. Ecology of Buzzards Bay : an estuarine profile . East Branch Kilometers Fig. Rivers and harbors of the Buzzards Bay system. (Table ) and is a partial reason for the high water quality of the bay. While Buzzards Bay has a water surface of about 550 km2 it is functionally divided be- tween open water (, the central bay area, 476 km2) and 27 major embayments (75 km2) (Table ). The embayments, because of their location and physical structure, are the areas first subject to coastal eutrophication; embayments have restricted circulation and smaller volume for dilution of nutri- ent
. Ecology of Buzzards Bay : an estuarine profile . East Branch Kilometers Fig. Rivers and harbors of the Buzzards Bay system. (Table ) and is a partial reason for the high water quality of the bay. While Buzzards Bay has a water surface of about 550 km2 it is functionally divided be- tween open water (, the central bay area, 476 km2) and 27 major embayments (75 km2) (Table ). The embayments, because of their location and physical structure, are the areas first subject to coastal eutrophication; embayments have restricted circulation and smaller volume for dilution of nutri- ent inputs from land. Most of the eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds and bivalve stocks are located in nearshore areas and embayments less than 5 m deep. In fact, about 3% of the "water" portion of the bay is actually tidal flat. The bay itself is rela- tively shallow with a mean depth of 11 m and a relatively uniform basin. The "terrestrial" portion of the system supports some significant salt marsh areas (for New England) primarily on the western shore. The overall ratio of bay surface to salt marsh is about 25, but in the isolated embayments (, Westport) the ratio is less than 3. Most of these wetlands remain "healthy," functioning as nutrient transformers and spawning and nursery grounds for fish and shellfish populations.
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