2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...
2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...
2008 Annual Monitoring Report (pdf 10.9MB) - Bolsa Chica ...
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<strong>Bolsa</strong> <strong>Chica</strong> Lowlands Restoration <strong>Monitoring</strong><br />
<strong>2008</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong><br />
Salt Panne<br />
Salt panne in the Seasonal Ponds.<br />
The habitat covering the third largest area within the study area<br />
was unvegetated salt panne, primarily in the Seasonal Pond and<br />
Future Full Tidal Basin areas. These areas were historically<br />
subsided marsh plain inundated by seawater, but are currently<br />
inundated intermittently by primarily freshwater. These low<br />
permeability areas collect water during rainy months, and later<br />
dry by evaporation as conditions warm in spring and summer<br />
months. This leaves hypersaline conditions that are<br />
inhospitable to most marsh plants. Although pickleweed has<br />
colonized much of the salt panne areas or its margins, the areas<br />
lowest in elevation that pool water for extended periods remain<br />
unvegetated.<br />
Disturbed Salt Panne<br />
Due to the use of the salt panne habitat by various migratory birds,<br />
including western snowy plovers for nesting, it is relevant to call<br />
out large areas of salt panne that are disturbed. Generally, these<br />
areas are previously flat expanses that have been traversed by<br />
various trucks and equipment, primarily for contaminated sediment<br />
removal work. When disturbed during wet periods, this activity<br />
leaves the ground deeply rutted, less desirable to foraging and<br />
nesting birds, and of some concern in relation to harboring pests<br />
such as mosquitoes longer into the summer season. Disturbed salt<br />
panned made up only 3% of the total salt panne area.<br />
Disturbed salt panne in the Seasonal Ponds.<br />
Intertidal Sand Shoal<br />
This category refers to the depositional flood shoals present in the FTB inlet. The shoals were<br />
composed of unvegetated and unconsolidated sand that can be highly transitory in nature as they are<br />
chronically accreted and reworked by the tides and waves. Their mapped extent was fully dependent<br />
on the tidal elevation at the time of the aerial imagery collection. A more comprehensive assessment<br />
of the shoal is included in the bathymetric monitoring section of this report (see Section 2.2).<br />
Intertidal Mudflat<br />
This habitat included the unvegetated intertidal mudflats occurring below elevations at which vascular<br />
plant communities occur. This habitat occurred primarily on the borders of FTB, in portions of the<br />
Muted Pocket Marsh, and at the lower elevations of Rabbit Island where inundated salt marsh<br />
transitioned to mudflat after the opening of the inlet. Although the cordgrass bench on the east shore<br />
of the FTB is above the typical intertidal mudflat zone, it will also be mapped as intertidal mudflat<br />
until such time as marsh vegetation develops.<br />
Open Water<br />
Open water habitat included all tidal waters, all permanently inundated areas in the FTB, Muted Pocket<br />
Marsh, and Freeman Creek. Standing water in the Seasonal Ponds and FFTB areas were mapped as<br />
salt panne in consideration of their underlying, persistent substrate. This habitat covered the greatest<br />
acreage in <strong>2008</strong>, due to the large expanses of open water in the FTB. As with mudflat and sand shoal,<br />
its mapped extent was dependent on the tidal elevation at the time of the aerial imagery collection. In<br />
Merkel & Associates, Inc. 28