Water Quality Data (Extensive) from the Taylor Slough, just outside Everglades National Park (FCE), from August 1998 to December 2006

Water quality samples are being collected using ISCO autosamplers at all wetland sites (that is, all sites except TS/Ph-9, 10, and 11). The autosamplers contain 24 1L bottles. Water is sampled by programming the autosamplers to take composite samples once every 3 days. These samples are a composite of four 250mL subsamples drawn every 18 hours (a sampling scheme that captures a dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight sample in every three day composite). Starting in December 2006 for Sites SRS1d, SRS2, SRS3, and June 2007 for TS/Ph1a, TS/Ph2, and TS/Ph3 - the 3 day composite samples are now combined in a 2 liter bottle upon returning to the lab to form 6 day composite sample. Samples are retrieved every 3-4 weeks. Retrieval of the composite samples may result in a composite sample which is less than three or six days. The recorded date for each composite sample indicates the end date of the sample interval. Samples are analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and salinity. When sites are visited to collect these samples, we also collect a grab sample that is immediately put on ice. A portion of these grab samples are filtered through a Whatman GF/F filters (0.7 um) immediately upon return to the lab, and the filtered samples are analyzed for inorganic nutrients such as NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, SRP, and DOC. The unfiltered fraction of these grab samples is analyzed for TP, TN, and TOC (TOC is no longer analyzed starting in August 2005 for all sites). We use these montly grab samples to generate relationships between TP and SRP, and between TN and NO2- + NO3- + NH4+. Dissolved nutrients are measured using standard rapid flow analyzer (RFA) techniques. TP is analyzed with a modified Solorzano and Sharp (1980) technique. TN is measured with an Antec TN analyzer, TOC and DOC are quantified on a Shimadzu TOC Analyzer, and salinity is measured with a YSI conductivity meter. In addition to the regular water quality monitoring, we use the rain level actuators at all freshwater sites to trigger water sampling after rain events exceed a given threshold of duration and/or intensity. As currently programmed, when the threshold of = 2.5 cm of rain per hour is passed, the autosampler at that site collects a 1L sample every 15 minutes after the threshold has been reached and remains (previous to 2003 the autosampler was programmed to collect 500mL of water every 30 minutes while the threshold was being met). Rain event samples are collected, retrieved, and analyzed like out composite water quality samples.