Landsat program photo with Mobile Bay in the center. The Landsat program is the longest running enterprise for acquisition of imagery of Earth from space

Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world Alabama (formally the State of Alabama;) is a State located in the southern region of the United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. Dauphin Island is a town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, located on a Barrier island also named Dauphin Island A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the bay, making it an estuary. The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. The Tensaw River is a Distributary of the Mobile River, approximately 25 mi (56 km long in southern Alabama in the United States. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open Several smaller rivers also empty into the bay: Dog River, Deer River, and Fowl River on the western side of the bay, and Fish River on the eastern side. Mobile Bay is the fourth largest estuary in the United States with a discharge of 62,000 cubic feet (1,800 m³) of water per second. ^[1]

Mobile Bay is 413 square miles (1,070 km²) in area. It is 31 miles (50 km) long by a maximum width of 24 miles (39 km). ^[1] The deepest areas of the bay are located within the shipping channel, sometimes in excess of 75 feet (23 m) deep, but the average depth of the bay is 10 feet (3 m). ^[1].

History

Spanish explorers were sailing into the area of Mobile Bay as early as 1500, with the bay being marked on early Spanish maps as the Bahía del Espíritu Santo (Bay of the Holy Spirit). The area was explored in more detail in 1516 by Diego de Miruelo and in 1519 by Alonso Álvarez de Pineda. -- 20723515122 ( talk) 1536 10 October 2008 (UTC Alonso Álvarez de Pineda' (d In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez travelled through what was likely the Mobile Bay area, encountering Native Americans who fled and burned their towns at the approach of the expedition. Pánfilo de Narváez (1470 &ndash 1528 was a Spanish conqueror and soldier in the Americas. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States This response was a prelude to the journeys of Hernando de Soto, more than eleven years later. ^[2]

Mobile Bay during the American Civil War. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South

Hernando de Soto explored the area of Mobile Bay and beyond in 1540, finding the area inhabited by a Muskhogean Native American people. Muskhogean stock (also Muskogean) refers to a Native American stock that inhabited the Gulf Coast region of what is today the United States. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States During this expedition his forces destroyed the fortified town of Mauvila, also spelled Maubila, from which the name Mobile was later derived. ^[3] This battle with Chief Tuscaloosa and his warriors took place somewhere in inland Alabama, well to the north of the current site of Mobile. Tuskaloosa (aka Tuskalusa, Tastaluca, Tuskaluza) was a Paramount chief of a Mississippian group the possible ancestors of the several The next large expedition was that of Tristán de Luna y Arellano, in his unsuccessful attempt to establish a permanent colony for Spain nearby at Pensacola in 1559. Tristán de Luna y Arellano (1519 – 1571 was a Spanish Conquistador of the 16th century Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the County seat of Escambia County. ^[2]

Although Spain's presence in the area had been sporadic, the French created a deep-sea port at Dauphin Island and founded French Louisiana's capital at Mobile, a few miles north of Mobile Bay on the Mobile River in 1702. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Dauphin Island is a town in Mobile County, Alabama, United States, located on a Barrier island also named Dauphin Island Louisiana (La celina+mario) was the name of an administrative district of New France. The Mobile River is located in southern Alabama in the United States. The original settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile was relocated in 1711 to the head of Mobile Bay following a series of floods. ^[4]

On August 5, 1864, during the American Civil War, Admiral David Farragut led a Union flotilla through Confederate defenses and sealed one of the last major Southern ports of the bay in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Events 642 - Battle of Maserfield - Penda of Mercia defeats and kills Oswald of Bernicia. Year 1864 ( MDCCCLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South David Glasgow Farragut ( July 5 1801 &ndash August 14 1870) was the first senior or "flag" officer of the United States Navy The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861 Battle Commanding the Union forces was Admiral David Farragut, while Admiral Franklin Buchanan commanded the Confederate fleet

Mobile's role as a seaport has continued to the present day, though the commodities have changed through time. Cotton was the chief commodity in the nineteenth century. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp During the Second World War, Mobile's shipbuilding industry expanded and the city's population surged. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Growth has been rapid since then.

