Assuming it to be the bell weather that the wet season had begun.
 |
| As seen from Ochopee looking east on April 26th |
Never trust a cloud!
Apr 30, 2011
Never trust a cloud!
On Tuesday I took this photo …
Assuming it to be the bell weather that the wet season had begun.
The problem with the April and early May pop-up thunder showers is that they don’t produces enough rain (or a reliable return of it the next afternoon) to douse out the lightning strikes they create. Thus, the very same cloud that beckoned the end to our seasonal drought seems to have descended the swamp into the heart of its dry season instead in the form of a wildfire, just three days later a few thousand acres wide (and spreading.)
Never trust a cloud!
Assuming it to be the bell weather that the wet season had begun.
Never trust a cloud!
Apr 29, 2011
Ominous cold front
South Florida doesn't get much rain during the winter dry season ...
But when it comes, it can pack a punch.
This video shows you the front edge of the collision between cold continental air plunging south and humid tropical air streaming north, filmed back in early April. It brought lots of wind, an ominous layer of low clouds, and a quick burst of torrential rain ...
But fortunately no tornadoes.
But when it comes, it can pack a punch.
This video shows you the front edge of the collision between cold continental air plunging south and humid tropical air streaming north, filmed back in early April. It brought lots of wind, an ominous layer of low clouds, and a quick burst of torrential rain ...
But fortunately no tornadoes.
Apr 28, 2011
Opposite day: cypress "hills?"
Cypress domes are the low ground of the swamp, right?
Not from the vantage point of the pond apple.
To get back into the cypress you have to literally climb uphill.
But only about a half foot or so.
In a convoluted way that confirms what we see from the sky:
The illusion that cypress domes are actually rolling hills of high ground.
 |
| Pines in the forground (not the rolling hills of cypress behind) are the real high ground of the swamp |
Not from the vantage point of the pond apple.
To get back into the cypress you have to literally climb uphill.
But only about a half foot or so.
In a convoluted way that confirms what we see from the sky:
The illusion that cypress domes are actually rolling hills of high ground.
Apr 27, 2011
Meteorologic false start?
Has the wet season started early?
After all, April seems early for summer-style storms.
The sea breeze has been revving up full-blast in the afternoon spawning storms in the interior. I call those our “bread and butter” storms because they give us our daily dose of rain through the summer, starting around Memorial Day and running into October.
But we’re still a month away from Memorial Day, so what’s going on?
I wouldn’t be surprised to see another dry week or two kick in before the true wet season kicks in, but that’s only a guess.
Until then, the cumulonimbus clouds are a look into the future of a long summer ahead.
After all, April seems early for summer-style storms.
 |
| A strong sea breeze is fueling afternoon showers |
The sea breeze has been revving up full-blast in the afternoon spawning storms in the interior. I call those our “bread and butter” storms because they give us our daily dose of rain through the summer, starting around Memorial Day and running into October.
But we’re still a month away from Memorial Day, so what’s going on?
 |
| History says the true start of the wet season is still a few weeks away. |
I wouldn’t be surprised to see another dry week or two kick in before the true wet season kicks in, but that’s only a guess.
Until then, the cumulonimbus clouds are a look into the future of a long summer ahead.
Apr 26, 2011
Deepest part of glades gets shallow
There's one part of the Everglades that never goes dry ...
But this year it just might.
Southern Water Conservation Area 3A, the portion where water pools north of the Tamiami Trail, usually bottoms out toward the end of May at a slough depth of about one and half feet.
This year it's not even the end of April and water depths are already below a foot.
But unless this week is an anomaly, it looks like the wet season has begun.
Soon enough that could have water soaking back in.
Next step after that is to open the gates.
But this year it just might.
 |
| Will an early wet season save the day? |
This year it's not even the end of April and water depths are already below a foot.
 |
| The gates don't open, regardless, until July. |
Soon enough that could have water soaking back in.
Next step after that is to open the gates.
Apr 25, 2011
Turtle trap
Here's the turtle.
It gathered quite a crowd of onlookers unsure how to help.
Here's the trap.
