the summer and fall of 2015, approximately 40,000 acres of seagrass died.[14]

 
Red = area containing dead turtle grass in patches of varying size; not 100% dead. Yellow = mixed live/dead impacted areas. Green = healthy turtle grass. Striped area = dense seagrass most at risk of die-off expansion.

Hyper-salinity edit

The 2015 drought period of low precipitation combined with high temperatures and calm winds that produced rapid evaporation caused salinity to increase in the semi-enclosed basins in north-central Florida Bay. Without the freshwater, the water has become stagnant and salty with excess nitrogen from the fertilizer.[15] This hyper-salinity contributes to the massive seagrass die-offs and algal blooms, and kills submerged aquatic vegetation.[13]

Algae blooms edit

Cyanobacterial harmful algae blooms (also known as blue-green algae) have flourished in the bay due to a variety of environmental stressors: Agricultural fertilizer run-off increases nutrients in the delicately balanced environment and the excess increases the bacteria's rate of growth; The newly hyper-saline environment provides an ideal breeding ground for cyanobacteria;[16] Rafts of dead seagrass floating on the surface of the water as well as decaying on the bay bottom leads to anoxia and in turn, algal blooms.[1]

Blue-green algae causes numerous severe health consequences for the marine ecosystem as well surrounding human populations. Blooms result in reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations, alterations in aquatic food webs, algal scum lining the shores, the production of compounds that cause distasteful drinking water and fish flesh, and the production of toxins severe enough to poison aquatic as well as terrestrial organisms.[17] Blooms have been reported throughout the continental United States, and resulting cyanotoxins have been associated with human and animal illness and death in at least 43 states.[18] Most cyanobacteria produce the neurotoxin beta-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) that has been implicated as a significant environmental risk in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[19] The cyanobacteria has also been linked to liver cancer, chronic fatigue illness, skin rashes, abdominal cramps, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.[20]

The 2002 algal bloom in the central portion of the Florida Bay was associated with high concentrations of dissolved organic nitrogen and organic phosphorus, whereas the eastern bay regions bloom was associated with high concentration of inorganic nutrients.[21]

Loss of native wildlife edit

By the mid 1930s, the three main species of wading birds in the bay (Roseate spoonbills, Reddish egrets, Great herons) were driven to near extinction by human harvesting for food and feathers.[8]

The cyanobacteria create an oxygen-free environment teaming with toxic gases, creating an unsuitable living environment for many marine and terrestrial animal species.[22] As a result, seasons during which algal blooms flourish cause a temporary loss in wildlife.

Spotted seatrout populations in the coasted Everglades are declining.[23] As the second most commonly caught species of fish in the Florida Bay, spotted seatrout comprise a large portion of the fishing industry and are integral to the ecosystem as well as surrounding economy. Water temperature of less than 80 °F (27 °C) and salinity levels below 37.5 parts per thousand (ppt) are ideal for seatrout spawning; however, water management stations in the Everglades and Florida Bay reported salinity levels of 64.4 ppt in July 2015 and recorded water temperatures of up to 92 °F (33 °C).[23] These environmental conditions are far from ideal for the seatrout and add additional difficulties for the survival of juveniles as well as important prey such as larval shrimp and small fish.[23]

Economy edit

The bay is an economic and environmental asset. As of 2017, the recreational fishing industry in Florida Bay had an estimated value of $7.1 billion, and generated $73 million in federal, state and local taxes annually, while the bay's commercial fishing industry had an estimated value of $400 million, and generated $3 million in taxes.[24]

Water management projects edit

Various projects are funded by the government in an attempt to manage the hydrology issues present in the Florida Bay, including the C-111 South Dade, Modified Water Deliveries, and C-111 Spreader Canal Western Project from the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).[6] These projects seek to distribute more freshwater into the sloughs but do not deliver additional water to the bay.