The city has endured several devastating hurricanes in its history, the most recent being Hurricane Frederic in 1979 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Hurricane Frederic was the sixth Tropical cyclone, third hurricane and second major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States Areas of low elevation, including the downtown business district, have been flooded repeatedly in hurricanes. However, much of the city is at an elevation exceeding 200 feet (61 m) above sea level, which is unusually high for the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.

On September 13, 1979, Hurricane Frederic entered the bay with winds reaching 145 miles per hour (233 km/h), destroying the bridge to Dauphin Island. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Hurricane Frederic was the sixth Tropical cyclone, third hurricane and second major hurricane of the 1979 Atlantic hurricane season. On August 28-29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina pushed a massive storm surge into Mobile Bay, measuring 16 feet (4. Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest in the history of the United States 9 m) high at Bayou La Batre (Alabama), with higher waves on top, and 12 feet (3. Bayou La Batre (ˌbaɪoʊ lə ˈbætri locally ˈbætʃɹi is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. 7 m) high at Mobile, at the far northern end of Mobile Bay. Thousands of boats, piers, and beach houses were damaged by waves exceeding 22 feet (6. 7 m) high, and the battleship USS Alabama was pushed off its mooring, listing to port (tilted to the left). A battleship is a large heavily armored Warship with a main battery consisting of the largest Calibre of Guns Battleships were Active service Atlantic service Alabama was laid down on 1 February 1940 by the Norfolk Navy Yard, launched on 16 February 1942 and sponsored by Downtown Mobile was flooded several feet, and the south-end towns of Bayou La Batre and Bon Secour were severely damaged, with ships and dozens of shrimp boats floated onto the land. Bayou La Batre (ˌbaɪoʊ lə ˈbætri locally ˈbætʃɹi is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. Bon Secour (postal Zip code 36511 is an unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States.

Shoreline towns

An event unique to the area is the "Mobile Bay Jubilee", in which large numbers of ocean lifeforms gather at a very high density in shallow waters. Jubilee is the name used locally for a natural phenomenon that occurs sporadically on the shores of Mobile Bay, a large body of water on Alabama's Gulf On this map coasts bracketed by red arrows indicate locations where a jubilee occurs with the most frequency; less-frequent locations are bracketed with yellow arrows.

The city of Mobile is situated at the head of the bay on the western shore. On the Eastern Shore of the bay are found several small communities, including Spanish Fort, Daphne, Fairhope, Point Clear, and Bon Secour. Eastern Shore is a colloquial term referring to the geographic eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay in southwest Alabama. Spanish Fort is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, located on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Daphne is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, USA on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, on a sloping plateau along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. Point Clear is an unincorporated Census-designated place in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. Bon Secour (postal Zip code 36511 is an unincorporated community in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. The town of Gulf Shores lies just outside of the bay, on the Fort Morgan peninsula. Gulf Shores is a coastal city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States. The Middle Bay Lighthouse has been located in the center of the bay since 1885. Middle Bay Lighthouse, also known as Middle Bay Light and Mobile Bay Lighthouse, is a hexagonal-shaped Screw-pile lighthouse with a lantern on top

The head of the bay is crossed by two major thoroughfares, the Jubilee Parkway, better known as the "Bayway", and the Battleship Parkway, better known as the "Causeway". The Jubilee Parkway is a pair of parallel concrete Viaduct Bridges that carry Interstate 10 across Mobile Bay from the George Wallace Battleship Parkway, commonly referred to locally and in the media as the " Causeway " is an elevated long Causeway that carries US 90 and These two bridges serve as the primary connections between the city of Mobile and the Eastern Shore. ^[5] On warm summer nights, the residents living around Mobile Bay sometimes enjoy the fruits of a mysterious natural phenomenon called a Jubilee, when fish and crabs swarm toward shore and can be easily harvested by people wading in the shallows. Jubilee is the name used locally for a natural phenomenon that occurs sporadically on the shores of Mobile Bay, a large body of water on Alabama's Gulf

See also

• Gulf of Mexico
• Gulf Islands National Seashore - offshore islands, includes nearby states. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico Barrier islands of Florida

References

Coordinates: 30°30′22″N 87°59′24″W / 30.50611, -87.99