Geology topics

Research about Florida

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Florida.

At least 1,513 records · Page 84Linked to original sources

USGS1995

Water resources data, Florida, water year 1994. Volume 2A: South Florida - surface water

Water resources data for 1994 water year in Florida consists of continuous or daily discharge for 320 streams, periodic discharge for 11 streams, miscellaneous discharge for 32 streams, continuous or daily stage for 120 streams, continuous daily tide stage for 11 sites, periodic stage for 0 streams, peak discharge for 19 streams, and peak stage for 19 streams; continuous or daily elevations for 74 lakes, periodic elevations for 74 lakes; continuous ground-water levels for 442 wells, periodic ground-water levels for 716 wells, and miscellaneous water level measurements for 1,208 wells; quality of water data for 121 surface-water sites and 319 wells. The data for South Florida included continuous or daily discharge for 74 streams, continuous or daily stage for 59 streams, peak stage discharge for no streams, continuous elevation for 1 lake; continuous groundwater levels for 224 wells, periodic ground-water levels for 437 wells and no miscellaneous water-level measurements; quality-of-water for 9 surface-water sites and 247 wells. The data represent the National Water Data System records collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies in Florida.

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USGS1995

Water resources data, Florida, water year 1994. Volume 2B: South Florida - ground water

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USGS1995

Water resources data, Florida, water year 1994. Volume 3A: Southwest Florida - surface water

Water resources data for the 1994 water year in Florida consist of continuous or daily discharge for 320 streams, periodic discharge for 11 streams, miscellaneous discharge for 32 streams, continuous or daily stage for 120 streams, continuous daily tide stage for 11 sites, periodic stage for 0 streams, peak discharge for 19 streams, and peak stage for 19 streams, continuous or daily elevations for 74 lakes, periodic elevations for 74 lakes, continuous ground-water levels for 442 wells, periodic ground-water levels for 716 wells, and miscellaneous water level measurements for 1208 wells; quality-of-water data for 121 surface-water sites and 319 wells. The data for Southwest Florida include records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams, contents, water quality of lakes and reservoirs, and water levels and water quality of ground-water wells. Volume 3A contains continuous or daily discharge for 75 streams, periodic discharge for 2 streams, miscellaneous discharge for 13 streams, continuous or daily stage for 21 streams, peak discharge for 14 streams, continuous elevations for 3 lakes, periodic elevations for 27 lakes, and quality-of-water for 72 surface-water sites. These data represent the national Water Data System records collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating local, state, and federal agencies in Florida.

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USGS1995

Water resources data, Florida, water year 1994. Volume 3B: Southwest Florida - ground water

Water resources data for the 1994 water year in Florida consist of continuous or daily discharges for 320 streams, periodic discharge for 11 streams, miscellaneous discharge for 32 streams, continuous or daily stage for 120 streams, continuous daily tide stage for 11 sites, periodic stage for 0 streams, peak discharge for 19 streams, and peak stage for 19 streams, continuous or daily elevations for 74 lakes, periodic elevations for 74 lakes, continuous ground-water levels for 442 wells, periodic ground-water levels for 716 wells, and miscellaneous water level measurements for 1208 wells; quality-of-water data for 121 surface-water sites and 319 wells. The data for Southwest Florida include records of stage, discharge, and water quality of streams, contents, water quality of lakes and reservoirs, and water levels and water quality of ground-water wells. Volume 3B contains records for continuous ground-water elevations for 172 wells, periodic ground-water elevations at 111 wells, miscellaneous ground-water elevations at 401 wells; and water quality at 6 ground-water sites. These data represent the national Water Data System records collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and cooperating local, state, and federal agencies in Florida.

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USGS1995

Water resources data, Florida, water year 1995; Volume 1A. Northeast Florida surface water

The Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with State agencies, obtains a large amount of data pertaining to the water resources of Florida each water year. These data, accumulated during many water years, constitute a valuable data base for developing an improved understanding of the water resources of the State. To make these data readily available to interested parties outside the Geological Survey, the data are published annually in this report series entitled "Water Resources Data - Florida."

