Southeast Florida Reef Tract Water Quality Assessment

This report summarizes three years of water quality data for the SEFCRI region. Key findings include: The biogeochemical signal of the inlets is readily apparent in near coastal water, and the discharge from the canals generally drives water chemistry to the system. The wastewater outfalls result in elevated levels of certain nutrients (e.g. urea, ammonium) that are different from the signals observed from freshwater inflows from the inlets. Observed levels of nutrients in the SEFCRI region are elevated when compared to previously published threshold values above which corals are likely to be outcompeted by benthic algae. Spatial patterns in water quality are correlated with indices of biological reef health, but more research is needed to better understand this relationship, especially given that corals reefs are being subjected to multiple stressors (nutrients, toxics, disease, thermal stress, etc.) 2019 EPA Agreement no. X7 00D02412-1 Agreement no. NA09NOS4260253 NOS (National Ocean Service) NCCOS (National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science) CoRIS (Coral Reef Information System) Submitted https://doi.org/10.25923/kyft-ja41 CRCP Project ID ; 30005 Public Domain 1936