It had two stone crabs in it, but whether they were alive or how long they were dead, I couldn't say. By the time I came back with my camera they were gone.
These situations leave you wondering what you can do to help.
Obviously in the case of this turtle, nothing. Conservation efforts are underway along the gulf coast beaches to help protect sea turtle habitat (i.e., roping off nests) but threats at sea (i.e., oil spill) await them, too. Here's an information bulletin from Padre Island National Seashore on the Turtles of the Gulf of Mexico.
It gathered quite a crowd of onlookers unsure how to help.
Here's the trap.
It had two stone crabs in it, but whether they were alive or how long they were dead, I couldn't say. By the time I came back with my camera they were gone.
These situations leave you wondering what you can do to help.
Obviously in the case of this turtle, nothing. Conservation efforts are underway along the gulf coast beaches to help protect sea turtle habitat (i.e., roping off nests) but threats at sea (i.e., oil spill) await them, too. Here's an information bulletin from Padre Island National Seashore on the Turtles of the Gulf of Mexico.
Apr 24, 2011
Tangled tale of the green sea turtle
Here's a sad story you never like to see.
This giant green sea turtle got caught in a crab trap and washed up on shore.
Actually, it didn't make it up on shore by itself, a few sunbathers spotted it and went out a good 200 feet to get a closer look, and then saw that it was caught to a rope and brought it back in. The rope which connects to the surface float was wrapped a couple times around one of its front flipper. There was some hope that it would be okay to swim but then it became apparent it was dead.
It was a good try anyhow.
This giant green sea turtle got caught in a crab trap and washed up on shore.
Actually, it didn't make it up on shore by itself, a few sunbathers spotted it and went out a good 200 feet to get a closer look, and then saw that it was caught to a rope and brought it back in. The rope which connects to the surface float was wrapped a couple times around one of its front flipper. There was some hope that it would be okay to swim but then it became apparent it was dead.
It was a good try anyhow.
Apr 23, 2011
Sort of grouchy
For as small as this hermit crab is ...
I'm not sure I'd want to get pinched either.
A couple tidal pools were full of them, then we'd walk for stretches without seeing any at all. But they were small enough too that most people walking by, even the shellers, didn't give them a second thought.
We also found this dead crab submerged in the sand. (And yes, we doubled checked to make sure that was the case!)
And also a fighting conch.
I'm not sure I'd want to get pinched either.
 |
| Can you see the two hermit crabs? |
We also found this dead crab submerged in the sand. (And yes, we doubled checked to make sure that was the case!)
 |
| Watch your step! |
And also a fighting conch.
Apr 22, 2011
Happy as a clam
What is it that makes clams happy ...
Or whether they can smile at all, I don't know?
All I can is that being at the beach during low tide makes me happy.
There's lots to see in the tidewater pools.
But you've got to look close:
The sea creatures are small. In this case we arrived at the beach at the bottom of a low-low, or in other words: about 3 feet lower than the high tide that preceded it 6 hours prior.
Or whether they can smile at all, I don't know?
 |
| Swimming in the gulf started early thanks to a warm spring |
All I can is that being at the beach during low tide makes me happy.
There's lots to see in the tidewater pools.
 |
| Of course, visiting northerners swim all year long ... almost. |
But you've got to look close:
The sea creatures are small. In this case we arrived at the beach at the bottom of a low-low, or in other words: about 3 feet lower than the high tide that preceded it 6 hours prior.
Apr 21, 2011
Pinecrest draws line in swamp
The swamp not only sends water south ...
It also percolates water down into the aquifers below.
The Pinecrest chain of hammocks forms a line in the swamp below which two aquifers take form: to the east is the Biscayne Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for Miami, and on the other side is the Tamiami Formation where, farther to the west, it's tapped by west coast lying towns of Naples and Ft Myers. Ground water is Florida's primary source of drinking water peninsula wide.
The video was filmed in winter when the cypress were still bare.
It also percolates water down into the aquifers below.