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USGS1995

Bathymetry, freshwater flow, and specific conductance of Matlacha Pass, southwestern Florida

The Matlacha Pass estuary, a State of Florida aquatic preserve, is bounded by Pine Island to the west, Cape Coral to the east, Charlotte Harbor to the north, and the Caloosahatchee River to the south (fig. 1). The estuary is important for its aesthetic value; used for recreational boating, sport and commercial fishing, tourism, and residential development; and is a nursery for fish and invertebrates. Historically, freshwater runoff from Cape Coral entered Matlacha Pass estuary as sheetflow. As development occurred on Cape Coral, canals were designed and constructed to collect the freshwater runoff and distribute it as sheetflow through two spreader canal systems into Matlacha Pass. Water managers have expressed concern that altering the freshwater runoff patterns into the pass could have a detrimental effect on salinity distribution which might adversely affect the aquatic system of the pass. Adequate data were not available to evaluate the freshwater flow, its movement, and mixing. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the City of Cape Coral, Lee County, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, conducted a study from July 1989 to September 1992 to identify three hydrodynamic aspects for managing the estuary.

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USGS1995

Preliminary assessment of injection, storage, and recovery of freshwater in the lower Hawthorn aquifer, Cape Coral, Florida

A preliminary assessment of subsurface injection, storage and recovery of fresh canal water was made in the naturally brackish lower Hawthorn aquifer in Cape Coral, southwestern Florida. A digital modeling approach was used for this preliminary assessment, incorporating available data on hydrologic conditions, aquifer properties, and water quality to simulate density-dependent ground-water flow and advective-dispersive transport of a conservative ground-water solute (chloride ion). A baseline simulation was used as reference to compare the effects of changing various operational factors on the recovery efficiency. A recovery efficiency of 64 percent was estimated for the baseline simulation. Based on the model, the recovery efficiency increases if the injection rate and recovery rates are increased and if the ratio of recovery rate to injection rate is increased. Recovery efficiency decreases if the amount of water injected is increased; slightly decreases if the storage time is increased; is not changed significantly if the water is injected to a specific flow zone; increases with successive cycles of injection, storage, and recovery; and decreases if the chloride concentrations in either the injection water or native aquifer water are increased. In everal hypothetical tests, the recovery efficiency fluctuated between 22 and about 100 percent. Two successive cycles could bring the recovery efficiency from 60 to about 80 percent. Interlayer solute mass movement across the upper and lower boundaries seems to be the most important factor affecting the recovery efficiency. A sensitivity analysis was performed applying a technique in which the change in the various factors and the corresponding model responses are normalized so that meaningful comparisons among the responses could be made. The general results from the sensitivity analysis indicated that the permeabilities of the upper and lower flow zones were the most important factors that produced the greatest changes in the relative sensitivity of the recovery efficiency. Almost equally significant changes occurred in the relative sensitivity of the recovery efficiency when all porosity values of the upper and lower flow zones and the leaky confining units and the vertical anisotropy ratio were changed. The advective factors are the most important in the Cape Coral area according to the sensitivity analysis. However, the dispersivity values used in the model were extrapolated from studies conducted at the nearby Lee County Water Treatment Plant, and these values might not be representative of the actual dispersive characteristics of the lower Hawthorn aquifer in the Cape Coral area.

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USGS1995

Water quality of the Boca Raton canal system and effects of the Hillsboro Canal inflow, southeastern Florida, 1990-91

