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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