References edit

  1. ^ a b National Park Service (May 2016). "2015 2015 Florida Bay Seagrass Die-Off" (PDF). NPS.gov.
  2. ^ Chris Mooney. "This massive seagrass die-off is the latest sign we're failing to protect the Everglades". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  3. ^ Everglades National Park 2020-11-10 at the Wayback Machine, Park Vision
  4. ^ Florida Bay, Encyclopædia Britannica Online
  5. ^ The Ecology of Florida Bay 2020-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, by Daniel Phirman
  6. ^ a b c "Florida Bay: What is The Solution?". Everglades Foundation. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  7. ^ "Florida Bay and Everglades National Park: Flats-Fishing Paradise". Salt Water Sportsman. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  8. ^ a b Powell, George V. N.; Bjork, Robin D.; Ogden, John C.; Paul, Richard T.; Powell, A. Harriett; Robertson, William B. (1989). "Population Trends in Some Florida Bay Wading Birds". The Wilson Bulletin. 101 (3): 436–457. JSTOR 4162751.
  9. ^ a b National Park Service. "Florida Bay Bistro" (PDF). National Park Service.
  10. ^ Hanson, Matthew R.; Baldwin, John D. (2017-03-01). "Adjusted Diets of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Breeding In An Altered Estuary". Journal of Raptor Research. 51 (1): 1–14. doi:10.3356/JRR-16-00005.1. ISSN 0892-1016. S2CID 89631326.
  11. ^ National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior (May 2016). "2015 Florida Bay Seagrass Die-Off" (PDF). South Florida Natural Resources Center.
  12. ^ Yarbro, L.; Carlson, P. R. Jr. (2016-02-01). "Recurrence of Seagrass Mortality in Florida Bay: The Role of Climate Change and Implications for Carbon Sequestration". AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts. 54: EC54A–1309. Bibcode:2016AGUOSEC54A1309Y.
  13. ^ a b Sklar, Fred H. (October 8, 2015). "Florida Bay: Current Conditions". South Florida Water Management District.
  14. ^ National Park Service (May 2016). "2015 Florida Bay Seagrass Die-Off" (PDF). South Florida Natural Resources Center.
  15. ^ Robert Mcclure And Don Melvin. (1993). "The Dead Zone Once A Teeming Marine Nursery, Florida Bay Today Is Dying". SunSentinel
  16. ^ "General Information| Harmful Algal Blooms | CDC". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  17. ^ Jennifer L. Graham, Neil M. Dubrovsky, Sandra M. Eberts (2016). "Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms and U.S. Geological Survey Science Capabilities" (PDF). USGS.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Hudnell, H.K., ed., 2008, Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms– State of the science and research needs: Advances in Experi- mental Medicine and Biology, v. 619, 950 p.
  19. ^ Brand, Larry E.; Pablo, John; Compton, Angela; Hammerschlag, Neil; Mash, Deborah C. (2010-09-01). "Cyanobacterial blooms and the occurrence of the neurotoxin, beta-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA), in South Florida aquatic food webs". Harmful Algae. 9 (6): 620–635. doi:10.1016/j.hal.2010.05.002. PMC 2968748. PMID 21057660.
  20. ^ Guest, David (November 9, 2006). "The Lake Okeechobee Pollution Crisis and the St. Lucie River and Estuary" (PDF). EarthJustice.org.
  21. ^ Glibert, P. M.; Heil, C. A.; Hollander, D.; Revilla, M.; Hoare, A.; Alexander, J.; Murasko, S. (2004). "Evidence for dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphorus uptake during a cyanobacterial bloom in Florida Bay". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 280: 73–83. Bibcode:2004MEPS..280...73G. doi:10.3354/meps280073. JSTOR 24867855.
  22. ^ David Biello, (2008). "Oceanic Dead Zones Continue to Spread". Scientific American
  23. ^ a b c "Got Trout? Spotted seatrout vanishing from Florida Bay". Everglades Foundation. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  24. ^ Stainback, Andrew (April 17, 2017). "The Economic Significance of Florida Bay" (PDF). conference.ifas.ufl.edu. Everglades Foundation via the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Office of Conferences & Institutes. (PDF) from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Florida Bay at Wikimedia Commons
  • U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Florida Bay

