Salinity Distribution and Variation with Freshwater Inflow and Tide, And
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Salinity Distribution and Variation with Freshwater Inflow and Tide, and Potential Changes in Salinity due to Altered Freshwater Inflow in the Charlotte Harbor Estuarine System, Florida By Yvonne E. Stoker U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water-Resources Investigations Report 92-4062 Prepared in cooperation with the FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION Tallahassee, Florida 1992 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DALLAS L. PECK, Director For additional information, Copies of this report may be write to: purchased from: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Books and Open-File Reports Section Suite 3015 Federal Center 227 North Bronough Street Box 25425 Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Denver, Colorado 80225 CONTENTS Abstract 1 Introduction 1 Purpose and scope 3 Previous studies 4 Acknowledgments 4 Description of the study area and factors affecting salinity variation Freshwater inflow 4 Tide 7 Water density 8 Study methods 8 Salinity distribution in Charlotte Harbor 9 Salinity variations with freshwater inflow and tide 13 Variations with freshwater inflow 14 Tidal Caloosahatchee River 14 Upper Charlotte Harbor 17 Lower Charlotte Harbor 23 Variations with tide 23 Potential salinity changes due to altered freshwater inflow 24 Summary and conclusions 28 Selected references 29 Figure 1. Map showing study area and drainage basins 2 2. Map showing Charlotte Harbor and subarea boundaries 3 3. Map showing depth of the Charlotte Harbor estuarine system 5 4. Graphs showing daily mean discharge and monthly rainfall in the Peace, Myakka, and Caloosahatchee River basins, June 1982 to May 1987 6 5. Sketch showing generalization of highly stratified, partially mixed, and well-mixed salinity patterns in an estuary 8 6. Map showing location of continuous-record salinity stations and selected field measurement sites 10 7. Graph showing period of record at continuous-record salinity stations 11 8. Graph showing daily mean salinity at the continuous-record salinity stations, May 1983 to December 1986 11 9. Boxplot showing distribution of daily mean salinity at the continuous-record salinity stations 12 10. Boxplot showing distribution of salinity at stations in and near Charlotte Harbor, July 9-23, 1986 12 11. Boxplot showing seasonal distribution of daily mean salinity and daily range in salinity 13 12. Map showing tidal Caloosahatchee River 15 13. Graphs showing salinity profiles in the tidal Caloosahatchee River during various freshwater inflow conditions 16 14-17. Maps showing: 14. Near-surface and near-bottom salinity contours for July 13, 1982 17 15. Near-surface and near-bottom salinity contours for April 2-3, 1987 18 16. Near-surface and near-bottom salinity contours for July 15-17, 1985 18 17. Location of cross sections 19 Contents III 18. Cross-section showing salinity profiles from Boca Grande to the northern upper harbor during various freshwater inflows 20 19. Cross-section showing salinity profiles from the west bank to the east bank of the upper harbor during various freshwater inflows 21 20. Graphs showing vertical profiles of salinity during one complete tidal cycle on July 20-21, 1982 22 21. Cross-section showing salinity profiles in Pine Island Sound during various freshwater inflows 23 22. Cross-section showing salinity profiles in Matlacha Pass and San Carlos Pass during various freshwater inflows 24 23. Graph showing daily salinity and stage fluctuations during dry season conditions 25 24. Graph showing daily salinity and stage fluctuations during early wet season conditions 26 25. Graph showing instantaneous salinity at the submerged continuous-record salinity stations, July 8-22, 1986 27 Table 1. Regression equations relating daily mean salinity at selected stations to daily mean discharge 14 Contents IV Conversion Factors, Vertical Datum, Abbreviated Water-Quality Units, and Additional Abbreviations Multiply By To obtain inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter foot (ft) 0.3048 meter mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer square mile (mi ) 2.590 square kilometer cubic foot (ft3) 0.02832 cubic meter cubic foot per second 0.02832 cubic meter per second (ft3/s) cubic foot per second 0.02832 cubic meter per second per year f(ft3/s)/yr] per year million gallons per day 0.04381 cubic meter per second (Mgal/d) ton, short 0.9072 megagram Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as follows: °C = 5/9 x (°F-32) Sea level: In this report, "sea level" refers to the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD of 1929) a geodetic datum derived from a general adjustment of the first-order level nets of the United States and Canada, formerly called Sea Level Datum of 1929. Abbreviated