The Pinecrest chain of hammocks forms a line in the swamp below which two aquifers take form: to the east is the Biscayne Aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for Miami, and on the other side is the Tamiami Formation where, farther to the west, it's tapped by west coast lying towns of Naples and Ft Myers. Ground water is Florida's primary source of drinking water peninsula wide.
The video was filmed in winter when the cypress were still bare.
Apr 20, 2011
Swamp meets aquifer
Just how dry is it out in the swamp?
This spring the water is as “low” as during the fall it is “high.”
This graph above gives a closer look. It shows water depth over the past year relative to the swamp’s major habitats. During the wet season peak, usually in September, waters rise up to shallowly inundate into the pines. If you were to stand in the middle of a pond apple forest that would bring water to well up over your knee, or in more technical terms:around a good 2 feet deep.
Pond apple forests also hold water longest, say, 10-11 months per year.
Compare that to this spring:
Instead of being inundated 2 feet deep, the water table has dropped a full two feet below the base of its roots instead. At this point, even many of the perennially-flooded refugia pools have gone dry.
And I don’t use “water table” lightly:
What once was swamp sheetflow has vanished into the surficial aquifer instead …
Or in other words: Ground water!
This spring the water is as “low” as during the fall it is “high.”
 |
| The water table has plunged down into the surficial aquifer this spring |
This graph above gives a closer look. It shows water depth over the past year relative to the swamp’s major habitats. During the wet season peak, usually in September, waters rise up to shallowly inundate into the pines. If you were to stand in the middle of a pond apple forest that would bring water to well up over your knee, or in more technical terms:around a good 2 feet deep.
Pond apple forests also hold water longest, say, 10-11 months per year.
 |
| Where's the water? Answer: 2 feet below the roots. |
Compare that to this spring:
Instead of being inundated 2 feet deep, the water table has dropped a full two feet below the base of its roots instead. At this point, even many of the perennially-flooded refugia pools have gone dry.
 |
| Even many of the dry season refugia pools (background) have gone dry. |
And I don’t use “water table” lightly:
What once was swamp sheetflow has vanished into the surficial aquifer instead …
Or in other words: Ground water!
Apr 19, 2011
Swamp's biggest drought in two years!
A hundred year drought sounds dry ...
But how dry can an "every other year" event really be?
The graph above gives you a perspective on the depth of this year’s drop in comparison to the historical record. The red-colored downward-spiking icicles indicate springs when the swamp more or less ran completely dry. The deeper the drop the drier the swamp – causing many (and at this point - most) of the dry season refugia pools to go dry.
May 2009 marks the historic low-water mark of recent memory.
Here we are just twenty three months later, mid April 2011, and the swamp has inexplicably returned to that low-water ebb. As for the cause: Blame the La Niña for one – it kept winter rains largely at bay (not counting the Kissimmee) – but also factoring in big was a dearth of moisture from tropical storms last fall (getting the dry season drop off to an early start) and a hotter than usual spring.
Not that I’m too worried:
Our summer flood season is just weeks away from starting.
This year though, those rains will have a lot more filling up to do.
But how dry can an "every other year" event really be?
 |
| Spring 2011 is dropping down into record dry territory |
May 2009 marks the historic low-water mark of recent memory.
Here we are just twenty three months later, mid April 2011, and the swamp has inexplicably returned to that low-water ebb. As for the cause: Blame the La Niña for one – it kept winter rains largely at bay (not counting the Kissimmee) – but also factoring in big was a dearth of moisture from tropical storms last fall (getting the dry season drop off to an early start) and a hotter than usual spring.
 |
| Exposed caprock along the Tamiami Trail: April 2011 is looking more and more like May 2009 (above) |
Our summer flood season is just weeks away from starting.
This year though, those rains will have a lot more filling up to do.
Naples never breaks 100° F
 |
| Here's a historical chart of Naples daytime highs. It's only April and already we've had 5 days in the 90s. |
Apr 18, 2011
Early wet season?
Summer hasn't even started and its already hot,
But at least it's not humid ... yet.
And don't be fooled:
The cloud above, photographed today in Ochopee, has nothing to do with the wet season.
