WCA - Everglades Conditions Update (Sept. 18, 2007)

 

Rainfall:

 

Most of the Water Conservation Areas received between 1.2” and 1.5” of rain, though WCA-2A had only 0.7” recorded.  This amount of rainfall was offset by the week’s evapotranspiration of 1.5”, producing very little change in water levels for the Everglades as a whole.  Precipitation totals at Everglades National Park wetland and marine platforms ranged from 0” – 3.5”, with a spatially averaged basin-wide accumulation of 1.2” for the week (see Raindar.gif).  

 

Water Conservation Areas:

Water depths are similar to last week’s (see WCA stages spreadsheet), ranging from 0.41’ in WCA-3A to 2.77’ in WCA-2B.  Most water depths are 1’ to 1.6’ in the WCAs, which are 0.5’ to 1’ below last year’s at this time. 

 

Stages (WCA Stages spreadsheet) rose somewhat in WCA-1, decreased slightly in WCA-2A and 2B, and remained overall about the same in WCA-3A.  They dropped a steep -0.24’ in WCA-3B (Site 76) but rose 0.11’ in Northeast Shark River Slough.  WCA-1 is still within Zone A2, WCA-2 is just below regulation, and WCA-3A is approximately 1’ below regulation (see WCA regulation stages). 

 

Everglades National Park:

Water levels across ENP wetlands (see ENP Stages pdf) were generally up again last week.  Water levels rose impressively in Shark River Slough (station P33) after 3.5” inches of rain produced just over a 2” rise.  A similar increase at Taylor Slough Bridge (up by 2.5”) occurred but is more common in this part of the system.  Craighead Pond (CP) water levels also rose 1.8”.  Water levels fell only in the ENP panhandle (station EVER6), where light weekly rainfall (~ 0.1”) could not offset high rates of ET.  

Salinity (see ENP salinity pdf) either changed little or declined slightly across Florida Bay last week.  Trout Creek salinity decreased throughout the week to just below 10 psu at the end of the weekend.  At the platform at the mouth of Little Madeira Bay, salinity remained near 20 psu.  It was very low at the Taylor ponds, under 1 psu at Argyle Hendry, Taylor River, and Pond 5.  Reported salinity in the north-central Bay areas of Terrapin Bay and McCormick Creek dropped last week, from the mid-30s early in the week to below 30 psu by the weekend (approaching 20 psu at McCormick Creek).  In the central Bay, Whipray Basin salinity stayed near 41 psu for another week.  To the north and west, Tarpon Bay (Shark River Slough outflow) salinity remained low, between 2 – 3 psu.

 

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