Weekly
Estuarine Conditions Update
As of April 13, 2009
St. Lucie Estuary
Current Conditions:
Over the past
week, no flow was discharged at S-80. Discharge from the
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Envelope |
|
20.7 (20.3) |
21.1 (21.3) |
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
23.8 (23.2) |
|
|
|
26.2 (25.8) |
26.5 (26.1) |
8.0 – 25.0 |
A1A Bridge |
30.4 (30.3) |
32.1 (31.7) |
20.0 – 31.0 |
Salinity throughout the estuary remained about the same with last week. At both the Roosevelt and A1A Bridges, weekly average salinity is slightly above the upper bound of the preferred range. Salinity conditions in the estuary are considered to be fair considering the time of year, the location in the estuary, and salinity preference of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica.
Caloosahatchee Estuary
Current Conditions:
During the past week, discharge averaged 578 cfs at S-79, 493 cfs at S-78, and 903 cfs at S-77. The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant was 120 ppm yesterday. The current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the six monitoring sites in the Caloosahatchee Estuary are given below in parts per thousand (ppt), along with the previous week’s (in parenthesis).
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
||
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
|
5.5 (5.5) |
6.4 (6.2) |
Rt. 31 Bridge |
7.6 (7.5) |
9.0 (9.0) |
I-75 Bridge |
9.7 (9.4) |
11.4 (13.0) |
|
17.8 (18.6) |
18.6 (19.0) |
|
25.9 (26.3) |
26.9 (27.0) |
Shell Point |
34.2 (34.3) |
35.2 (35.2) |
A 7-day pulse
release at S-79 began on Saturday, 4/11/09. Average salinity remained about
the same for most part of the estuary except for a slight decrease between
FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) reports that water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas
and Monroe counties contained no K. brevis. (www.floridamarine.org).
Monitoring data collected by the River, Estuary and Coastal Observing Network
(RECON) of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation
(SCCF) indicated chlorophyll at Ft. Myers
and Shell Point ranged from 1 to 7 mg/L (dissolved oxygen was
unavailable) (www.recon.sccf.org).
click on “Current Week”
click on “Technical Summary”
scroll to the bottom and click on “Coastal Ecosystems”