WCA - Everglades Conditions Update – 21 April 2009

 

Rainfall:

Rainfall was significant in the northern reaches of the EPA.  ET was 1.88 (see srs pdf), only WCA-1A had a surplus water budget for the week.

 

Rain:                            WCA-1:         1.94 in            WCA-3A:          0.92 in

                                    WCA-2A:       0.48 in            WCA-3B:          1.19  in

                                    WCA-2B:       0.55 in             ENP:                 0.37 in

 

Water Conservation Areas:

Water levels are falling at rates considered Fair or Good for wading bird foraging in WCA-3 (see WCA Stages spreadsheet), but in WCA-1 the rainfall on April 20-21 caused a general reversal of some 0.10 to 0.20 ft over a single day (compare Raindar 4-20-09 with Raindar 4-21-09):

 

Stage Change:             WCA-1:          +0.06 ft             WCA-3A:        - 0.01 ft

                                    WCA-2A:       -0.00 ft              WCA-3B:         - 0.07 ft

                                    WCA-2B:       -0.13 ft               NESRS:           - 0.11 ft

 

All WCAs are below their regulation schedules (see Reg schedule).

 

Despite the recent rains, water depths continue to be largely below ground in much of the EPA (see attached Depth Map.png).  Water is still available for foraging by wading birds in WCA-1 and WCA-3A and 3B.

 

As water depths continue to decline, there is a loss of peat through decomposition and a higher possibility of muck fires. Most of the EPA continues to be in the muck fire risk category (see MuckFire.png).

 

 

Everglades National Park (ENP):

 

Very little rain fell across ENP and FL Bay last week and, as a result, stages continued to drop last week.  Water levels in Shark River Slough and at the Taylor Slough Bridge dropped by 2.5” and 4.2”, respectively.  To the south, water levels in the ENP panhandle and at Craighead Pond dropped by 2.9” and 2.8”, respectively.

 

Salinity mostly increased in FL Bay last week.  In the nearshore eastern Bay, salinity increased into the upper 30s in Long Sound and at the Little Madeira Bay, and remained in the upper 30s farther into the Bay at Duck Key.  The 30 d moving average salinity at the Taylor River platform (used for tracking the FL Bay MFL) increased from 28.0 psu (4/12) to 30.2 psu (4/19), and the daily mean salinity stands at 34.6 psu (4/19).  NOTE: this week’s TR 30 d moving average salinity value has exceeded the FL Bay MFL criterion of 30 psu, and the timing of this year’s exceedance comes more than a month earlier than in 2008 when the FL Bay MFL was exceeded on 5/24 (see Salinity.pdf).  At the central Bay platform in Whipray Basin, salinity increased to 47 psu.  Please contact Kevin Cunniff (kcunniff@sfwmd.gov) or Robin Bennett (rbennet@sfwmd.gov) for questions about the ENP/Florida Bay report.

 

Fires:

For another week, no fires were reported by FIRMS (the Fire Information for Resource Management System) in the WCAs or the Park for the week.

 

Wildlife:

Nothing has changed from last week. Wading bird feeding conditions remain good in most of WCA-1 and central WCA-3A and -3B (see Recession.png).  Large mixed flocks were again observed feeding in eastern WCA. As reported last week, overall Spoonbill nesting in Fl Bay is low, but success rates (chicks fledged per nest) were good.  Many of the foraging areas in the southeast Everglades continue to be too dry for the birds to forage. 

 

 

 


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