WCA - Everglades Conditions Update

(Feb. 5, 2008)

 

Rainfall:

The past week brought no rain to the Greater Everglades (see Raindar.gif). With an average pan evaporation of 1.02” for the Greater Everglades (see srs.pdf), this was another deficit water budget week.

 

Water Conservation Areas:

GOOD dry-season recession rates continue to dominate the region (see WCA_stages.xls). The only region with POOR or FAIR recessions is NE Shark River Slough. Here, the hydrology is in spatial discourse, such that one region has a recession rate that is too fast, while another region has a recession rate that is too slow. And where, to make things even worse, GOOD depths are not corresponding to GOOD recession rates. Regulation stages remain where they have been for the last few months. Stages in WCA-1 are slightly below Regulation, WCA-2A remains above regulation, and WCA-3 stages continue to be significantly below regulation (see WCA_reg_stages.doc).

 

Everglades National Park:

ENP wetland water levels fell in response to this lack of precipitation.  Water level at Taylor Sl. Bridge dropped by 1.2”, falling to 1.8’ below ground surface.   Shark River Sl. (station P33) and southern Taylor Sl. (at Craighead Pond) also posted declines of nearly 0.75” and 1”, respectively.  The ENP panhandle saw the smallest weekly decline of only 0.1” (likely a residual effect of higher rainfall totals in this area the week prior).

 

Salinity concentrations increased slightly or remained stable in Florida Bay for another week.  Salinity remained in the lower-mid 20s at Trout Ck.  At the mouth of Taylor River salinity read just above 20 psu for much of the week. Data have been unavailable for the Argyle Hendry “TR” platform since 1/30, so a report on the 30 d running average concentration for MFL tracking is not possible.  The platform at Whipray Basin recorded increasing salinity in the central Bay, up to near 32 psu as of Sunday, 2/3.  As a whole these salinity concentrations are still near seasonal norms.  The exception to this trend is out west, in the SRS outflow at Tarpon Bay, where salinity remains above its seasonal average, measuring 15 psu as of Sunday 2/3. 

 

Wildlife:

Brynne Langan from Audubon’s Tavernier Science Center provided an update on a spoonbill nesting season that continues to be bleak in FL Bay.  Audubon staff found few active nests and heavy crow presence (predator of chicks) during their recent surveys of Frank, Clive, & Palm Keys, western colonies they had hoped would compensate for the low numbers of nests in other areas of the Bay.  No final nest productivity (chicks/nest) numbers are yet available for the colonies at Sandy, S. Nest & Deer Keys, but as so few nests were attempted Bay-wide, this is sure to be a historically low season for total productivity.

 


 

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