Estuarine Conditions as of November 18, 2008

 

St. Lucie Estuary

 

Current Conditions:

Over the past week discharge averaged 215 cfs at S-80. Discharge from the Lake at S-308 averaged 562 cfs.  Provisional data indicated an average discharge of 0 cfs at S-97 on C-23, and 165 cfs from S-49 on 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

Palm City Bridge (S. Fork)

5.31 (3.35)

   6.61 (5.41)

 

HR1 (N. Fork)

 11.27 (9.76)

 12.58 (15.38)

 

Roosevelt Bridge

 12.68 (11.82)

 14.06 (14.98)

8.0 – 25.0

A1A Bridge

 22.68 (18.66)

 25.09 (24.44)

20.0 – 31.0

  

Salinity increased throughout the estuary with a slight decrease in bottom salinities at HR1 and the Roosevelt Bridge during the past week.  Salinity at the Roosevelt and A1A Bridges are within the preferred range.  Salinity conditions in the estuary are considered to be good based on the salinity preference of the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and location in the estuary see graphic.  

  

Caloosahatchee Estuary

                                                         

Current Conditions:

During the last week, discharge averaged 433 cfs at S-79, 253 cfs at S-78, and 333 cfs at S-77.  The concentration of chlorides at the Olga Plant was 65 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

Franklin Locks (S-79)

   4.34 (4.31)

4.33 (4.47)

Rt. 31 Bridge

   5.14(3.70)

   5.46 (5.95)

I-75 Bridge

   5.58 (3.30)

6.59 (9.41)

Ft. Myers Yacht Basin

   9.44 (6.18)

   9.65 (13.72)

Cape Coral Bridge

 17.05 (12.77)

  17.80 (16.24)

Shell Point

 27.97 (23.53)

  27.50 (24.14)

 

Salinity increased throughout the estuary except for bottom salinities above Ft.Myers. Salinity conditions in the upper estuary east of Ft. Myers are good (30 day average at Ft. Myers = 5.81 ppt).  Salinities at the Cape Coral Bridge are within the preferred range for the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and well within the range tolerated by seagrass, Halodule wrightii.  Therefore, conditions in the lower estuary are good.  Salinity at Shell Point indicates that conditions are good in San Carlos Bay see graphic.

 

FWRI (Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) reports that water samples collected alongshore between Pinellas and Collier counties contained no K. brevis. Additional samples, collected offshore of Sanibel Island in Lee County, also 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 that over the last week Chlorophyll concentrations ranged between 3 and 27 µg/L at Ft. Myers and 1.6 to 4.0 µg/L at Shell Point.  The DO concentration at the two locations ranged from 5.0 to 9.9 mg/L (www.recon.sccf.org).

 

 

 

https://my.sfwmd.gov/portal/page?_pageid=1314,2554645,1314_19738269:1314_19738234&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

  

click on “Current Week”

click on “Technical Summary”

scroll to the bottom and click on “Coastal Ecosystems

 

 


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