Velocity Data (Canal and Wetland)

Velocity data were collected on five dates (two in 1997 and three in 1999) at numerous locations along the C-111 Canal in the Everglades.

A complex network of canals, levees, and control structures, designed to control flooding and provide a continuous supply of fresh water for household and agricultural use, has altered naturally occurring flow patterns through the Everglades and into Florida Bay. Quantification of dynamic flow conditions within the south Florida ecosystem is vital to assessing implications of the residence time of water, potentially nutrient-enriched (with nitrates or phosphates) or contaminant-laden (with metals or pesticides), that can alter plant life and affect biological communities. Improved numerical techniques are needed not only to more accurately evaluate discrete forces governing flow in the canals and wetlands but also to analyze their complex interaction in order to facilitate coupled representation of transport processes. Flow and transport processes are integrally linked meaning that precise quantification of the fluid dynamics is required to accurately evaluate the transport of waterborne constituents. Robust models that employ highly accurate numerical methods to invoke coupled solution of the most appropriately formulated and representative equations governing flow and transport processes are needed. Through strategic use of a model, cause-and-effect relations between discharge sources, flow magnitudes, transport processes, and changes in vegetation and biota can be systematically investigated. The effects of driving forces on nutrient cycling and contaminant transport can then be quantified, evaluated, and more effectively factored into the development of remedial management plans. A well-developed model can be used to evaluate newly devised plans to improve freshwater deliveries to Florida Bay prior to implementation.

This project ended in 1999. Related work can be found at http://time.er.usgs.gov/.

For additional information about this project contact either:
Eric Swain, [e-mail], 954 377-5925 or Chris Langevin, [e-mail], 954 377-5917