Pensacola Bay
Encyclopedia
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
located in the northwestern part of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, known as the Florida Panhandle
Florida Panhandle
The Florida Panhandle, an informal, unofficial term for the northwestern part of Florida, is a strip of land roughly 200 miles long and 50 to 100 miles wide , lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. Its eastern boundary is...
.
The bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, is located in Escambia County
Escambia County, Florida
Escambia County is the westernmost county in the U.S. state of Florida. The 2010 population was 297,619. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 296,772. Its county seat is Pensacola.- History :...
and Santa Rosa County
Santa Rosa County, Florida
Santa Rosa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 117,743, while a July 1, 2005, estimate placed the population at 143,105, an 18% increase making it the 84th fastest growing county in the United States between 2000 and 2005. ...
, adjacent to the city of Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, and is about 13 miles (21 km) long and 2.5 miles (4 km) wide.
The Pensacola Bay Bridge crosses the bay, connecting Pensacola to Gulf Breeze, Florida
Gulf Breeze, Florida
Gulf Breeze is a city located on the Fairpoint Peninsula in Santa Rosa County, Florida, United States and is a suburb of Pensacola which lies to the north, across Pensacola Bay. The population was 5,665 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,455. ...
. The Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore
Gulf Islands National Seashore offers recreation opportunities and preserves natural and historic resources along the Gulf of Mexico barrier islands of Florida and Mississippi. The protected regions include mainland areas and parts of 7 islands...
encloses part of the bay, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway
The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intracoastal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable inland waterway running approximately 1700 kilometers from Carrabelle, Florida, to Brownsville, Texas.The waterway provides a channel with a controlling...
runs through a section of the bay. Pensacola Bay leads into Escambia Bay
Escambia Bay
Escambia Bay is a bay located mostly in Santa Rosa County and partly in Escambia County, Florida, in the far western Florida Panhandle. The city of Pensacola is located on the western side, and the town of Milton is located on the northeastern end of the two-pronged bay. Both places are the...
to the north, and to the East Bay (Florida)
East Bay (Florida)
East Bay is a bay located in the far western Florida Panhandle.Milton, which is the county seat of Santa Rosa County, is located on the north end of the bay. Unusually, East Bay is connected to open waters via Pensacola Bay to its southwest...
. Pensacola Pass
Pensacola Pass
Pensacola Pass, separating mainland Florida from Santa Rosa Island, is the mouth of Pensacola Bay.Pensacola Pass forms a water passage that connects Pensacola Bay with the Gulf of Mexico to the south, in the U.S. state of Florida, east of the Alabama/Florida state line. The surrounding area is...
connects the Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.
History
After the War of 1812War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, Pensacola and Pensacola Bay were commissioned for fortification by the United States Government, and as a result Fort Barrancas
Fort Barrancas
Fort Barrancas or Fort San Carlos de Barrancas is a historic United States military fort in the Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically on Naval Air Station Pensacola....
, Fort McRee
Fort McRee
Fort McRee, was a historic military fort constructed by the United States, on the eastern tip of Perdido Key, to defend Pensacola and its important natural harbor...
, and the Navy Yard were built.
2010 Gulf oil spill
Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spillDeepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
(called the "Gulf oil spill"), the entrance to Pensacola Pass was closed,
with a floating barrier system in June 2010, to control tidal flow of oil entering from the Gulf of Mexico. The daily high tide
High Tide
High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Peter Pavli and Roger Hadden .-History:...
was causing oil-contaminated water to enter Pensacola Bay. The barrier system is designed to allow boats to travel through Pensacola Pass, during the outflowing tide, but close during the rising tide.
See also
- Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, FloridaPensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
- History of Pensacola, FloridaHistory of Pensacola, FloridaThe history of Pensacola, Florida begins long before the official founding of the modern city in 1698. The area around present-day Pensacola was inhabited by Native American peoples thousands of years before the historical area. The historical era begins with the arrival of Spanish exlorers in the...
Although this was the intial plan, the booming plan never happened. The Pass was only boomed for a day due to strong currents, the boom broke. No other plan was in place in areas of less current nor was their a plan to trap incoming oil, therefore oil product freely entered the pass.