RECOVER MAP 3.1.3.3 Coastal Gradients of Flow, Salinity, and Nutrients

In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a series of studies to monitor several major creeks and rivers that discharge freshwater into northeastern Florida Bay and the southwest coast of Everglades National Park (ENP). These studies provide water-level, flow, salinity, and temperature data for model development and calibration and also serve as a long term data set to assist in detecting change in hydrology, as well as other physical, biological and chemical studies being conducted in these areas. These studies are being done as part of the USGS Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystems Science program (PES), which is an effort by the USGS to provide earth science information needed to resolve land-use and water issues. Additional support is provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Everglades National Park (ENP) for PES. As part of these studies, a network of 34 hydrologic monitoring stations is already in place and historical data is currently available through the USGS South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) web page at URL: http://sofia.er.usgs.gov/. Real time information is available at the USGS National Water Information Systems URL: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/fl/nwis/rt.
In 2003, CERP MAP funding through the South Florida Water Management District established 10 monitoring stations as part of the Coastal Gradients Network, Map Activity 3.1.3.3. The purpose of this MAP project with the USACE is to continue operation of these 10 stations for those MAP activities.
Future funding for the northeastern Florida Bay and southwest coast estuarine studies is expected to continue from the USGS PES program in order support the larger integrated monitoring network. The MAP funding of monitoring stations within the Coastal Gradients network is a direct benefit to the overall integrated network and supplies critical hydrologic information where none previously existed.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this project is to operate and maintain ten (10) established hydrologic and water quality data collection platforms (DCP’s) in the coastal and fresh water marsh environments of the Everglades in order to support a larger integrated monitoring network (Fig. 1). The hydrologic and water quality information from this network is available for the development and calibration of hydrodynamic and water quality models of the Everglades, Florida Bay, and adjacent marine systems. Data will also provide information to evaluate impacts from project level CERP activity such as the C-111 Spreader Canal, the Combined Structural and Operational Plan (CSOP), and ModWaters.

The network of DCP’s collect information at points of interest along transects that represent major flow paths from the Everglades wetlands to the southern estuaries. The continuous data collected from surface and ground water along with nutrient loading computations is summarized in subsequent sections of this report. This long-term monitoring network spans the major flow paths from the Everglades wetlands to the southern estuaries which help provide a system-wide understanding of the ecosystem responses seen in the Everglades due to changes in water management practices and climatic variability. This data set contributes to the success of CERP by:
a. Providing pre-CERP (baseline) and concurrent data on hydrologic and water quality parameters available for comparison during and after CERP modifications from projects such as the C-111 Spreader Canal, CSOP, and ModWaters.
b. The ability to perform scientific investigations with physical data in order to increase ecosystem understanding.
c. Having real-time and historic data available to detect unexpected responses within the ecosystem due to CERP activities.