Galveston Bay By Amanda Schaffer Galveston Bay Galveston

Galveston Bay By Amanda Schaffer

Galveston Bay

Galveston Bay • A subtropical estuary located on the • southeastern shore of the upper Texas Gulf Coast Consists of Five Subbays – – – Trinity Upper Galveston Lower Galveston East West

More on Galveston Bay • Consists of 384, 000 acres • Surrounds 1, 171 miles of shoreline • Fed by two major rivers – Trinity – San Jacinto • Bordered by – Low-lying wetlands – Two barrier islands – Peninsula

Condition of the Estuary • Overall quality is rated fair based on 4 indices – Water Quality (poor) – Sediment Quality (fair to poor) – Benthic (fair) – Fish Tissue (good to fair)

Indices

Water Quality

Conclusion • Though overpopulated area, the esturary remains productive and healthly • Overall quality is fair • Not threatened by eutrophication • Nutrient concentrations are decreasings in areas of the estruary • Several aquatic species show stable trends in abundance

Conclusion cont… • Galveston Bay isn’t degrading when it comes to increasing concentrations of pollutants, trends are mixed – Concentrations are decreasing in most polluted areas of Galveston Bay – Concentrations are rising in unpolluted areas

Future Focus of Galveston Bay • Habitat conservation • Pollution control – In expanding populated areas • Land-use patterns trend to urbanization of the area

Questions ? ? ? ? ? References: http: //www. epa. gov/owow/oceans/nepccr/p df/nepccr_gom_partg. pdf http: //images. google. com/imgres? im gurl=http: //www. awhitetexaspelican. com/im ages/attractions/fishingpier 1. JPG&imgrefurl=http: //www. awhitetexaspe lican. com/lo_pier. html&usg=__5 h. Xk. DWbdoy _Atp. UMUo. SMV 9 Nitw=&h=451&w=600&sz=46&hl=en&s tart=13&sig 2=7 t. WBm. SEQuqze. J 4 a. Iu. Rm 2 w&um=1&tbnid=LEGGq. A 8 Nr. D 8 I 2 M: &tbnh=101&tbnw=135&prev=/images %3 Fq%3 DGalveston%2 BBay%2 Bpictures% 26 hl%3 Den%26 sa%3 DX%26 um%3 D 1&ei= Sf. Pg. SYj-J 6 b. Wl. Qe. M 7 Zi. QDg