Geochemical Monitoring of Restoration Progress

Continued geochemical monitoring efforts will provide a measure of the progress and effects of restoration on environmental health and water quality, and complement biological monitoring of indicator species. This information is essential for identifying when successful restoration has been accomplished. Additionally, this geochemical monitoring program will serve as a model for developing similar programs for monitoring other coastal and lacustrine environments targeted in future projects. Products include a productivity database for Florida Bay and bimonthly salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, carbon speciation, and air:sea CO2 gas flux maps of Florida Bay.

The flow of fresh water from the Everglades to Florida Bay and the interaction of Bay water with the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean are critical processes that have defined the Florida Bay Ecosystem. Reconstruction of historical changes in the Florida Bay Ecosystem using paleoecological and geochemical data from cores and historical databases indicates that significant changes in water quality and circulation (McIvor et al., 1994; Rudnick et al., 1999; Boyer et al., 1999; Halley and Roulier, 1999; Swart et al., 1999), and biological species composition and ecology (Brewster-Wingard and Ishman, 1999; Fourqurean and Robblee, 1999; Hall et al., 1999; Zieman et al., 1999) have been coincident with alteration of drainage patterns in the Everglades and construction of bridges linking the Keys. Paleoecological data from cores also indicates that changes in the abundance of seagrass and algae in the Bay have been coincident with salinity changes and that significant loss of seagrass on mud banks and basins has occurred over the last several years. Stable isotope data from sediment cores indicate decreased circulation in the Bay coincident with railroad building and early drainage in South Florida. Water management practices in South Florida are already being altered in an effort to restore the Everglades and Florida Bay. Resulting changes in water chemistry will first affect biogeochemical processes, and may, subsequently, result in changes in species distributions (such as seagrass, algae, etc.) in the Bay. An extensive water quality monitoring program for Florida Bay has been in operation for several years. Primary participants include ENP - fixed water quality monitoring stations, NOAA -salinity, chlorophyll, and transmittance bimonthly surveys, SFWMD - northeast Bay and north coast monitoring, and Florida International University (FIU) - nutrient monitoring. These programs have provided detailed information on concentrations of water quality parameters in the Bay. However, in situ monitoring of key biogeochemical processes resulting directly from biological activity has not been undertaken. Monitoring changes in biogeochemical processes is critical to early identification of ecological response to restoration and predicting changes in species distribution within the Bay. Additionally, these processes may directly impact water quality. Calcification, photosynthesis, and respiration directly affect dissolved oxygen, pH, dissolved inorganic carbon and a number of other chemical characteristics of the water column. This information will enable managers to evaluate the progress and success of South Florida restoration efforts.