Blue Heron Bridge Trolls III
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Water was blue on the outside when I looked at the inlet webcam this morning. When I got in a boat on the south side of Peanut Island right before high tide, I still saw the same green water with a lot of suspended crud. The cruddy water seems to be a local event. I haven't had time to run around on the outside to see where it's coming from. I had previously thought that we were seeing debris water from Ian still getting washed up the edge of the gulf stream from further south where that storm did greater damage. Seeing the blue water on the inlet cam this morning makes me reconsider that theory.
Water at BHB comes from two places. On the incoming tide, it comes from the water in the Atlantic Ocean, via Lake Worth Inlet (AKA Palm Beach Inlet).
On the outgoing tide, the water comes from the ICW. The ICW gets extra cruddy when water is released from Lake Okeechobee. It picks up fertilizer runoff from the cane fields on it's way down here & that turbocharges bio growth.
Usually, the more rain we get, the more water gets released from Lake O. If we go more than a month with no rain (sometimes in the winter) then the ICW can actually get fully clear a few miles in. It's been at least the better part of a year since I've seen that.
Water at BHB comes from two places. On the incoming tide, it comes from the water in the Atlantic Ocean, via Lake Worth Inlet (AKA Palm Beach Inlet).
On the outgoing tide, the water comes from the ICW. The ICW gets extra cruddy when water is released from Lake Okeechobee. It picks up fertilizer runoff from the cane fields on it's way down here & that turbocharges bio growth.
Usually, the more rain we get, the more water gets released from Lake O. If we go more than a month with no rain (sometimes in the winter) then the ICW can actually get fully clear a few miles in. It's been at least the better part of a year since I've seen that.
Awhh.. the gulf stream, not the gulf of mexico..
I was thinking that during the BP Oil Spill there was fear that the oil would work its way out of the Gulf Of Mexico via the Loop Current, and then the Gulf Stream and wreak havoc on the beaches of south Florida, it never happened. Also, I am not that familiar with the west coast of Florida. I have been to Sanibel, Naples, and Tampa a few times. My impression was that the water inshore close to the beaches has high turbidity, i.e. low visibility. This does not result in poor visibility on the south east coast of Florida, whether it be the Keys or further north in Miami/Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties.
A couple points of Physical and Geological Oceanography to take it to account when considering if the inshore water on the east coast is affected by the inshore water of the west coast.
Point 1: The depth of water out to 200 meters off shore is considered the continental shelf. At 200 meters the depth falls off rapidly, this is considered the continental slope, see below for a generic drawing.
Point 2: For all intents and purposes, from Palm Beach Inlet to all the way down in the Keys, there is little to no continental shelf. The continental slope is less than ten miles away from the beaches, unlike the west coast of Florida, and the east coast of Florida north of Jupiter where the continental shelf is wide. See the below image. Notice the 200 meter bathymetry line hugs the east coast south of Jupiter down to the Keys and swings in a large arc well away from the west coast.
Point 3: The Loop current in the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream on the east coast, follow the 200 meter bathymetry line. Its unlikely that the west coast discharges of fresh water from Hurricane Ian are being brought over to the east coast, given this path of transportation of water from the Gulf of Mexico to the east coast of south Florida.
Cool Visualizations of Gulf Stream
A couple points of Physical and Geological Oceanography to take it to account when considering if the inshore water on the east coast is affected by the inshore water of the west coast.
Point 1: The depth of water out to 200 meters off shore is considered the continental shelf. At 200 meters the depth falls off rapidly, this is considered the continental slope, see below for a generic drawing.
Point 2: For all intents and purposes, from Palm Beach Inlet to all the way down in the Keys, there is little to no continental shelf. The continental slope is less than ten miles away from the beaches, unlike the west coast of Florida, and the east coast of Florida north of Jupiter where the continental shelf is wide. See the below image. Notice the 200 meter bathymetry line hugs the east coast south of Jupiter down to the Keys and swings in a large arc well away from the west coast.
Point 3: The Loop current in the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream on the east coast, follow the 200 meter bathymetry line. Its unlikely that the west coast discharges of fresh water from Hurricane Ian are being brought over to the east coast, given this path of transportation of water from the Gulf of Mexico to the east coast of south Florida.
Cool Visualizations of Gulf Stream
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Without knowing, I was wondering if the Gulf stream coming from the Gulf could bring poor vis to our coastal waters. After reading Pipehorses response, it doesn't seem likely.
After reading Pipehorse's post, I find it more likely that your original idea may be correct. His video shows the gulfstream sourcing water from the gulf.
Palm Beach is an area where the gulf stream is typically closer to shore than most anywhere else on the east coast of the US, but the actual western edge location varies quite a bit. Some days, it's 20 miles out. Some days, it's 5 miles out. On rare occasion, I've seen it less than a mile off the beach here.
The varying location of the gulf stream is the main reason why currents here are different every day. Prevailing current a mile outside the inlet is 2-3 knots north, but I've seen it north 6 & south 2 for no apparent reason.
