Apalachicola
Drainage Basin Characteristics



  • The drainage basin is approximately 60,000 kilometers2 and encompasses the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee, and Flint Rivers. Drainage originates 800 kilometers north of Apalachicola, Florida
  • The Apalachicola River is the largest river in Florida and fourth largest in the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Precipitation averages greater than 50 inches per year and mean discharge at the Apalachicola River mouth is approximately 23,300 ft3/sec (Raney et al., 1985).
  • Modern bluffs on the east side of the tributaries are 150-225 feet above the valley floor
  • The drainage basin has significant relief with numerous perennial tributaries with bluffs that are hundreds of feet in elevation. The coastal plain is narrow (less than 75 kilometers). The lower reaches of the drainage basin are characterized by sandy substrates.
  • Grain-size analyses suggest the river is bed-load dominated.


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