WCA - Everglades Conditions Update
(March 18,
2008)
Rainfall:
Rainfall amounts
were relatively light throughout the Greater Everglades (see Raindar.gif). WCA-1 received 0.27” and WCA-2A and WCA-3A
each received 0.19” of rainfall. WCA-2B and WCA-3B received 0.29” and
0.06” respectively. Rainfall amounts in ENP were even lighter with only
0.06” being reported for the region.
Water
Conservation Areas:
Water depths
remain above one foot at many of the reported gages and are above the optimum
depths for wading bird foraging (see WCA_Stages_03-18-08.xls).
However, there are “Good” water depths and recession rates in NW WCA-3A
and “Good” water depths and “Fair” recession rates in southern WCA-3B. It
is still early in the nesting season and it is hoped that these current
hydrologic conditions we are experiencing for most of the WCAs will have a
minimum impact. Stages in WCA-1 and WCA-2A remain above regulation, and
WCA-3 stages are right at the bottom end of the E1 regulation schedule (see WCA_reg_stages.doc). There
have been some fires reported in WCA-3A south of I-75 (see WCA3A-Fires.bmp for location).
Everglades National Park:
Rainfall across ENP & FL Bay last week was very light (0.06”
spatial average across the region). As a result, water levels across ENP
wetlands continued to decline last week. One exception is at P33 (in SRS)
where there was a brief downpour of nearly 1.6” on 3/11. Despite the rain
event in SRS, stage was down by 1.2” at station P33 last week. At Taylor Sl.
Bridge water level
dropped by another 3.4” in the past 7 d (not an uncharacteristic decline for
this area). To the south, water level declined by 0.8” in Craighead Pond
and by 1.3” in the ENP panhandle (station EVER6)
Data problems persist with
some of the ENP marine platforms for salinity data. Salinity
concentrations remained generally stable or increased slightly last week at
stations in Florida
Bay for which data was
available. Salinity remained in the
upper-20s to near 30 psu at Trout Ck., and held in the lower-20s at the mouth
of Taylor River last week. Salinity
concentrations in the Taylor
ponds increased at the end of last week, up to 15 psu in Pond 5. In the
north central Bay areas of McCormick Ck. & Terrapin Bay salinity climbed
throughout the week upwards of 30 psu. Salinity in the central Bay, at Whipray Basin, has climbed rapidly in recent
weeks, and is now approaching 40 psu (measuring 38.4 as of Sunday, 3/16).
As a whole these regional salinity concentrations are near seasonal
norms. The exception to this near-normal trend is in areas downstream of
Shark River Slough where salinity measured just above 20 psu in Tarpon Bay as of Sunday, 3/16,
a concentration that is above normal for this time of year. This is not
surprising given the low water levels and flows through SRS this water year.
Wildlife:
There are no new updates to
report. However, there is a general consensus that this year will be a
bad nesting year for both Wood Stork and Roseate Spoonbills.
We had a tragic plane crash this
last week where three FAU graduate students were killed. They were all
part of a larger program to study bird foraging and nesting behaviors within
the Everglades and Lake Okeechobee
marshes. The District has relied on this group to help us understand and
to report bird populations during the dry season nesting period. It is a
great loss and one that shows how we as a scientific community are integrally
linked. The following is a memorial site that was set up in their
honor. Make sure you have the sound on.
http://www.science.fau.edu/biology/gawliklab/memorial.html
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