Hurricane Ian certainly did stir up the ocean & move some things around. The fact that the water temperature here dropped by more than 10 degrees in a period of 2 days, then mostly returned to normal within about a week, indicates that water was pushed in here from a place that normally doesn't feed our inlet. I'm guessing it was deep water that got pushed in here, but that's just a guess.
Normally the gulf stream brings us nice warm clean water. Hopefully that will be the case again soon.
Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived 0810 for an 0930 high tide. The park was nearly empty, I don't know if that was due to the advisory, or because the visibility has just been lousy lately. I did not know about the advisory until reading about it here after I was done diving. In the past there has been speculation as to the time of day the water samples are taken. On an ocean beach it might not make that much of a difference, but at BHB the tide would make a big difference in the result of samples. I have an email in to the health department to see at what time of the day on 10/24 the last sample was taken. I did enter the water before the lifeguards were on duty. I do not recall seeing hazard flags up on the lifeguard stands. I went snorkeling afterward, and there were other people in the water, the lifeguards didn't say anything. Come to think of it, not sure I have seen lifeguards put up no swimming signs when there is an advisory? Only seen them put up those flags for lightning. Entered the water at 0825 on the westside. Visibility was much improved at 30ft, sea temp at 80f, there was some particulate in the water but small, not like the disgusting snot looking clumps on Sunday, I would describe the water color as blue-green. One of the least appealing aspects of diving BHB (IMHO) is the nearly continuous drone of boat motors, especially on the westside. For whatever reason, today was one of the most quiet days of diving I can remember at BHB. Did a REEF fish count 71 species in 70 minutes. I caught several species of jellyfish on video or still today. Jellyfish are often difficult for the camera to focus on because of their semi-transparent nature, but it seemed to work out pretty well today. Notwithstanding the water advisory I plan on diving the bridge tomorrow anyway. Respectively, Brown Comb Jelly, Unknown Bryozoan on a Green Feather Algae, Foureye Butterflyfish, Unknown Frillfin Species, Hardhead Catfish, Pygmy Seabass, Sailfin Blenny, Sea Nettle (i think). Sea Nettle, Unknown Comb Jellyfish, Downy Blenny Video, Sea Nettle Video, and Otherworldly Video.
When using auto focus here’s a technique that may help you when your camera has trouble locking on to a translucent subject. Aim you camera at something else that is the same distance from you as the object that you’re camera is unable to gain focus on. When that other object is in focus, lock the focus on your camera, then recompose on the translucent subject and make the exposure. For example, on black water dives where I’m often photographing tiny subjects, I’ll focus on my wedding ring, lock focus, then recompose on the tiny creature that I want to shoot. For larger subjects at a greater distance, I’ll focus on my fin or another object at approximately the same distance as the subject of my desire, lock focus, recompose, and release the shutter.
Went to the bridge for diving today. Arrived at 0810 for a 1017 high tide. The park was mostly empty. The advisory due to high bacteria count from 10/24 was still in effect according to a sign near the lifeguard stand. The lifeguard that usually arrives early to do a swim before going on duty, was doing just that, swimming back and forth in front of the beach (shows you what he thinks of the no swim advisory). From the seawall the water looked beautiful. Entered the water just east of the east lifeguard stand to snorkel trail at 0825. Visibility was 40ft, sea temp was 81f, and water color was 90% blue and 10% green, there was small amount of particulate in the water. Moon Jellyfish were absent for the most part, but there were many Comb Jellyfish throughout the water column. Did a REEF fish count of 50 species in 50 minutes on the snorkel trail. Exited on the westside, got my scuba on and returned to the water on the westside. Did another REEF fish count of 53 species in 65 minutes. Count was a little low for that amount of time because I spent the majority of the dive out in the algae patches looking for smaller subjects. Despite looking for smaller subjects I kept checking the water column frequently hoping for a Manta Ray, no luck, but I did observe a smaller Spotted Eagle Ray. Observed a few seahorses. a Spotfin Jawfish, a Juvenile Sea Robin (species yet to be determined), and a dozen smaller squid of a species that I could not determine because they took off rapidly when I approached, they were not Caribbean Reef Squid the species most commonly seen at BHB. The outstanding find of the day was a pair of Orange Filefish. A somewhat uncommon species at BHB and the ocean, they rarely allow a close approach but this pair seemed more concerned with hunting in the sand then my presence, so I guess it made up for the squid. IMHO once they issue a no swim advisory the water should be checked on the turn of every single tide, until the water is clean enough to the lift said advisory. Not retesting constantly is ridiculous given the size of the tidal prism of the waters surrounding Phil Foster Park. Respectively, Before snorkeling, Inshore Lizardfish, Juvenile Sea Robin, Lined Seahorse, Orange Filefish, Orange Filefish, Seahorse, Spotfin Jawfish, Juvenile Searobin video, and Orange Filefish video. And yes, definitely going diving at the bridge tomorrow.
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