Factors that influence water exchange in spring-fed tidal canals

Abstract

Environmental factors that influenced the rates of water exchange in a series of tidal, dead-end canals in Crystal River, Florida, were investigated by measuring the rates of dilution of the fluorescent dye Rhodamine WT. Water temperature regime was the most influential of these factors, with type of tidal cycle (spring or neap) and density of submersed vegetation (dominated byHydrilla verticillata) only affecting dye dilution rates in winter treatments. Dye half-lives were shortest in the summer (12–24 h), longest in the fall and spring (60–120 h), and most sensitive to water temperature patterns in the winter (26–60 h). These data provide useful information relating to the timing of hydrilla management using aquatic herbicides in spring-fed tidal systems. A mechanism is proposed that relates the canal water temperatures to tidal water movement and outputs from the adjacent Three Sisters Springs.