RECOVER MAP 3.1.3.9 Sediment Elevation and Accumulation in Response to Hydrology, Vegetation, and Disturbance in the Southwest Coastal Everglades

The objective of this project is to continue gathering the data necessary to address the Performance Measure: Wetland Trophic Relationships – Mangrove Forest Production / Soil Accretion (formerly GE-18). This performance measure is in the “Everglades Coastal Wetlands Prior to Drainage” hypothesis cluster (see Fig 3-31 in RECOVER 2009). This will be accomplished by sampling the hydrology, vegetation and sediment surface elevation in the coastal mangrove forests of Everglades National Park. A network of co-located stations has been developed over time for this purpose and this project will allow continued sampling and monitoring of this network. At each site there is sampling equipment for measuring surface and groundwater levels. SETs have been installed for measuring sediment elevation. Permanent plots have been setup to measure the condition of the mangrove forests. The data gathered will also allow an assessment of the response of the coastal system to disturbances (e.g. freezes, lightning, and hurricanes) which are known to impact the coastal Everglades (Smith et. al. 1994, 2009; Ward et. al. 2006).