Hydrographic and climatological study of Area M-3 - Ecological Survey of Area M-3

Abstract

In order to obtain information on the characteristics of water and climate that prevail in Galveston Bay, East Bay, and West Bay, established stations were sampled regularly. Information derived from samples included water temperature and salinity. Additional information of this nature was derived from other bay studies. Information on river flow, air temperature and wind were derived from publications. Water temperatures were found to follow air temperatures closely. The prevailing winds in all but two months were on-shore winds. Salinities were found to vary inversely with the volume of fresh water entering the bays from the Trinity River. West Bay, due to its locations, is affected less than the other bays by fresh water from the Trinity River. Vertical and horizontal salinity gradients were found to be the normal pattern in East Bay and Galveston Bay. West Bay, with two major passes to the Gulf of Mexico and with no major source of fresh water, normally maintained higher salinities than the other bays.