The "high heat" but it "not being humid" are a result of a high pressure system parked out into the Atlantic pumping in winds from the east which, when it collides sea breeze being drawn in from the west coast pops up cumulonimubus style in the form of a few spot showers. By "spot" a mean a good couple miles wide, and in this case, probably drifting west (depending on what wind direction wins out.)
Among other things the unusually warm weather warmed up some clouds and puffed up some mid afternoon clouds to bring us some spot rains. On a larger scale, water temperatures in the north Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are a contributing factor to hurricane season intensity.
But that's looking ahead.
First the wet season has to start, estimated 3-5 weeks away.
But at least it's not humid ... yet.
 |
| Big cloud yes, wet season cloud no: Looking east from Ochopee |
And don't be fooled:
The cloud above, photographed today in Ochopee, has nothing to do with the wet season.
The "high heat" but it "not being humid" are a result of a high pressure system parked out into the Atlantic pumping in winds from the east which, when it collides sea breeze being drawn in from the west coast pops up cumulonimubus style in the form of a few spot showers. By "spot" a mean a good couple miles wide, and in this case, probably drifting west (depending on what wind direction wins out.)
Among other things the unusually warm weather warmed up some clouds and puffed up some mid afternoon clouds to bring us some spot rains. On a larger scale, water temperatures in the north Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico are a contributing factor to hurricane season intensity.
 |
| Daily temperature chart for Naples, Florida April's been warm compared to the historical record! |
First the wet season has to start, estimated 3-5 weeks away.
Apr 17, 2011
When a tornado meets a hurricane
Hurricane season is still a couple months away …
But tornado season is touching down up on the continent.
This map shows a monthly distribution of both across North America.
The source for the hurricanes is from NOAA whereas the tornado map I copied from a coffee table book that I have in my office. Ideally, the tornado coverage would have the same detail as the NOAA’s multicolored coverage for tropical storms.
It’s been a couple years now since a hurricane made landfall in the United States.
Not so for the tornadoes:
Unfortunately they strike every year.
But tornado season is touching down up on the continent.
This map shows a monthly distribution of both across North America.
The source for the hurricanes is from NOAA whereas the tornado map I copied from a coffee table book that I have in my office. Ideally, the tornado coverage would have the same detail as the NOAA’s multicolored coverage for tropical storms.
It’s been a couple years now since a hurricane made landfall in the United States.
Not so for the tornadoes:
Unfortunately they strike every year.
Apr 16, 2011
Mystery of the bird mistook for a fish
This is one of two birds:
a cormorant or anhinga.
Cormorants are easily confused with its freshwater cousin – the anhinga (also known as the snake bird) – which hangs out in the Everglades.
While ospreys swoosh down from up high to grab fish with its talons, or a pelican plunge face first with its beak and expanded throat pouch, cormorants and anhingas take the audacious approach of actually swimming down under the water surface, turning feathers into fins, to find their fish. The anhinga is a much more graceful swimmer than a flyer for sure although seems also poorly adapted for its chore:
Afterwards they spread their wings out in the sun on whichever perch they can find.
(A towel instead would be so much easier!)
The clue in the case of photo could lie in the background.
It’s the tail-water structure on the Golden Gate Canal, downstream which leads into Naples Bay. This time of year the gates are closed to conserve what freshwater we still have left. That means the bird is swimming in brackish water side of the structure.
I’m no birder, but given that clue:
My guess is cormorant.
a cormorant or anhinga.
 |
| Does this photo contain a hidden clue in plain sight? |
Cormorants are easily confused with its freshwater cousin – the anhinga (also known as the snake bird) – which hangs out in the Everglades.
While ospreys swoosh down from up high to grab fish with its talons, or a pelican plunge face first with its beak and expanded throat pouch, cormorants and anhingas take the audacious approach of actually swimming down under the water surface, turning feathers into fins, to find their fish. The anhinga is a much more graceful swimmer than a flyer for sure although seems also poorly adapted for its chore:
Afterwards they spread their wings out in the sun on whichever perch they can find.
(A towel instead would be so much easier!)
The clue in the case of photo could lie in the background.