The City of Boca Raton in southeastern Palm Beach County, Florida, is an urban residential area that has sustained a constant population growth with subsequent increase in water use. The Boca Raton network of canals is controlled to provide for drainage of excess water, to maintain proper coastal ground-water levels to prevent saltwater intrusion, and to recharge the surficial aquifer system from which the city withdraws potable water. Most of the water supplied to the Boca Raton canal system and the surficial aquifer system, other than rainfall and runoff, is pumped from the Hillsboro Canal. The Biscayne aquifer, principal hydrogeologic unit of the surficial aquifer system, is highly permeable and there is a close relation between water levels in the canals and the aquifer. The amount of water supplied by seepage from the conservation areas is unknown. Because the Hillsboro Canal flows from Lake Okeechobee and Water Conservation Areas 1 and 2, which are places of more highly mineralized ground water and surface water, the canal is a possible source of contamination. Water samples were collected at 10 canal sites during wet and dry seasons and analyzed for major inorganic ions and related characteristics, nutrients, and trace elements. All concentrations were generally within or less than the drinking-water standards established by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The high concentrations of sodium and chloride that were detected in samples from the Boca Raton canal system are probably from the more mineralized water of the Hillsboro Canal. Other water-quality data, gathered from various sources from 1982 through 1991, did not indicate any significant changes nor trends. The data include pesticide and metal analyses of water samples and bottom sediments collected at four canal sites in the Boca Raton study area by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1982-84. The effects of the Hillsboro Canal on the water quality of the Boca Raton canal system are indicated by increased concentrations of sodium, chloride, dissolved solids, and total organic carbon. Concentrations of the constituents in the canal water generally decrease with distance from the Hillsboro Canal pumping station and are the result of dilution by receiving canal waters.

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USGS1995

Estimated discharge and chemical-constituent loading from the upper Floridan aquifer to the lower St. Johns River, northeastern Florida, 1990-91

The lower St. Johns River, a 101-mile long segment of the St. Johns River, begins at the confluence of the Ocklawaha River and ends where the river discharges into the Atlantic Ocean at Mayport. The St. Johns River is affected by tides as far upstream as Lake George, 106 miles from the mouth. Saltwater from the ocean advances inland during each incoming tide and recedes during each outgoing tide. The chemical quality of the lower St. Johns River is highly variable primarily because of the inflow of saltwater from the ocean, and in some areas, from the discharge of mineralized ground water. Three hydrogeologic units are present in the study area: the surficial aquifer system, the intermediate confining unit, and the Floridan aquifer system. The surficial aquifer system overlies the intermediate confining unit and consists of deposits containing sand, clay, shell, and some limestone and dolomite. The intermediate confining unit underlies all of the study area and retards the vertical movement of water between the surficial aquifer system and the Floridan aquifer system. The intermediate confining unit consists of beds of relatively low permeability sediments that vary in thickness and areal extent and can be breached by sinkholes, fractures, and other openings. The Floridan aquifer system primarily consists of limestone and dolomite. The quality of water in the Upper Floridan aquifer varies throughout the study area. Dissolved solids in water range from about 100 to more than 5,000 milligrams per liter. Chloride and sulfate concentrations in water from the Upper Floridan aquifer range from about 4 to 3,700 milligrams per liter and from 1 to 1,300 milligrams per liter, respectively. The rate of leakage through the intermediate confining unit is controlled by the leakance coefficient of the intermediate confining unit and by the head difference between the Upper Floridan aquifer and the surficial aquifer system. The total ground-water discharge from the Upper Floridan aquifer to the St. Johns River within the lower St. Johns River drainage basin, based on the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer in September 1990, was estimated to be 86 cubic feet per second. Total estimated ground-water discharge to the lower St. Johns River in September 1991, when heads in the Upper Floridan aquifer averaged about 4 feet higher than in 1990, was 133 cubic feet per second. The load of dissolved-solids that discharged from the Upper Floridan aquifer into the lower St. Johns River on the basis of September 1990 heads is estimated to be 47,000 tons per year. Estimated chloride and sulfate loads are 18,000 and 9,500 tons per year, respectively. Dissolved-solids, chloride, and sulfate loads discharging into the lower St. Johns River are estimated to be 81,000, 39,000, and 15,000 tons per year, respectively, on the basis of September 1991 heads.

