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53 ≋ Florida (Fig. 3.1). The Chattahoochee River has 13 dams and the Flint River has 3 dams. The Apalachicola River, 21st in flow magnitude in the conterminous United States, is one of the few alluvial systems that is not dammed. The river flows 171 km from the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint rivers (at the Jim Woodruff Dam) to its terminus in the Apalachicola estuary (Fig. 3.1). Mean flow rates approximate 690 m3 /s (1958–1980) with annual high flows averaging 3000 m3 /s (Leitman et al. 1982; Leitman et al. 1991). The forested flood plain, with an area of about 450 km2 , is the largest in Florida (Leitman et al. 1982). Forestry is the primary land use in the flood plain (Clewell 1977). Other activities include minor agricultural and residential use, beekeeping, tupelo honey production , and sports and commercial fishing (Livingston 1983, 1984, 1985b). The Apalachicola estuary (Fig. 3.2) is about 62,879 ha in area and is a shallow lagoon and barrier-island complex oriented along an east–west axis. Water movement is controlled by wind currents and tides as a function of the generally shallow depths (Livingston 1984; Livingston et al. 1999; Livingston et al. 2000). Upland marshes grade into fringing grass beds, soft-sediment areas, and oyster reefs. A series of passes are control points for interactions of the bay with the Gulf of Mexico; these passes, together with river flows and bay configuration, have major effects on the salinity structure of the system (Livingston 1983, 1984, 1985a). The Apalachicola River dominates water quality in the bay system. The river represents the chief source of freshwater input and is a major source of coastal Temperate, river-dominated estuaries are among the most productive and economically valuable aquatic resources in the world. However, alluvial systems have been seriously damaged by various human activities. Estuarine primary production, based on loading of nutrients and organic compounds from associated rivers, is one of the most important processes in river-dominated estuaries (Howarth 1988; Baird and Ulanowicz 1989; Livingston et al. 2000). Nutrient input from river sources has been closely associated with autochthonous phytoplankton production . River-driven allochthonous particulate organic matter maintains detritivorous food webs in estuaries (Livingston 1983, 1984, 1985a). However, the relative importance of various sources of both inorganic nutrients and organic carbon (dissolved and particulate) can vary from estuary to estuary (Peterson and Howarth 1987). These differences can be related to the specific tidal and hydrological attributes of a given system (Odum et al. 1979). Human sources of such compounds often have the exact opposite effect leading to hypereutrophication, plankton blooms, deterioration of the estuarine food webs, and loss of secondary production (Livingston 2000, 2002, 2005). Apalachicola River Basin The Apalachicola River–Apalachicola Bay system is part of a major drainage area (the Chattahoochee–Flint– Apalachicola basin) of about 48,500 km2 located in western Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and northern 3 Ecosystem-Based Management of the Apalachicola River–Apalachicola Bay System, Florida Robert J. Livingston 54 ~ Livingston productivity in the region (Livingston 1976a, 1983, 1984, 1985a, 1985b; Livingston et al. 1997; Livingston et al. 1999; Livingston et al. 2000). River Flows and the Apalachicola Flood Plain The Apalachicola River system has the greatest flow rates of all the river drainages along the northeastern Gulf. The importance of freshwater flows to the Apalachicola flood plain has been extensively studied (Cairns 1981; Elder and Cairns 1982; Mattraw and Elder 1982; Light et al. 1998). Apalachicola River nutrient loading to the estuary is the highest of the major alluvial river systems along the Gulf coast of Florida (Livingston 2000), and it remains relatively high without apparent hypereutrophication in the bay. River flow rates from 1950 to 2003 (Fig. 3.3) have been characterized by several major drought events (in 1954–1955, 1968–1969, 1980–1981, 1987–1988, 1999– 2001, 2006–2007, and 2010–2011). In terms of river flow, the most recent droughts were the most extreme, with relatively low minimum and maximum rates of flow. On the basis of a long history of management efforts (Livingston 2002), the river flood plain remains largely intact, a notable exception to the condition of many alluFigure 3.1. The Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint drainage basin showing location of cities in the tri-state (Florida,Georgia, and Alabama) area. Figure 3.2. The Apalachicola Bay system showing location of East Bay wetlands (Tate’s Hell Swamp) and sampling stations for longterm studies (1972–1991). [3.145.130.31] Project MUSE (2024...

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