KEY WEST 

 FMAMJ JASOND 



ST PETERSBURG 

 FMAMJ JASOND 



CEDAR KEY 

 J FMAMJJASON 



PENSACOLA 

 J FMAMJJASON 



Figure 34. — Monthly range and mean of water temperature at four locations (data from U.S. Coast and Geodetic 



Survey, 1965). 



the absence of large rivers, possibly because of 

 the existence of offshore springs. The Wacca- 

 sassa Bay and Fenholloway River data (Figs. 

 36-2 and 36-4) are from Saville (1966). The 

 Cedar Keys data (Fig. 36-3) are from 21 years 

 of observations by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic 

 Survey (1965). 



Ochlockonee Bay and Alligator Harbor (Fig. 

 37-1) were studied by Ichiye et al. (1961). We 

 based the salinities in Apalachicola Bay (Fig. 

 37-2) on the study of Gorsline (1963) ; they are 

 consistent with results obtained by Dawson 

 (1955a) . The St. Andrew Bay data (Fig. 37-3) 

 are from Futch and Martina (1967). Chocta- 

 whatchee Bay is typically stratified, hence we 

 depicted surface salinities (Fig. 37-4a) separate 

 from bottom salinities (Fig. 37-4b) as done by 

 Ritchie (1961). The data for Pensacola Bay 

 and vicinity (Fig. 37-5) are from two sources — 

 U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (1965) for the 

 38-year mean and range at the city of Pensacola, 

 and Nelson R. Cooley for the remainder from 

 unpublished ecological studies. 



Over 100 additional papers include salinity 

 data that were recorded in connection with bio- 

 logical and geological studies but add little to the 

 characterization of estuaries attempted here, 

 and hence are not cited. 



OYSTERS AND CLAMS 



The southernmost oyster reef in the United 

 States is in Oyster Bay, which is immediately 

 north of Cape Sable between Whitewater Bay 

 and the mouth of the Shark River (Tabb, Du- 

 brow, and Manning, 1962). From that reef 

 north, Crassostrea virginica grows nearly every- 

 where — on pilings, red mangrove roots, sea walls 

 and as reefs ranging in shape and size from small 

 mounds to long ridges extending several miles. 

 Commercial oystering is practiced where salini- 

 ties range from about 10 to 30^ f . Where mean 

 salinity is about 25%o, growth and maturation 

 are rapid, but predation, parasitism, and disease 

 are high; growers plant cultch or medium-sized 

 seed oysters and try to harvest before excessive 

 damages occur (Butler, 1954). Where salinity 



83 



