11-11 



Chesapeake Bay Estuarine Region ; All of the Chesapeake Bay system 

 from Cape Charles and Cape Henry Island. 



Isolation from direct oceanic effects in much of the greatly 

 branched system, the many subsystems with major river flows, and 

 the reduced concentration of the ocean salt throughout the Bay and 

 its tributaries make this a unique estuarine system. This is a 

 drowned river valley with numerous similar tributary systems in 

 various stages of evolution. 



South Atlantic Estuarine Region ; Cape Hatteras to Fort Lauderdale, 

 Florida, (about 26° North Latitude). 



The generally wide continental shelf is brushed by the warm waters 

 of the well-defined Gulf Stream. The low-lying coastal plain 

 terminates in barrier islands and marshes in which large amounts of 

 sediments are being continually deposited by moderate-sized rivers 

 fed by heavy summer rainfall. Many of the drowned river valley 

 estuaries have evolved all the way to coastal marshes. Tidal 

 ranges are small to moderate, depending on local conditions. 



Carribean Estuarine Region; Fort Lauderdale to C?pe Romano (the 

 Florida peninsula south of 26° North Latitude), plus Puerto Rico 

 and the Virgin Islands. 



High temperatures, heavy rainfall, and warm ocean currents along 

 practically nonexistent continental shelves result in tropical 