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USGS1995

Evaluation of ground-water flow and hydrologic budget for Lake Five-O, a seepage lake in northwestern Florida

Temporal and spatial distributions of ground-water inflow to, and leakage from Lake Five-O, a softwater, seepage lake in northwestern Florida, were evaluated using hydrologic data and simulation models of the shallow ground-water system adjacent to the lake. The simulation models indicate that ground-water inflow to the lake and leakage from the lake to the ground-water system are the dominant components in the total inflow (precipitation plus ground-water inflow) and total outflow (evaporation plus leakage) budgets of Lake Five-O. Simlulated ground-water inflow and leakage were approximately 4 and 5 times larger than precipitation inputs and evaporative losses, respectively, during calendar years 1989-90. Exchanges of water between Lake Five-O and the ground-water system were consistently larger than atmospheric-lake exchanges. A consistent pattern of shallow ground-water inflow and deep leakage was also evident throughout the study period. The mean time of travel from ground-water that discharges at Lake Five-O (time from recharge at the water table to discharge at the lake) was estimated to be within a range of 3 to 6 years. Flow-path evaluations indicated that the intermediate confining unit probably has a negligible influence on the geochemistry of ground-water inflow to Lake Five-O. The hydrologic budgets and flow-path evaluations provide critical information for developing geochemical budgets for Lake Five-O and for improving the understanding of the relative importance of various processes that regulate the acid-neutralizing capacity of softwater seepage lakes in Florida.

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USGS1995

The distribution of bromide in water in the Floridan aquifer system, Duval County, northeastern Florida

Although Duval County, Florida, has ample ground-water resources for public supply, the potential exists for a problem with excessive disinfectant by-products. These disinfectant by-products result from the treatment of raw water containing low concentrations of bromide and naturally occurring organic compounds. Because of this potential problem, the relation of bromide concentrations to aquifer tapped, well location and depth, and chemical characteristics of water in the Floridan aquifer system underlying Duval County were studied to determine if these relations could be applied to delineate water with low-bromide concentrations for future supplies. In 1992, water samples from 106 wells that tap the Floridan aquifer system were analyzed for bromide and major dissolved constituents. A comparison of bromide concentrations from the 1992 sampling with data from earlier studies (1979-80) indicates that higher bromide concentrations were detected during the earlier studies. The difference between the old and new data is probably because of a change in analytical methodology in the analysis of samples. Bromide concentrations exceeded the detection limit (0.10 milligrams per liter) in water from 28 of the 106 wells (26 percent) sampled in 1992. The maximum concentration was 0.56 milligrams per liter. There were no relations between bromide and major dissolved constituents, well depth, or aquifer tapped that would be useful for determining bromide concentrations. Areal patterns of bromide occurrence are not clearly defined, but areas with relatively high bromide concentrations tend to be located in a triangular area near the community of Sunbeam, Florida, and along the St. Johns River throughout Duval County.

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USGS1995

Ground-water recharge in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties, Florida

Ground water is a major component of Florida's water resources, accounting for 90 percent of all public-supply and self-supplied domestic water withdrawals, and 58 percent of self-supplied commercial-industrial and agricultural withdrawals of freshwater (Marella, 1992). Ground-water is also an important source of water for streams, lakes, and wetlands in Florida. Because of their importance, a good understanding of these resources is essential for their sound development, use, and protection. One area in which our understanding is lacking is in characterizing the rate at which ground water in aquifers is recharged, and how recharge rates vary geographically. Ground-water recharge (recharge) is the replenishment of ground water by downward infiltration of water from rainfall, streams, and other sources (American Society of Civil Engineers, 1987, p. 222). The recharge rates in many areas of Florida are unknown, of insufficient accuracy, or mapped at scales that are too coarse to be useful. Improved maps of recharge rates will result in improved capabilities for managing Florida's ground-water resources. In 1989, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation, began a study to delineate high-rate recharge areas in several regions of Florida (Vecchioli and others, 1990). This study resulted in recharge maps that delineated areas of high (greater than 10 inches per year) and low (0 to 10 inches per year) recharge in three counties--Okaloosa, Pasco, and Volusia Counties--at a scale of 1:100,000. This report describes the results of a similar recharge mapping study for Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties (fig. 1), in which areas of high- and low-rates of recharge to the sand-and-gravel aquifer and Upper Floridan aquifer are delineated. The study was conducted in 1992 and 1993 by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

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USGS1995

Rainfall and freshwater discharge in the Indian River Basin within the St. Johns River Water Management District, East-Central Florida, 1989-91

No abstract available.

