The Salton Sea: An Adventure To Remember Michael Krzyzak And Roy Nissim

Road Trip  San Diego…

Road Trip Cont….  …The Notorious Salton Sea!!!

The Story Begins  After a long night in San Diego…

3 ½ Hours Later

Driving Continues…  Off to the Southern end we go!!!

And Continues…

Still Continues…

AHHHHH!!!!!!!!! We’re Still Driving…

And 50 minutes Later…  We arrive at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge which was at the SOUTHERN END of the Sea.

Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge  Man I’m thrilled to be here!!!  Man I’m thrilled to be here!!!

How the Refuge Began  The Refuge was established in 1930 by President Herbert Hoovers’ presidential proclamation.  It is located along the course of the Pacific Flyway in the Imperial Valley of California.  The refuge consisted of approximately 37,600 acres.  Because of the flooding by the Salton Sea, about 1,785 manageable acres remain.

Over 200 Feet Below Sea Level-  The Salton Sea covers over 380 square miles.  The Sea’s width varies from 9 – 15 miles, it is 35 miles long with about 115 miles of shoreline.  The surface elevation is currently about 227 feet below sea level. It is one of the lowest spots in the U.S. and also one of the hottest. It reaches summer temps of 115 degrees and stays above 100 degrees for four months of the year.  The high/dry temps create conditions for evaporation of the sea water which leaves behind more salt creating higher and higher salinity levels.

Water Quality  The Salton Sea, which is currently 25% more salty than the oceans and eutrophic– rich with nutrients, algae, and fish.  The salinity is a result of high evaporation rates in hot desert climate.  Water flowing into the Sea adds the equivalent of a train of salt each day, leading to the current statistic of over 500 million tons of salt in the Sea today.

Water Quality Cont….  Nutrients stimulate growth of phytoplankton analogy, which in turn support zooplankton and worms.  This ongoing process provides an abundant food source for fish at the sea, and, consequently for the birds that feed on them. Nutrients And Algae

Facts About the Salton Sea 45%~ Alamo River 32%~ New River 8% ~ Agricultural Drains 7% ~ Whitewater R. 4% ~ Groundwater 3% ~ Rain 0.6%~ San Felipe Cr. 0.4%~ Salt Creek

Wildlife  The Salton Sea: “California’s Crown Jewel of Avian Biodiversity.”  There are over 400 different species of wildlife that has been reported; including breeding species.

Birds…

Birds Cont…

Birds Still Goin’…

And Goin’…

You want more birds….

Why Would Birds Want to Come Here?

What Fish Can Tolerate the High Salinity Levels of the Sea?  Gulf Croaker ~

Fish Cont…  Orange Mouth Corvina

Fish Cont…  Sargo ~

Broiled or Fried???  Tilapia ~

Wildlife Mortality Estimates  WILDLIFE MORTALITY ESTIMATES   SALTON SEA  YEAR PRIMARY SPECIES CAUSE OF DEATH ESTIMATED LOSSES  1987 ruddy duck, avian cholera 500 eared grebe  1988 dabbling ducks, avian botulism *324 shorebirds *595  1989 ducks, geese avian cholera 750  1989 cattle egret salmonellosis *4,515  1990 ruddy duck, avian cholera 180 cattle egret  1990 great-tailed salmonellosis 300 grackle, cattle suspect egret  1991 ring-billed gull, avian cholera 2,000 dabbling ducks, geese, shorebirds  1992 eared grebe, undetermined 150,000 ruddy duck  1992 dabbling ducks, avian cholera 5,000 shorebirds  1993 geese, ducks, avian cholera 500 coots, gulls  1994 eared grebe, undetermined *1,659 ruddy duck  1994 ducks, shore- avian cholera *452 birds, wading birds  1994 pelicans (brown & avian botulism 300 white), dabbling ducks, shorebirds  1995 eared grebe, undetermined 2,000 ruddy duck  1996 ruddy duck, gulls, avian cholera 1,000 dabbling ducks, shorebirds  1996 pelicans (white avian botulism *14,109 & brown), great egret, ring-billed gull, other fish- eating birds

Time to Collect the Water  Conditions we had to deal with…

A Closer Look…

Through Our Eyes This Place Smells Horrible!!!!

Putting On Our “Boots”

Getting Ready For Work

Testing the Terrain Hmm!! Should I walk any closer???

Man Made Bridge  This definitely isn’t working…

After A Long Days Work  We Collected over 60 gallons of the not-so- pleasant- smelling water. We will be doing a direct research project with Dr. Glenn next semester at ERL testing the water.

Water is Spilling in my Car!!!  AHHHHH!!!!!!!

Heading Back to Tucson…