Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the western coast of Florida, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay. A harbor or harbour (see spelling differences) or haven, is a place where ships may shelter from the Weather or are stored 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 The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the
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Geography and Ecology
Tampa Bay is Florida's largest open-water estuary, extending over 1031 square km. [1] and forming coastlines of Hillsborough, Manatee and Pinellas counties. Hillsborough County is a County located in the US state of Florida. Manatee County is a County in the state of Florida. As of 2000 the population was 264002 Pinellas County is a county located in the US state of Florida. The freshwater sources of the Bay are distributed among over a hundred small tributaries, rather than a single river. [2]
Beginning the reversal of decades of unrestricted pollution, the bay was designated an estuary of national significance by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for its fringe of mangrove and its prolific mud flats: more than 200 species of fish are to be found in Tampa Bay and 25 species of birds make it their year-round home. Mangroves (generally are Trees and Shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the Tropics and Subtropics. The warm water outfalls of power plants bordering the bay draw one out of every six endangered manatees to spend the winter. Manatees ( family Trichechidae, Genus Trichechus) are large fully aquatic Marine mammals sometimes known as sea Equally significant though less immediately visible is the role of the Bay's waters as nurseries for shrimp and crabs, as well as less commercial invertebrates. True shrimp are swimming decapod Crustaceans classified in the Infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh
Two National Wildlife Refuges are located in Tampa Bay: Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge and the refuge on Egmont Key. National Wildlife Refuge is a designation for certain Protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The Pinellas National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System located off shore from St Egmont Key State Park is a Florida State Park located on Egmont Key, at the mouth of Tampa Bay, in the state of Florida, United States Most of the smaller islands in the Bay are off-limits to the public, due to their fragile ecology and their use as nesting sites for brown pelicans, herons, egrets, Roseate spoonbills, cormorants and others. The brown pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis) is the smallest of the eight species of Pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard The herons are wading Birds in the Ardeidae family Some are called Egrets or Bitterns instead of herons This is an article about a type of bird For the EGRET satellite mission see Energetic Gamma Ray Experiment Telescope. The Roseate Spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja, sometimes separated in the Monotypic Genus Ajaja) is a wading Bird of the Ibis The Bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 Species of cormorants and shags. The Tampa Bay Estuary Program keeps watch over the Bay's health. [3]
Transportation
Due in large part to the Port of Tampa and the dredging of more than eighty miles of deep-water shipping channels, seaborne commerce has historically been a large part of the Tampa Bay Area’s economy. The Port of Tampa is located on the western coast or Suncoast of Florida, approximately 25 miles from open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Tampa Bay Area, or Tampa Bay, after the body of water it surrounds is the second most populated metropolitan region in the state of Florida, the The area boasts the largest port in Florida and the 10th largest in the nation – the Port of Tampa. Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the The Port of Tampa is located on the western coast or Suncoast of Florida, approximately 25 miles from open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The port accommodates half of Florida’s cargo in the form of bulk, break bulk, roll-on/roll-off, refrigerated and container cargo. Cargo (or freight) refers to goods or produce transported generally for Commercial gain by ship, aircraft, train, See also Merchant ship Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro Ships are ferries designed to carry wheeled Cargo such as The port also has a large ship repair and building industry, and recently expanded cruise facilities.
The Port of Manatee, with more refrigerated dockside space than any other Gulf of Mexico port, is the closest of the three Tampa Bay deepwater ports to the Panama Canal. The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The Panama Canal is a man-made Canal in Panama which joins the It is also one of the state's busiest, ranking fifth among Florida's fourteen seaports in total annual cargo tonnage.
The Port of St. Petersburg is home to a U.S. Coast Guard station. The smallest of Florida’s ports, it operates as a landlord port managed by the city of St. Petersburg. St Petersburg (often shortened to St Pete) is a city in Pinellas County Florida, United States.
Bridges that cross Tampa Bay
- Sunshine Skyway Bridge
- Gandy Bridge
- Howard Frankland Bridge
- Courtney Campbell Causeway
- Clearwater Bayside Bridge
See also
- Battle of Tampa, an American Civil War naval battle in Tampa Bay. The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, spanning Florida's Tampa Bay, is the world's longest bridge with a cable-stayed main span with a length of 29040 feet The Gandy Bridge spans Tampa Bay from St Petersburg Florida, USA to Tampa Florida. The Howard Frankland Bridge carries Interstate 275 over Old Tampa Bay. The Courtney Campbell Causeway is the northernmost bridge across Old Tampa Bay, carrying State Road 60 between Clearwater and Tampa. The Bayside Bridge crosses over the northwesternmost end of Tampa Bay, connecting Clearwater Florida and Largo Florida. The Battle of Tampa was a minor engagement of the American Civil War fought June 30 &ndash July 1, 1862, between the United States Navy 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 A naval battle is a Battle fought using Ships or other waterborne vessels
- St. Petersburg Pier, a tourist attraction that juts into the bay from downtown St. Pete
- Bayshore Boulevard, street near Downtown Tampa that runs along the bay, world's longest sidewalk
References
- ^ The Bay averages only 11 feet (3. The St Petersburg Pier, simply called " The Pier " by locals is a major tourist destination in downtown St St Petersburg (often shortened to St Pete) is a city in Pinellas County Florida, United States. Bayshore Boulevard is a street in Tampa Florida, along Hillsborough Bay an arm of Tampa Bay. Downtown Tampa, is the Central business district of Tampa, Florida and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. 4 m) deep, however (Tampa Bay Estuary Program website).
- ^ GulfBase: Tampa Bay and Keys
- ^ Tampa Bay Estuary Program website.
External links
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