Figure 1. — The major coastal types of the west coast of Florida (modified from Price, 1954; Tanner, 1960). 



places. Vast beds of turtle grass mixed with 

 algae extend offshore to at least the 6-foot (2-m) 

 contour, which tends to parallel the coast roughly 

 2 to 6 nautical miles (4 to 11 km) offshore. 



The fourth coastal type occupies the remainder 

 of the coast westward from Lighthouse Point. 

 Similar to the second type, its barrier islands 

 with sandy beaches separate the Gulf from a 

 series of estuaries. Tidal marshes border the 

 bays generally but their development is less ex- 

 tensive than the marshes of the third coastal 

 type. Beds of mixed sea grasses and algae flour- 

 ish except where water turbidity is high, as in 

 parts of Apalachicola Bay; there vegetation is 

 absent. 



DIMENSIONS 



Table 1 lists the area, volume, and maximum 

 diurnal tidal range of estuarine study areas. We 

 determined boundaries by using a combination 

 of precedent, Pritchard's definition of an estuary, 

 and the procedures described by Pearcy for de- 

 lineating the seaward boundary of bays and other 

 indentions of the coastline (Pearcy, 1959; Pritch- 

 ard, 1967). Pritchard defines an estuary as 

 "A semi-enclosed coastal body of water which 

 has a free connection with the open sea and with- 

 in which sea water is measurably diluted with 

 fresh w r ater derived from land drainage." 

 Pritchard's definition applies generally to the 



