The derivation and use of Gulf Coast estuary watershed population estimates (1960-2010)

Reaggregation of county population data to hydrologic units was used to produce estuarine watershed population estimates. Estuarine watershed population estimates are presented for the following estuaries: Charlotte Harbor, FL; Tampa Bay, FL; Apalachicola Bay, FL; St. Andrews Bay, FL; Choctawhatchee Bay, FL; Pensacola Bay, FL; Perdido Bay, AL; Mobile Bay, AL; Calcasieu Lake, LA; Sabine Lake, TX; Galveston Bay, TX; Matagorda Bay, TX; San Antonio Bay, TX; Aransas Bay, TX; Corpus Christi Bay, TX. These estimates are for the years 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010. The methodology and data sets used to develop the estuarine watershed population estimates can be applied to most estuaries in the contiguous United States. A series of estuarine comparators (density per land area; per capita estuary volume) are developed from the watershed population estimates in order to underscore the utility of basin-wide comparators