It’s the tail-water structure on the Golden Gate Canal, downstream which leads into Naples Bay. This time of year the gates are closed to conserve what freshwater we still have left. That means the bird is swimming in brackish water side of the structure.
I’m no birder, but given that clue:
My guess is cormorant.
Apr 15, 2011
"Gator! - No, just a log."
Who hasn't been startled from the corner of their eye ...
Only to turn to see it square on and catch a deep breath in relief?
That happened to me with this log.
For a quick second it glanced up at me gator-like then, even quicker still, transformed back into a harmless piece of water-logged wooden debris.
Not that I was completely out of the woods ...
It's still a tripping hazard.
Only to turn to see it square on and catch a deep breath in relief?
 |
| Just a log |
That happened to me with this log.
For a quick second it glanced up at me gator-like then, even quicker still, transformed back into a harmless piece of water-logged wooden debris.
Not that I was completely out of the woods ...
It's still a tripping hazard.
Apr 14, 2011
The gators you don't see (in Mud Lake)
Trust me:
There's lots of gators down there.
Only you can't see them because they are too small ...
Or rather, what I mean is that we're too high, instead. There are some big ones down there. As waters recede through April and into May, gators bunch in together by the hundreds. It's the biggest and deepest water hole (albeit very muddy) for miles and miles around.
There's lots of gators down there.
 |
| Mud Lake looking northeast, April 2011. |
Only you can't see them because they are too small ...
Or rather, what I mean is that we're too high, instead. There are some big ones down there. As waters recede through April and into May, gators bunch in together by the hundreds. It's the biggest and deepest water hole (albeit very muddy) for miles and miles around.
Swamp gator's last refuge
 |
| Gators living deep in the swamp interior don't have the luxury of a human-dug canal |
Apr 13, 2011
"The gator you don't see"
There's a saying in the swamp:
"The most dangerous gator is the one you don't see."
That's especially the case for the ones that are habituated to humans in areas that are frequently fished or free handouts are used to attract them for closer viewing.
Please remember to never feed an alligator.
Not only is it dangerous for the person, it puts future visitors in jeopardy of an acclimated and more aggressive (and daring) alligator. But ultimately it's the creature that suffers: Gators deemed a nuisance to human health and safety often end up being killed.
As for the real alligators you don't see:
They are the ones far in the middle of the swamp far removed from the levees and canals. They don't get acclimated to humans because they see them rarely if at all. Gator holes form a vital link deep water link to the shallow hydro-ecology of the Big Cypress Swamp and Everglades ecosystems that visitors looking at the animal from the edge of a canal don't see.
Filling in canals where we can is vitally important.
It pushes the water and the gators back out where they should be: In the middle of the swamp away from roads and away from humans where the true danger lurks.
"The most dangerous gator is the one you don't see."
 |
| The gator you don't see, "road-side canal" style |
That's especially the case for the ones that are habituated to humans in areas that are frequently fished or free handouts are used to attract them for closer viewing.
Please remember to never feed an alligator.
Not only is it dangerous for the person, it puts future visitors in jeopardy of an acclimated and more aggressive (and daring) alligator. But ultimately it's the creature that suffers: Gators deemed a nuisance to human health and safety often end up being killed.
As for the real alligators you don't see:
They are the ones far in the middle of the swamp far removed from the levees and canals. They don't get acclimated to humans because they see them rarely if at all. Gator holes form a vital link deep water link to the shallow hydro-ecology of the Big Cypress Swamp and Everglades ecosystems that visitors looking at the animal from the edge of a canal don't see.
 |
| The gator you don't see, "deep in the swamp" style |
Filling in canals where we can is vitally important.
It pushes the water and the gators back out where they should be: In the middle of the swamp away from roads and away from humans where the true danger lurks.
Apr 12, 2011
Gator takes cover
Gator hangs out a tiny pool of water ...
And for good reason:
It's bone-dry marl all around as far as the eye can see.