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USGS1995

Effects of waste-disposal practices on ground-water quality at five poultry (broiler) farms in north-central Florida, 1992-93

Waste-disposal areas such as chicken-house floors, litter stockpiles, fields that receive applications of litter, and dead-chicken pits are potential sources of nitrates and other chemical constituents in downward-percolating recharge water. Broiler- farms in north-central Florida are concentrated in a region where the Upper Floridan aquifer is unconfined and susceptible to contamination. Eighteen monitoring wells installed at five sites were sampled quarterly from March 1992 through January 1993. Increases in median concentrations of constituents relative to an upgradient well were used to determine the source of the nitrate at two sites. At these sites, increases in the median concentrations of nitrate as nitrogen in ground water in the vicinity of waste-disposal areas at these sites were: 5.4 mg/L for one chicken house; 9.0 mg/L for a second chicken house; 2.0 mg/L for a fallow field that received an application of litter; and, 2.0 mg/L for a dead-chicken pit. At the three remaining sites where the direction of local ground-water flow could not be ascertained, the sources of concentrations of nitrate and other constituents could not be determined. However, median nitrate concentrations in the vicinity of waste-disposal areas at these sites were: 45.5 mg/L for a set of two chicken houses; 3.0 mg/L for a stockpile area; and 2.1 mg/L for a hayfield that received an application of litter. The nitrate concentration in ground water in the vicinity of a field that had previously received heavy applications of litter increased from 3.0 mg/L to 105 mg/L approximately 4 months after receiving an application of commercial fertilizer. Increases in concentrations of organic nitrogen in ground water in the vicinity of waste-disposal areas may be related to the decomposition of litter and subsequent movement with downward percolating recharge water.

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USGS1995

Water budgets, water quality, and analysis of nutrient loading of the Winter Park Chain of Lakes, central Florida, 1989-92, with a section on littoral vegetation

The Winter Park chain of lakes (Lakes Maitland, Virginia, Osceola, and Mizell) has a combined area of about 900 acres, an immediate drainage area of about 3,100 acres, and mean depths ranging from 11 to 15 feet. The lakes are an important recreational resource for the surrounding communities, but there is concern about the possible effects of stormwater runoff and seepage of nutrient-enriched ground water on the quality of water in the lakes. The lakes receive water from several sources: rainfall on lake surfaces, inflow from other surface-water bodies, stormflow that enters the lakes through storm drains or by direct runoff from land adjacent to the lakes, and ground-water seepage. Water leaves the lakes by evaporation, surface outflow, and ground-water outflow. Of the three, only surface outflow can be measured directly. Rainfall, surface inflow and outflow, and lake-stage data were collected from October 1, 1989, to September 30, 1992. Stormflow, evaporation and ground-water inflow and outflow were estimated for the 3 years of the study. Ground-water outflow was calculated by evaluating the rate of lake-stage decline during dry periods. Estimated ground-water outflow was compared to downward leakage rates estimated by ground-water flow models. Lateral ground-water inflow from surficial sediments was calculated as the residual of the flow budget. Flow budgets were calculated for the 3 years of the study. In water year 1992 (a year with about average rainfall), inflow consisted of rainfall, 48 inches; stormflow, 15 inches; surface inflow, 67 inches; and ground water, 40 inches. The calculated outflows were evaporation, 47 inches; surface outflow, 90 inches; and ground water, 33 inches. Water-quality data also were used to calculate nutrient budgets for the lakes. Bimonthly water samples were collected from the lakes and at surface inflow and outflow sites, and were analyzed for physical characteristics, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, major ions, the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, and chlorophyll (collected at lake sites only). Specific conductance ranged from about 190 to 230 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius in Lakes Maitland, Virginia and Osceola and from about 226 to 260 microsiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius in Lake Mizell. The median concentrations of total ammonia-plus-organic nitrogen in all the lakes ranged from 0.79 to 0.99 milligrams per liter. Median total phosphorus concentrations ranged from less than 0.02 to 0.20 milligrams per liter. Stormwater samples were collected for 17 storms at one storm-drain site and 16 storms at another storm-drain site on Lake Osceola. Median total nitrogen concentrations at the sites were 2.23 and 3.06 milligrams per liter and median total phosphorus concentrations were 0.34 and 0.40 milligrams per liter. The water quality in the Winter Park lakes generally is fair to good, based on a trophic-state index used by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for assessing the tropic state of Florida lakes. This index was determined from median total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a concentrations, and median Secchi-disk transparency for all lakes for the period September 1989 to June 1992. Based on a one-time sampling of 20 sites around the lakes, surficial ground-water quality is highly variable. Nutrient concentrations were highly variable and could not be correlated to the proximity of septic tanks. Fertilizer probably is the primary source of nutrients in the surficial ground water. Nutrient budgets were calculated for the lakes for the 3 years of the study. The most variable source of nutrient loading to the lakes is stormwater. Nutrient-loading modeling indicates that reduction of nutrients in stormflow probably would improve lake-water quality. However, even with complete removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from stormwater, the lakes might still be mesotrophic with respect to both nutrients during periods of below average rainfall because of the input from the other sources of inflow to the lakes. Littoral vegetation in the lakes was surveyed in March 1992. The length of shoreline containing vegetation was 44 percent in Lake Maitland, 62 percent in Lake Virginia, 46 percent in Lake Osceola, and 76 percent in Lake Mizell. The types of vegetation present generally were similar for all four lakes.

