Mobile Estuary EarthCache
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What is an Estuary? The cache is located at the D’Olive Boardwalk Park (Gator Alley)
What is an estuary? An estuary is "a semi-enclosed coastal body of water, which has a free connection with the open sea, and the sea water is measurably diluted with freshwater derived from land drainage". The next time you look at the geocaching map check out the shape of Mobile Bay. Mobile Bay is almost entirely surrounded by land. The bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico; it’s mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. Fresh water enters from the Mobile River and Tensaw River.
What is an estuary? An estuary is "a semi-enclosed coastal body of water, which has a free connection with the open sea, and the sea water is measurably diluted with freshwater derived from land drainage". The next time you look at the geocaching map check out the shape of Mobile Bay. Mobile Bay is almost entirely surrounded by land. The bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico; it’s mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. Fresh water enters from the Mobile River and Tensaw River.
Mobile Bay is the fourth largest estuary in the United States with a discharge of 62,000 cubic feet of water per second. Mobile Bay covers 413 square miles, is 31 miles long with a maximum width of 24 miles. The deepest areas of the bay are located within the shipping channel, sometimes in excess of 75 feet and the overall average depth of the of the bay is 10 feet.
Estuaries provide habitats for a large number of organisms, fish nurseries and supports migratory bird populations. Two of the main challenges of estuarine life are the variability in salinity and sedimentation. Many species of fish and invertebrates have various methods to control or conform to the shifts in salt concentrations. Some of the wildlife burrows into the bottom of the estuary to avoid predation and to live in the more stable sediment. The uniqueness of an estuary provides a home for aquatic life that can live in a combination of salt and fresh water. A salt/fresh water mixture is termed brackish.
The cache is located at the D’Olive Boardwalk Park (Gator Alley): The best access to the cache’s boardwalk is along North Main Street near the Exxon gas station. Parking is provided for visiting the boardwalk. This area is open and free to the public from sunrise to sunset. Permission was granted by Daphne, AL – Parks & Recreation, Director David M.
To claim this cache email the following.
1. Identify the type of water that is by this cache.
2. Indicate the effect this water has on Mobile Bay.
Optional: E-mail a picture of the imprinted amphibian that is located at ground zero. This amphibian can tolerate living in salt water for a limited amount of time but is more apt to live in tidal zones where the fresh water meets the sea water. Do not attach the picture to your log. If you take a clear picture it appears as if one of these amphibians is setting there. If your picture is blurry and out of focus e-mail the picture and indicate the common name of the amphibian.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)