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Charlotte Harbor (estuary)

Charlotte Harbor and SW Florida in a NASA satellite image

Charlotte Harbor Estuary, the second largest bay in Florida, is located on the Gulf of Mexico coast of west Florida with two thirds lying in Charlotte County, Florida and one in Lee County. The harbor's mouth is located behind Gasparilla Island, one of the many coastal barrier islands on the southwest coast of Florida, with access from the Gulf of Mexico through the Boca Grande Pass between Gasparilla Island on the north and Lacosta Island on the south. Charlotte Harbor covers about 270 sq mi (700 km2)

Charlotte Harbor Estuary is a natural estuary spanning the west coast of Florida from Venice to Bonita Springs on the Gulf of Mexico and is one of the most productive wetlands in Florida.[1] The estuary has a large watershed, and includes Charlotte Harbor itself as well as the Peace River, Caloosahatchee River (via Pine Island Sound) and Myakka River basins. It covers 12,653 square kilometers (4,885 sq mi), the second largest open water estuary in the state. [2]

It is classified as a bar-built estuary, formed when sandbars build up along the coastline. The sand bars block the waters behind them from the sea. Such estuaries tend to be shallow with minimal tidal action.[3]

This is a threatened ecosystem because of the rapid increase of growth and development, poor land-use policies, and the overuse of natural resources.[4] The Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves, established by the state of Florida in 1975, are five contiguous aquatic preserves within the greater Charlotte Harbor estuary. It includes salt marshes, mangroves, seagrass, oyster and tidal flats.[5] It is the preserve of many species, including the American alligator, West Indian manatee, bald eagle, wood stork, piping plover, green and loggerhead sea turtles, smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata),[6] royal false pawpaw (Deeringothamnus pulchellus), Florida perforate cladonia (Cladonia perforata), and many more.[2]

Portion of a 1901 map of Charlotte Harbor by George F. Cram

The harbor is fed with fresh water from the Myakka River on its northwest corner and the Peace River on its northeastern corner. Charlotte Harbor is bordered by the communities of Boca Grande, Port Charlotte, Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda and Bokeelia. Charlotte Harbor connects to San Carlos Bay to the south by way of Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass.

  1. ^ "Charlotte Harbor Preserve State Park". floridastateparks.org. Archived from the original on 2013-02-05. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  2. ^ a b "Charlotte Harbor". National Estuary Program. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  3. ^ "Bar-Built Estuary". Office of Marine Programs. University of Rhode Island. Archived from the original on 2006-09-11. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  4. ^ "Charlette Harbor National Estuary Program". Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  5. ^ "The Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves". dep.state.fl.us. Archived from the original on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  6. ^ Poulakis, Gregg R.; Stevens, Philip W.; Timmers, Amy A.; Stafford, Christopher J.; Chapman, Demian D.; Feldheim, Kevin A.; Heupel, Michelle R.; Curtis, Caitlin (2016). "Long-term site fidelity of endangered small-tooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata) from different mothers". Fishery Bulletin. 114 (4): 461–475. doi:10.7755/fb.114.4.8.
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