Charlotte Harbor, USA
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Summary
Charlotte Harbor is a natural estuary and one of the most productive wetlands in Florida. Hypoxia in Charlotte Harbor is episodic and usually occurs during the July to September rainy season. It is caused by stratification due to freshwater inflow and high temperatures. Wet season hypoxia is suggested to also be partly caused by increased anthropogenic nutirent loads within the harbor.
In 2003 Hurricane Charley hit the Charlotte Harbor and Peace River. Hurricane Charley was followed by hypoxia and nearly anoxia in Charlotte Harbor two weeks after the landfall. Three weeks after the Hurricane Charley, another hurricane named Frances caused further damage and heavy rain in Charlotte Harbor. Two weeks after Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Jeanne arrived. Temporal patterns of hypoxia varied and it took approximately three months for the Peace River oxygen content to recover back to pre-hurricane levels. There appear to be no previous observations for the combination of widespread hypoxia in both the Harbor and throughout the majority of the watershed of the Peace River.
Type of regime shift
Ecosystem type
- Marine & coastal
Land uses
- Fisheries
- Conservation
- Tourism
Spatial scale of the case study
- Local/landscape (e.g. lake, catchment, community)
Continent or Ocean
- North America
Region
- Southwest Florida
Countries
- United States
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Key References
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Tomasko DA, Anastasiou C, Kovach C. 2006. Dissolved oxygen dynamics in Charlotte Harbor and its contributing watershed, in response to Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne - Impacts and recovery. Estuaries and Coasts 293 932-938.
