An Ecological Characterization of the Florida Panhandle ,- P,, P,, C Ct\$-.%1 *- J
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/ FWS Biological Report 88(12) OCS Study MMS 88-0063 An Ecological Characterization of the Florida Panhandle ,- p,, p,, c ct\$-.%1 *- J ". ALABAMA U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service and Minerals Management Service FWS Biological Report 88(12) OCS Study MMS 88-0063 An Ecological Characterization of the Florida Panhandle Authors Steven H. Wolfe Jeffrey A. Reidenauer State of Florida Department of Environmental Regulations Tallahassee, Florida and D. Bruce Means The Coastal Plains Institute Tallahassee, Florida Prepared under Interagency Agreement 14-1 2-0001-30037 Published by U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Minerals Management Service, New Orleans October 1988 DISCLAIMER The opinions and recommendations expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the Minerals Management Service, nor does the mention of trade names constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the Federal Government. Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Wolfe, Steven H. An Ecological characterization of the Florida panhandle. Biological report ; 88 (12)) 6 upt. of DOCS.no. : 149. 89/:88(12) "Performed for U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wild- life Service, Research and Development, National Wetlands Research Center, Washington, D.C. and Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Office, Minerals Management Service, New Orleans, LA." "October 1988." Bibliography: p. 1. Ecology--Florida. 2. Natural history--Florida. I. Reidenauer, Jeffrey A. II. Means, D. Bruce. Ill. National Wetlands Research CenterJU.S.) IV. Unitec! States. Minerals Management Service. Gulf of exlco OCS Reg~on.V. Title. VI. Series: Biological report (Washington, D.C.) ; 88 (12) Suggested citation: Wolfe, S.H., J.A. Reidenauer, and D.B. Means. 1988. An ecological characterization of the Florida Panhandle. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv. Biol. Rep. 88(12); Minerals Manage. Serv. OCS Study\MMS 88-0063; 277 pp. PREFACE This report is one in a series that provides an ecological description of Florida's gulf coasts. The watersheds described herein, with their myriad subtropical communities, produce many benefits to people. The maintenance of this productivity through enlightened resource management is a major goal of this series. This report will be useful to the many people who have to make decisions regarding the use of the natural resources of the area. Any questions or comments about or requests for this publication should be directed to the following: Information Transfer Specialist National Wetlands Research Center U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service NASA Slidell Computer Complex 1010 Gause Boulevard Slidell, Louisiana 70458 Public Information Unit (OPS-3-4) Gulf of Mexico OCS Region Minerals Management Service 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394 CONVERSION FACTORS Metric to U.S. Customary Multiply by To Obtain millimeters (mm) .............................0.03937 ............................ ~nches centimeters (cm) ................ 0 3937 ............................. inches meters (m) ...................................... 3.281 .............................. feet kilometers (km) ............................... 0.6214 .............................. miles square meters (mz)....................... 10.76 ................................. square feet square kilometers (kmz).................. 0.3861 uare miles hectares (ha) ................................ 2.471 ................................ acres liters (I) .......................................... 0.2642 .............. ...............gallons cubic meters (ma) ......................... 35.31 .................................. cubic feet cubic meters (ms) ..........................0.00081 10 ..................... acre-feet milligrams (mg) ............................... 0.00003527 ......................ounces grams (g) ....................................... 0.03527 .......................... ounces kilograms (kg) ....................... .. .... 2.205 ................................. ounds metric tons (mt) ........................2205.0 ..................... .............pounds metric tons (mt) ........................ 1.1 02 ...............................short tons kilocalories (kcal) ............................3.968 ..............................BTU Celsius degrees ................1.8("C) + 32 ......................Fahrenheit degrees U.S. Customarv to Metric Multiply by To Obtain inches ........................................ .25.40 ................................. millimeters inches ................................ 2 54 .................................centimeters feet (ft) .......................................... 0.3048 .............................. meters fathoms ..........................................1.829 ............................meters miles (mi) ...................................... 1.609 ................................kilometers nautical miles (nmi) ....................... 1.852 ...........................kilometers square feet (It?)............................... 0.0929 ..............................square meters acres .......................................... 0 4047 ..........................hectares square miles (mi.) ........................... 2.590 .............................. square kilometers gallons (gal) ................................... 3.785 ........................liters cubic feet (It,) ............................... 0.02831 ........................... cubic meters acre-feet ................................... 1233.0 ................................... cubic meters ounces (02) ................................. 28.35 ............... .................grams pounds (Ib) ..................................... 0.4536 .............................kilograms short tons (ton) ........................... 0.9072 ..............................metric tons BTU ................................................ 0.520 ..............................kilocalories Fahrenheit degrees ......................0.5556("F -32) ............... .Celsius degrees CONTENTS Page PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................... iii CONVERSION TABLE ............................................................................................................. iv FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................... xiii TABLES ................................................................................................................................................ xvi ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................................... xviii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................................. xix Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose and Organization .............................................................................................. 1 1.2 The Florida Panhandle: Overview ..........................................................................1 Chapter 2 Geology and Physiography 2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................3 2.2 Structure and Geologic Setting ...................................................................................... 5 2.3 Stratigraphy ................................................................................................................8 2.3.1 Igneous and Paleozoic Rocks ....................................................................................8 2.3 2 Mesozoic Era .......................................................................................................... 8 2.3.3 Cenozoic Era ....................................................................................................9 a . Paleocene Series ................................................................................................ 9 b . Eocene Series .................................................................................................... 9 c . Oligocene Series ..................................................................................... 10 d . Miocene and Pliocene Series .............................................................................11 e . Pleistocene to Recent ...................................................................................... 14 2.4 Physiography 2.4.1 The Northern Highlands .........................................................................................16 2.4.2 1-he Marianna Lowlands .......................................................................... 17 2.4.3 The Gulf Coastal Lowlands...................................................................................... 17 2.5 Regional Marine Geology ...................................................................................... 18 2.6 Local Marine Geology 2.6.1 Ochlockonee Bay .................................................................................................. 23 2.6 2 Apalachicola Bay .......................................................................................... 24 2.6.3 St . Joseph Bay ........... 24 2.6.4 St . Andrew Bay System ........................................................................................... 24 2.6.5 Choctawhatchee