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Research about Everglades National Park

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Everglades National Park.

60 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
USGS1976

Analysis of selected benthic communities in Florida Everglades with reference to their physical and chemical environment

Species diversity and numbers of benthic macroinvertebrates were determined at 12 sites, both canals and marshes, in the Everglades of south Florida. The values calculated are used to indicate long-term trends in water quality and variations between study areas. Species diversity at all sites was generally in a range indicative of degraded water quality. The number of organisms per square metre of bottom surface was highly variable ranging from 43 to 8,200 organisms. Chemical analysis of water and bottom material indicated no gross contamination from sewage or agricultural runoff in any of the canals where benthic organisms were collected. Other physical factors such as depth, velocity of flow, substrate type, and water-level fluctuation were responsible for the low species diversities and variable numbers of organisms, rather than contamination from urban or agricultural areas.

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USGS1976

Nitrogen and phosphorus uptake in the Everglades Conservation Areas, Florida, with special reference to the effects of backpumping runoff

In much of the water pumped into the northern Everglades, Florida, concentrations of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus are relatively high. These nutrients are transported in the canals or into the peripheral marshes. Concentrations decrease sharply within 330 feet or less of the canals, whereas specific conductance remains essentially unchanged within this distance. The sharp decrease in inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus near the canal edge indicates net uptake in these shallow waters. Concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus also decrease as water moves through the conservation areas in canals. This decrease is due partly to dilution by rainfall and runoff, and partly to net uptake in the canals and their peripheral marsh. The large canals of the northern and eastern parts of the conservation areas often have relatively low concentrations of dissolved oxygen which show little fluctuation within 24 hours. Backpumping 50 percent of the total annual canal runoff in southeast Florida would add from 990 to 6,160 tons of nitrogen and from 10 to 62 tons of phosphorus to the conservation areas. The bottom sediments of the Everglades are a sink for nitrogen and phosphorus. They can, however, be a source of these nutrients when anaerobic conditions exist at the water-sediment interface or when bottom material becomes resuspended. (Woodard-USGS)

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USGS1972

Analysis of water level data for Everglades National Park, Florida

Stage-duration curves were developed for five gaging stations in Everglades National Park, Florida. Four of the five curves show similar characteristics with an increase in the slope when the water level is below land surface. Monthly stage-duration curves, developed for one of the stations, reflect the seasonal trends of the water level. Recession curves were prepared for the same five stations. These curves represent the average water-level decline during periods of little or no rainfall. They show the decline in level at the end of 10, 20, and 60 days for any given initial stage. A family of curves was also prepared to give the recession from various initial stages for any period up to 60 days.

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