Granted, you can't see all that much from so low down!
 |
| This gator hole had an interesting design: The willow worked like a shady cave which led out into a deeper-water crease on one side of which was an elevated bank for sunning and probably a nest. |
It's bone-dry marl all around as far as the eye can see.
 |
| The marl prairie that surrounds the gator hole dried up by March |
Apr 11, 2011
Alligator oasis
Gators are usually pretty well prepared for the spring drought:
Gators like to bathe in their custom-built refugia pools during the hot spring as much as they do basking on a bank in the brisk winter sun.
Florida's most conspicuous creature are cold-blooded you know!
As shown in this video, everywhere I could see in this part of the Everglades was crunchy dry by mid March ... the exception being this wet oasis in the middle of an isolated marsh.
Gators like to bathe in their custom-built refugia pools during the hot spring as much as they do basking on a bank in the brisk winter sun.
Florida's most conspicuous creature are cold-blooded you know!
Apr 10, 2011
Swollen Red River finally crests!
I’m a hydrologist who believes in closing the loop.
By loop, of course, I mean “water cycle.”
A week ago I posted a hydrograph on the Red River which, in the days ahead, was ready to burst out of its banks (and over its levees) in the form of its third consecutive historic spring flood.
But it hadn’t yet peaked.
Finally today (as predicted by NOAA/USGS scientists) it did!
Thus, in the spirit of closing the loop – and here’s to hoping hope against hope that next year doesn’t bring a fourth in a row … although, with a good couple weeks of cleanup ahead, it’s still way too early to think about that – here’s the updated hydrograph (updated Sunday) with that highly coveted crest: The good news is that it’s all downhill from here. The hydrograph at Fargo shows that waters rose about smack dab in the middle of the last two springs: landing about 2 feet higher than the high-water mark of March 21, 2010 and 2 feet lower than the all-time high water mark of March 28, 2009.
But hold the press!
Meteorologist Daryl Ritchison reports that the stretch of road shown in the video, as filmed by local water enthusiast Chris Dorsey, marks an all-time high mark for that specific point. That has the ring of another hydrologic mystery to be solved, but first thing first … and for three years in a row:
By loop, of course, I mean “water cycle.”
A week ago I posted a hydrograph on the Red River which, in the days ahead, was ready to burst out of its banks (and over its levees) in the form of its third consecutive historic spring flood.
But it hadn’t yet peaked.
Finally today (as predicted by NOAA/USGS scientists) it did!
Thus, in the spirit of closing the loop – and here’s to hoping hope against hope that next year doesn’t bring a fourth in a row … although, with a good couple weeks of cleanup ahead, it’s still way too early to think about that – here’s the updated hydrograph (updated Sunday) with that highly coveted crest: The good news is that it’s all downhill from here. The hydrograph at Fargo shows that waters rose about smack dab in the middle of the last two springs: landing about 2 feet higher than the high-water mark of March 21, 2010 and 2 feet lower than the all-time high water mark of March 28, 2009.
 |
| The Red River finally crested ... now the clean up begins |
Meteorologist Daryl Ritchison reports that the stretch of road shown in the video, as filmed by local water enthusiast Chris Dorsey, marks an all-time high mark for that specific point. That has the ring of another hydrologic mystery to be solved, but first thing first … and for three years in a row:
Apr 9, 2011
Fire on the swamp mountains
Here's a bird's eye view of how fire burns through the swamp.
It's more of a mosaic than a clean sweep.
Although there's more water there than meets the eye:
There's Little Marsh in the background (with a tongue of green cypress) and a bunch of circular-shaped little marshes in the foreground. In there centers is probably still some water, or at least moist. That makes a difference on what and where gets burned. It's the Liliputian mountains of the swamp where the pinelands are that most frequently get burned.
This fire started from a lightning strike on the front edge of a recent cold front.
It's more of a mosaic than a clean sweep.
 |
| April 2011 |
There's Little Marsh in the background (with a tongue of green cypress) and a bunch of circular-shaped little marshes in the foreground. In there centers is probably still some water, or at least moist. That makes a difference on what and where gets burned. It's the Liliputian mountains of the swamp where the pinelands are that most frequently get burned.
This fire started from a lightning strike on the front edge of a recent cold front.
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