Wednesday, January 4, 2017

January 4, 2017


Location: St. Sebastian River Preserve State Park, water's edge at spillway

Water thermometer, reading 74 degrees. As part of the daily manatee monitoring, we have to take the air temperature, windspeed, and water temperature. The water temperature is very important. Manatees cannot survive long in temperatures under 68 degrees1.

The reason we do the manatee monitoring at the specific location is because due to the spillway, the water is a bit deeper here and thus warmer.  On colder days, the manatees come in to the canal from the Sebastian River to warm up.

Sources: (1) Save the Manatee Club

Photo and text © 2017 Dee Fairbanks Simpson

No comments: