Florida’s Largest Open Water Estuary

Covering
an
area
of
about
400
square
miles
(1,036
square
kilometers)
of
surface
water
and
shallow
wetlands,
Tampa
Bay
is

Florida’s
largest
open
water
estuary.

Several
rivers,
including
the
Hillsborough,
Alafia,
and
Manatee, are the primary
contributors
of
freshwater
to the
bay.
These
rivers
and
hundreds
of
small
tributaries
feed
fresh
water
in
Tampa
Bay
that dilutes the
salt
water
from
the
Gulf
of
Mexico. 

Since
Tampa
Bay
is
relatively
shallow
with
an

average
depth
of
11
feet
(3.4
meters),
allowing
sunlight
to
penetrate
the
water
column.
Tampa
Bay
features

mangrove
forests,
salt
marshes,
and
tidal
flats.

More
Florida
geography
articles

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Author: Caitlin Dempsey