Estuarine Conditions as of Sept 29, 2008
St. Lucie Estuary
Current Conditions:
During the last week, an average discharge of 858 cfs occurred at S-80 from C-44 and 971 cfs
at S308 with no discharge at S-97 from C-23 or S-49 from C-24. The
current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the four monitoring sites in the
St. Lucie are given below in parts per thousand (ppt),
along with the previous week’s (in parenthesis).
|
Weekly Average Salinity (ppt) |
|
|
Sampling Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Envelope |
|
1.14 (0.33)
|
2.08 (0.38) |
|
HR1 (N. Fork) |
4.73
(2.23) |
9.57 (5.45) |
|
|
7.02 (4.32) |
10.30 (6.36)
|
8.0 – 25.0 |
A1A Bridge |
16.49
(14.77) |
NR (23.42) |
20.0 – 31.0 |
Compared with the previous week, average salinity increased
about 0.7 ppt in the South Fork to about 3-4 ppt in the rest stations of the estuary. All four
monitoring stations are reporting salinities below the preferred range, except
for the bottom salinity at A1A Bridge. Salinity conditions in the estuary
are still considered to be poor based on the salinity preference of the oyster,
Crassostrea virginica,
and location in the estuary (see attached).
Caloosahatchee Estuary
Current Conditions:
An average weekly discharge of 5032 cfs
occurred at S-79, 3558 cfs at S-78, and 3655 cfs at S-77. The concentration of chlorides at the
Olga Plant was 53 ppm yesterday, up from 43 ppm at the beginning of this reporting period. 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 |
|
0.22 (0.24) |
0.22 (0.24) |
Rt. 31 Bridge |
0.22 (0.24) |
0.22 (0.24) |
I-75 Bridge |
0.25 (0.26) |
0.26 (0.27) |
|
0.24 (0.34) |
0.24 (0.36) |
|
1.76 (3.45) |
2.57 (5.17) |
Shell Point |
13.30 (16.66) |
17.42 (19.42)
|
In the estuary, freshwater conditions extend from S-79
downstream to
Compared with the precious week, a decrease in average
salinity of about 2-3 ppt occurred between
FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute)
reports that no Karenia brevis,
the
click on “Current Week”
click on “Technical Summary”
scroll to the bottom and click on “Coastal Ecosystems
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