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USGS1995

Application of acoustic velocity meters for gaging discharge of three low-velocity tidal streams in the St. Johns River basin, northeast Florida

Index-velocity data collected with acoustic velocity meters, stage data, and cross-sectional area data were used to calculate discharge at three low-velocity, tidal streamflow stations in northeast Florida. Discharge at three streamflow stations was computed as the product of the channel cross-sectional area and the mean velocity as determined from an index velocity measured in the stream using an acoustic velocity meter. The tidal streamflow stations used in the study were: Six Mile Creek near Picolata, Fla.; Dunns Creek near Satsuma, Fla.; and the St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff. Cross-sectional areas at the measurement sections ranged from about 3,000 square feet at Six Mile Creek to about 18,500 square feet at St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff. Physical characteristics for all three streams were similar except for drainage area. The topography primarily is low-relief, swampy terrain; stream velocities ranged from about -2 to 2 feet per second; and the average change in stage was about 1 foot. Instantaneous discharge was measured using a portable acoustic current meter at each of the three streams to develop a relation between the mean velocity in the stream and the index velocity measured by the acoustic velocity meter. Using least-squares linear regression, a simple linear relation between mean velocity and index velocity was determined. Index velocity was the only significant linear predictor of mean velocity for Six Mile Creek and St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff. For Dunns Creek, both index velocity and stage were used to develop a multiple-linear predictor of mean velocity. Stage-area curves for each stream were developed from bathymetric data. Instantaneous discharge was computed by multiplying results of relations developed for cross-sectional area and mean velocity. Principal sources of error in the estimated discharge are identified as: (1) instrument errors associated with measurement of stage and index velocity, (2) errors in the representation of mean daily stage and index velocity due to natural variability over time and space, and (3) errors in cross-sectional area and mean-velocity ratings based on stage and index velocity. Standard errors for instantaneous discharge for the median cross-sectional area for Six Mile Creek, Dunns Creek, and St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff were 94, 360, and 1,980 cubic feet per second, respectively. Standard errors for mean daily discharge for the median cross-sectional area for Six Mile Creek, Dunns Creek, and St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff were 25, 65, and 455 cubic feet per second, respectively. Mean daily discharge at the three sites ranged from about -500 to 1,500 cubic feet per second at Six Mile Creek and Dunns Creek and from about -500 to 15,000 cubic feet per second on the St. Johns River at Buffalo Bluff. For periods of high discharge, the AVM index-velocity method tended to produce estimates accurate within 2 to 6 percent. For periods of moderate discharge, errors in discharge may increase to more than 50 percent. At low flows, errors as a percentage of discharge increase toward infinity.

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USGS1995

Bothrigaster variolaris (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae) infection in two Florida snail kites (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus)

Two Florida snail kites ( Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus , