Weekly
Estuarine Conditions Update
As
of October 5, 2009
St. Lucie
Estuary &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
;
Current Conditions: <=
span
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";mso-fareast=
-font-family:
"Times New Roman"'>
Over the past week, flow average=
d 89
cfs at S-80 and 0 cfs at
S308. Provisional data indicates that discharge of 121 cfs occurred at S-97 on C-23 and 0 cfs
at S-49 on C-24. The current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the four
monitoring sites in the St. Lucie Estuary are given below in practical sali=
nity
units (psu), along with the previous week’=
;s (in
parenthesis).
|
|
Weekly Average Salinity (psu) |
|
|
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Envelope |
|
Palm City Bridge (S. Fork) |
5.8 <=
/span>(2.7) |
7.9 (4.2) |
|
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
8.9 =
; (4.5)
|
14.7 |
|
|
Roosevelt Bridge |
12.3 (8.4) |
15.5 =
(10.9) |
8.0 – 25.0=
|
|
A1A Bridge |
18.1 (15.1) |
24.1 (23.4) |
20.0 – 31.0 |
Average salinity increased over =
the
last week. Weekly average salinities at Roosevelt Bridge and A1A Brid=
ge
(bottom salinity) are within the preferred range, surface salinity at A1A
Bridge is below the preferred range. Salinity conditions in the estua=
ry
are fair to good considering the time of year, the location in the estuary,=
and
salinity preference of the oyster, Crassostrea<=
/span>
virginica.
Caloosahatchee Estuary
&n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp;
Current Conditions:
During the past week, flow avera=
ged
929 cfs at S-79, 434 cfs at
S-78, and 0 cfs at S-77. The concentration of
chlorides at the Olga Plant was 51 ppm
yesterday. The current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the six
monitoring sites in the Caloosahatchee Estuary are given below in practical
salinity units (psu), along with the previous
week’s (in parenthesis).
|
|
||
|
Sampling Site |
|
|
|
Franklin Locks (S-79) |
0.2 <=
/span>(0.2) |
0.2 (0.2) |
|
Rt. 31 Bridge |
0.2 <=
/span>(0.2) |
0.3 =
(0.2) |
|
I-75 Bridge |
0.3 |
0.3 (0.5) |
|
Ft. Myers Yacht Basin |
NR &nbs=
p; (NR) |
NR (NR) |
|
Marker 52 |
2.8 <=
/span>(2.3) |
5.4 =
(8.7) |
|
Cape Coral Bridge |
7.9 <=
/span>(6.6) |
9.0 |
|
Shell Point |
21.6 |
22.7 (22.4) |
Conditions in the upper estuary =
west
of Ft. Myers remained similar to last week, with surface waters being fresh=
to
Marker 52. In the lower estuary salinity, salinity decreased in bottom
water and increased in surface water, except at Shell Point where salinity
increased at both sensors. Salinity conditions in the upper estuary a=
re
considered good. Salinities at the Cape =
Coral
Bridge are below the preferred range for the oyster, <=
i>Crassostrea
virginica, and the range preferred by seagrass, Halodule=
wrightii. Therefore, conditions in the lower
estuary are poor.
FWRI (Fish and Wildl=
ife
Research Institute) reports that Karenia brevis, the
Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected
this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Lee and Collier
counties or offshore of Sarasota County. Samples collected alongshore of
Sarasota County ranged from present to very low in five samples (out of 28
total samples). Two samples collected alongshore of Charlotte County also
contained background levels of K. brevis (research.myfwc.com/features/view=
_article.asp?id70).
Monitoring data
collected by the River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network (RECON) of
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF)
indicated that chlorophyll ranged from 4.0 – 11.0 ug/l
at Ft. Myers and 1.6 – 5.8 ug/l at Shell =
Point; Dissolved Oxygen ranged from 1.8 – 7.7 mg=
/l at
Ft. Myers and 3.0 – 6.7 mg/l at Shell Point (www.recon.sccf.org).
Biscayne Bay
Current Conditions:
Continuous salinity measurements=
are
now being measured at two sites in Biscayne Bay (see map in attached graphi=
cs
file). Data will be reported on a monthly basis. This initial report =
is
not particularly detailed but will be refined in the future, as more data is
accumulated. Salinity at both sites showed a general decrease for mos=
t of
the last month with the southern station, BBCW10, being more variable then
BBCW8. Recently salinity has begun to increase, most likely in respon=
se
to declining rainfall.
&n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp; =
; &n=
bsp;
|
|
|
|
|
Sampling Site |
|
|
|
BBCW8 |
|
|
|
BBCW10 |
|
|