How do bays form

The northern part of the bay is almost entirely fresh. It is fed by the outflow of the Susquehanna River, and is home to species such as catfish, which favor freshwater habitats. The bulk of Chesapeake Bay is brackish. The outflow of rivers mix with the tidal waters of the Atlantic.

The eastern oyster, one of the key aquaculture species of the area, thrives in brackish water. On the southern end of Chesapeake Bay, where it meets the Atlantic Ocean, the ecosystem is almost entirely marine. The blue crab, state crustacean of Maryland, is a mostly-marine species. Bays and People Bays are usually much calmer and more protected than seas or oceans. This makes them less likely to face severe damage from waves, tsunamis, and storm surge s.

Most bays make excellent harbor s and major port cities are often located on them. The bay at Mumbai, originally an archipelago , has been an important trading port between Europe and Asia for thousands of years. Some bays have been greatly altered by human activity. The geography of the San Francisco Bay has changed dramatically due to human activity in the 19th and 20th centuries, for instance.

During the California Gold Rush of the s and s, miner s in Northern California dumped tons of material into the rivers that empty into the San Francisco Bay. This material material included rocks and soil from mines, as well as chemicals used in the mining process. Eventually, all this material settled in parts of the bay. Wetlands and marsh es replaced the freshwater habitats throughout the bay, and pollution increased.

Industry in the 20th century has also changed the shape of the San Francisco Bay. Parts of the bay have been drained to create more land for housing and industry. Industries included salt evaporation ponds, mostly used to create material used in plastics and pharmaceutical s drugs and medicines.

Toxic chemicals used in the transportation industry were also manufactured on land reclaimed from the bay. San Francisco Bay is a strategic point in national defense, and the military has had naval and air stations there for almost a century. Pollution has altered the ecosystem of the bay, and introduced harmful chemicals into the bay, groundwater , and soil.

Today, there are more than a dozen Superfund sites in and around San Francisco Bay. Environmentalists hope the government will restore the natural bay habitat. Chesapeake Bay People are trying to restore and protect Chesapeake Bay as well. The Chesapeake's importance as a center of commerce , transportation, and industry predates the Revolutionary War.

Native Americans relied on the bay for fishing, trade, and communication long before that. Millions of people live on the Chesapeake Bay. The bay is anchored by the cities of Baltimore, Maryland, to the north and Norfolk, Virginia, to the south.

In between, rural and urban areas dot the bay. Millions more people live in the Chesapeake's watershed , which includes more than a dozen rivers besides the Susquehanna, such as the Potomac, James, and York.

Centuries of civilization have taken their toll. Chesapeake Bay has been polluted by sewage , wastes from industry, and runoff from chemicals used in agriculture. Parts of the Chesapeake Bay are occasionally " dead zone s" where there is little life below the surface waters. Pollution and dead zones are not only bad for the environment.

They also threaten the economy of the area. Maryland mussels and crabs are a major industry, harvested by fishermen called "watermen. However, due to overfish ing and pollution in the bay, the number of animals is shrinking. Thousands of Maryland and Virginia watermen are working with environmental groups and local governments to monitor and restore the habitats of Chesapeake Bay. This ensures a healthy and profitable resource endures for future generations.

Still, many remain worried about the future of Chesapeake Bay. Guantanamo Bay Guantanamo Bay is the largest bay on the southern side of Cuba, the largest island in the Caribbean Sea. Guantanamo Bay is a deep natural harbor that has tall, steep mountains separating it from the mainland of the island. Spanish conquistadores began exploring the area in the mids, but the bay wasnt discovered until Native Americans knew all about this rich natural resource.

Discordant and concordant coasts in Dorset. Related Topics Use the images below to explore related GeoTopics. Erosion of a Headland. What is Coastal Transportation? What is Longshore Drift? Please Support Internet Geography If you've found the resources on this site useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site.

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Geography Case Studies. Pin It on Pinterest. This process forms bays. A bay is an inlet of the sea where the land curves inwards, usually with a beach. Hard rock such as chalk is more resistant to the processes of erosion. When the softer rock is eroded inwards, the hard rock sticks out into the sea, forming a headland.

Erosional features such as wave-cut platforms and cliffs can be found on headlands, since they are more open to the waves. Bays are more sheltered with constructive waves which deposit sediment to form a beach. Cliffs are shaped through erosion and weathering.

Soft rock erodes quickly and forms gentle sloping cliffs, whereas hard rock is more resistant and forms steep cliffs. A wave-cut platform is a wide gently-sloping surface found at the foot of a cliff. A wave-cut platform is formed when the following occurs:.