25°00′01″N 80°44′59″W / 25.00028°N 80.74972°W / 25.00028; -80.74972

February 16, 2024
florida, located, between, southern, florida, mainland, florida, everglades, florida, keys, united, states, large, shallow, estuary, that, while, connected, gulf, mexico, limited, exchange, water, various, shallow, mudbanks, covered, with, seagrass, banks, sep. Florida Bay is the bay located between the southern end of the Florida mainland the Florida Everglades and the Florida Keys in the United States It is a large shallow estuary that while connected to the Gulf of Mexico has limited exchange of water due to various shallow mudbanks covered with seagrass 1 The banks separate the bay into basins each with its own unique physical characteristics Southern third of Florida showing Florida Bay in pale green off the southern tip of the mainland Contents 1 Description 2 Flora and fauna 3 Environmental issues 3 1 Seagrass die off 3 2 Hyper salinity 3 3 Algae blooms 3 4 Loss of native wildlife 4 Economy 5 Water management projects 6 References 7 External linksDescription editEncompassing roughly one third of Everglades National Park 2 Florida Bay is variously stated to be 800 square miles 2 100 km2 3 or 850 square miles 2 200 km2 4 or 1 000 square miles 2 600 km2 5 Nearly all of Florida Bay is included in Everglades National Park The southern edge along the Florida Keys is in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary The bay muds of portions of Florida Bay have been cored to develop insights on the paleontology of previous biota 1 The bay receives freshwater from two major drainage basins Shark River Slough and Taylor Slough The clean freshwater delivered by these sloughs is essential for maintaining water levels and preventing salinity levels from getting too high 6 The bay currently receives less than half of the freshwater from the sloughs compared to historic pre drainage conditions 6 Flora and fauna editThe bay s many basins that are broken up by banks serve as plentiful fishing grounds for snook Centropomus undecimalis redfish Sciaenops ocellatus spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus tarpon Megaflops atlanticus bonefish Albula vulpes and permit Trichinous falcatus among others 7 The bay is home to many species of wading birds Most notably Roseate spoonbills Platalea ajaja Reddish egrets Egretta rufescens and Great White Herons Ardea herodias occidentalis have unique subpopulations that are largely restricted to Florida Bay 8 Other bird species include Bald eagles seagulls pelicans sandpipers cormorants ospreys and flamingos 9 Bay land animals include raccoons opossums bobcats and fox squirrels 9 Environmental issues editFlorida Bay has undergone a series of ecological changes beginning in the late 1980s that have severely altered the ecosystem 10 Originally clean freshwater flowed south through the state into the Florida Bay To support the state s agricultural water needs namely for sugar cultivation the water was rerouted and no longer flows into the Bay causing numerous and severe environmental issues and loss of native wildlife Seagrass die off edit nbsp Rafts of dead seagrass in Florida Bay 2015 The rerouting of the flow of freshwater to the Bay coupled with periods of drought have caused massive seagrass die offs 11 The first major die off occurred from 1987 to 1991 as thousands of hectares of turtlegrass beds Thalassia testudinum were devastated by high levels of toxic dissolved sulfide 12 10 000 acres died in the central and western bay and almost 60 000 additional acres suffered reduced productivity and biomass as a result 13 Then following the 2015 drought extreme temperatures and heightened salinity reduced the amount of oxygen that could remain dissolved in the water causing periods of anoxia during nighttime and thereby damaging the health of the turtlegrass in the bay During the summer and fall of 2015 approximately 40 000 acres of seagrass died 14 nbsp Red area containing dead turtle grass in patches of varying size not 100 dead Yellow mixed live dead impacted areas Green healthy turtle grass Striped area dense seagrass most at risk of die off expansion Hyper salinity edit The 2015 drought period of low precipitation combined with high temperatures and calm winds that produced rapid evaporation caused salinity to increase in the semi enclosed basins in north central Florida Bay Without the freshwater the water has become stagnant and salty with excess nitrogen from the fertilizer 15 This hyper salinity contributes to the massive seagrass die offs and algal blooms and kills submerged aquatic vegetation 13 Algae blooms edit Cyanobacterial harmful algae blooms also known as blue green algae have flourished in the bay due to a variety of environmental stressors Agricultural fertilizer run off increases nutrients in the delicately balanced environment and the excess increases the bacteria s rate of growth The newly hyper saline environment provides an ideal breeding ground for cyanobacteria 16 Rafts of dead seagrass floating on the surface of the water as well as decaying on the bay bottom leads to anoxia and in turn algal blooms 1 Blue green algae causes numerous severe health consequences for the marine ecosystem as well surrounding human populations Blooms result in reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations alterations in aquatic food webs algal scum lining the shores the production of compounds that cause distasteful drinking water and fish flesh and the production of toxins severe enough to poison aquatic as well as terrestrial organisms 17 Blooms have been reported throughout the continental United States and resulting cyanotoxins have been associated with human and animal illness and death in at least 43 states 18 Most cyanobacteria produce the neurotoxin beta N methylamino l alanine BMAA that has been implicated as a significant environmental risk in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer s disease Parkinson s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ALS 19 The cyanobacteria has also been linked to liver cancer chronic fatigue illness skin rashes abdominal cramps nausea diarrhea and vomiting 20 The 2002 algal bloom