Weekly Estuarine
Conditions Update
As of October 26,
2009
St. Lucie
Estuary
Current Conditions:
Over the past week, flow averaged 0 cfs at S-80 and 25 cfs at
S308. Provisional data indicates that discharge of 0 cfs
occurred at S-97 on C-23 and 0 cfs at S-49 on
C-24. The current weekly average salinities (in bold) at the four
monitoring sites in the St. Lucie Estuary are given below in practical salinity
units (psu), along with the previous week’s (in
parenthesis).
|
Weekly
Average Salinity (psu) |
|
|
Sampling
Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Envelope |
HR1
(N. Fork) |
19.8 (16.3)
|
21.1
(19.4) |
|
Roosevelt
Bridge |
21.4 (19.0)
|
22.3 (21.1)
|
8.0 – 25.0 |
A1A
Bridge |
28.4
(27.2) |
30.3
(29.2)
|
20.0
– 31.0 |
Average salinity increased over the last
week. Weekly average salinities at Roosevelt Bridge and A1A Bridge are
within the preferred range. Salinity conditions in the estuary are good
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, flow averaged 64 cfs at S-79, 0 cfs at S-78, and 243
cfs at S-77. The concentration of chlorides at the
Olga Plant was 58 ppm yesterday. The current
weekly average salinities (in bold) at the six monitoring sites in the
Caloosahatchee Estuary are given below in practical salinity units (psu), along with the previous week’s (in
parenthesis).
Weekly
Average Salinity (psu) |
||
Sampling
Site |
Surface |
Bottom |
Franklin
Locks (S-79) |
1.6
(0.5) |
1.7
(0.5) |
Rt.
31 Bridge |
1.8
(0.7) |
4.0
(1.0) |
I-75
Bridge |
2.1 (1.2) |
6.2
(2.4) |
Ft.
Myers Yacht Basin* |
8.9 (6.0) |
14.3 (8.7) |
Marker
52 |
9.3 (6.4) |
16.1 (10.1) |
Cape
Coral Bridge |
15.7 (14.3)
|
19.6 (16.0)
|
Shell
Point |
26.6
(26.0)
|
27.2 (26.8)
|
Sanibel |
29.7 (30.2) |
31.0 (31.1) |
*red values are estimated using a regression
relationship between salinity at Marker 52 and salinity at Ft. Myers
Salinity increased throughout the estuary
last week. Salinity conditions in the upper estuary are considered good. The estimated 30-day average salinity at Ft.
Myers is 4.9 psu.
Salinities at the Cape Coral Bridge are within the preferred range for
the oyster, Crassostrea virginica. Salinity at Shell Point and the
Sanibel Causeway indicate that conditions are good for seagrass in the lower
estuary and San Carlos Bay. Therefore, conditions in the lower estuary
and San Carlos Bay are good.
FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) reports that Karenia brevis, the
Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected
this week alongshore of Pinellas, Manatee, Charlotte and Collier counties or
offshore of Lee County. Six samples collected alongshore of Sarasota County
(out of 27 total samples) and three samples collected alongshore of Lee County
(out of 12 total samples) ranged from background to very low concentrations of K.
brevis. (research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=9670).
Monitoring data collected by the River, Estuary and Coastal
Observing Network (RECON) of Sanibel-Captiva
Conservation Foundation (SCCF) indicated that chlorophyll ranged from and 1.3 –
3.3 ug/l and Dissolved Oxygen ranged from 4.6 – 7.7
mg/l at Shell Point. Reading at Ft. Myers were
unavailable. (www.recon.sccf.org).
click on “Current Week”
click on “Technical
Summary”
scroll to the bottom and
click on “Coastal Ecosystems”