water-quality units: |iS/cm microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius ppt parts per thousand Additional abbreviations: R 2 coefficient of determination Contents Salinity Distribution and Variation With Freshwater Inflow and Tide, and Potential Changes in Salinity due to Altered Freshwater Inflow in the Charlotte Harbor Estuarine System, Florida ByYvonne E. Stoker Abstract characteristics, resulting in a rapid increase in streamflow during rainfall and a rapid return to base flow, which in Charlotte Harbor is a shallow estuarine system in turn would cause more rapid changes in salinity before southwest Florida. The approximately 300-square-mile and after a storm. estuary has a drainage area of 4,670 square miles, an average depth of 7.0 feet, and receives inflow from three rivers the Peace, Myakka, and Caloosahatchee. The estuary INTRODUCTION currently (1991) supports large and diverse sport and commercial fisheries, as well as many environmentally Estuaries are characterized by salinity variations that sensitive species. The Charlotte Harbor basin is being range seasonally and areally from fresh to marine. These rapidly developed, with a 56-percent increase in popula variations are controlled by the timing and quantity of fresh tion projected between 1990 and 2020. This increase in water inflow and are influenced daily by tidal water motions. population will result in an increased demand for water supply, an increased wastewater output, and an alteration Diverse biotic communities are adapted to these fluctuations of runoff characteristics from the basin. The changes due to of salinity, and many species are dependent on estuarine population increases could ultimately affect the salinity salinity variations for survival. Many species are endemic to characteristics of the estuary. estuaries and many more spend at least part of their life cycle Salinity fluctuates in response to seasonal variation in estuaries. Most of the fish species valued by sport and in freshwater inflow from the rivers. Salinity generally was commercial fisheries spend some part of their life cycle in lowest during the July through September wet season and estuaries (Beaumariage and Stewart, 1977). Alterations in the was highest from January through March. Salinity also timing and amount of freshwater inflow to estuaries modify varied daily in response to tidal fluctuation. Peak salinity natural salinity patterns and can disrupt estuarine chemical occurred near floodtide stage, and minimum salinity and biological processes. occurred near ebbtide stage. The daily range in salinity at Charlotte Harbor (fig. 1) presently supports large and a site generally increased with increased freshwater inflow. Salinity was vertically stratified lower at the surface diverse sport and commercial fisheries. In 1987, commercial than near the bottom in the harbor during periods of high finfish and shellfish landings in Lee County (fig. 2) were the freshwater inflows. Stratification occurred to some degree sixth largest in the State, with an annual landing of 12.1 tons during the wet season at all measured sites, but was most (Florida Department of Natural Resources, written commun., pronounced at the northern and western parts of the upper 1988). The total annual landing for Charlotte County in 1987 harbor. Near-surface salinity was as much as 20 parts per was 3.5 tons. In Charlotte and Lee Counties, black mullet thousand lower than near-bottom salinity near the mouth comprised 66 and 62 percent, respectively, of total finfish of the Peace River during a period of high freshwater landings; blue crabs, 96 and 88 percent of shellfish landings inflow in June 1982. (excluding shrimp); and pink shrimp comprised 98 and 95 Changes in the basin due to increased population percent of shrimp landings, respectively. Snook, tarpon, that would likely affect salinity distribution in the harbor redfish, and spotted seatrout are important gamefish in the are a decrease in freshwater inflows and a change in runoff characteristics. A decrease in freshwater inflows would estuary (Florida Department of Administration, 1978). Salinity result in an increase in salinity. The upper limit on salinity in Charlotte Harbor is an important variable in seasonal increases would be the salinity in the Gulf of Mexico, but composition and abundance offish (Wang and Raney, 1971; hypersaline conditions could occur in some areas of the Fraser, 1981) and phytoplankton (Stoker, U.S. Geological harbor. Expansion of urban areas would affect the runoff Survey, written commun., 1992). Introduction 1 LAKE OKEECHOBEE THE EVERGLADES 27°45' - EXPLANATION PEACE RIVER BASIN BOUNDARY BASIN NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RAIN GAGE CONTINUOUS-RECORD STREAMFLOW STATION LOCK STRUCTURE MYAKKA AND NUMBER RIVER BASIN 27°00' - GULF OF MEXICO CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER BASIN Charlotte