in the central portion of the Florida Bay was associated with high concentrations of dissolved organic nitrogen and organic phosphorus whereas the eastern bay regions bloom was associated with high concentration of inorganic nutrients 21 Loss of native wildlife edit By the mid 1930s the three main species of wading birds in the bay Roseate spoonbills Reddish egrets Great herons were driven to near extinction by human harvesting for food and feathers 8 The cyanobacteria create an oxygen free environment teaming with toxic gases creating an unsuitable living environment for many marine and terrestrial animal species 22 As a result seasons during which algal blooms flourish cause a temporary loss in wildlife Spotted seatrout populations in the coasted Everglades are declining 23 As the second most commonly caught species of fish in the Florida Bay spotted seatrout comprise a large portion of the fishing industry and are integral to the ecosystem as well as surrounding economy Water temperature of less than 80 F 27 C and salinity levels below 37 5 parts per thousand ppt are ideal for seatrout spawning however water management stations in the Everglades and Florida Bay reported salinity levels of 64 4 ppt in July 2015 and recorded water temperatures of up to 92 F 33 C 23 These environmental conditions are far from ideal for the seatrout and add additional difficulties for the survival of juveniles as well as important prey such as larval shrimp and small fish 23 Economy editThe bay is an economic and environmental asset As of 2017 update the recreational fishing industry in Florida Bay had an estimated value of 7 1 billion and generated 73 million in federal state and local taxes annually while the bay s commercial fishing industry had an estimated value of 400 million and generated 3 million in taxes 24 Water management projects editVarious projects are funded by the government in an attempt to manage the hydrology issues present in the Florida Bay including the C 111 South Dade Modified Water Deliveries and C 111 Spreader Canal Western Project from the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan CERP 6 These projects seek to distribute more freshwater into the sloughs but do not deliver additional water to the bay References edit a b National Park Service May 2016 2015 2015 Florida Bay Seagrass Die Off PDF NPS gov Chris Mooney This massive seagrass die off is the latest sign we re failing to protect the Everglades The Washington Post Retrieved 2016 12 13 Everglades National Park Archived 2020 11 10 at the Wayback Machine Park Vision Florida Bay Encyclopaedia Britannica Online The Ecology of Florida Bay Archived 2020 12 13 at the Wayback Machine by Daniel Phirman a b c Florida Bay What is The Solution Everglades Foundation Retrieved 2017 06 27 Florida Bay and Everglades National Park Flats Fishing Paradise Salt Water Sportsman Retrieved 2017 06 27 a b Powell George V N Bjork Robin D Ogden John C Paul Richard T Powell A Harriett Robertson William B 1989 Population Trends in Some Florida Bay Wading Birds The Wilson Bulletin 101 3 436 457 JSTOR 4162751 a b National Park Service Florida Bay Bistro PDF National Park Service Hanson Matthew R Baldwin John D 2017 03 01 Adjusted Diets of Bald Eagles Haliaeetus leucocephalus Breeding In An Altered Estuary Journal of Raptor Research 51 1 1 14 doi 10 3356 JRR 16 00005 1 ISSN 0892 1016 S2CID 89631326 National Park Service U S Department of the Interior May 2016 2015 Florida Bay Seagrass Die Off PDF South Florida Natural Resources Center Yarbro L Carlson P R Jr 2016 02 01 Recurrence of Seagrass Mortality in Florida Bay The Role of Climate Change and Implications for Carbon Sequestration AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts 54 EC54A 1309 Bibcode 2016AGUOSEC54A1309Y a b Sklar Fred H October 8 2015 Florida Bay Current Conditions South Florida Water Management District National Park Service May 2016 2015 Florida Bay Seagrass Die Off PDF South Florida Natural Resources Center Robert Mcclure And Don Melvin 1993 The Dead Zone Once A Teeming Marine Nursery Florida Bay Today Is Dying SunSentinel General Information Harmful Algal Blooms CDC www cdc gov Retrieved 2017 06 27 Jennifer L Graham Neil M Dubrovsky Sandra M Eberts 2016 Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms and U S Geological Survey Science Capabilities PDF USGS a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Hudnell H K ed 2008 Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms State of the science and research needs Advances in Experi mental Medicine and Biology v 619 950 p Brand Larry E Pablo John Compton Angela Hammerschlag Neil Mash Deborah C 2010 09 01 Cyanobacterial blooms and the occurrence of the neurotoxin beta N methylamino l alanine BMAA in South Florida aquatic food webs Harmful Algae 9 6 620 635 doi 10 1016 j hal 2010 05 002 PMC 2968748 PMID 21057660 Guest David November 9 2006 The Lake Okeechobee Pollution Crisis and the St Lucie River and Estuary PDF EarthJustice org Glibert P M Heil C A Hollander D Revilla M Hoare A Alexander J Murasko S 2004 Evidence for dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphorus uptake during a cyanobacterial bloom in Florida Bay Marine Ecology Progress Series 280 73 83 Bibcode 2004MEPS 280 73G doi 10 3354 meps280073 JSTOR 24867855 David Biello 2008 Oceanic Dead Zones Continue to Spread Scientific American a b c Got Trout Spotted seatrout vanishing from Florida Bay Everglades Foundation Retrieved 2017 06 27 Stainback Andrew April 17 2017 The Economic Significance of Florida Bay PDF conference ifas ufl edu Everglades Foundation via the University of Florida s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Office of Conferences amp Institutes Archived PDF from the original on May 14 2018 Retrieved November 13 2018 External links edit nbsp Media related to Florida Bay at Wikimedia Commons U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Florida Bay 25 00 01 N 80 44 59 W 25 00028 N 80 74972 W 25 00028 80 74972 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Florida Bay amp oldid 1183507775, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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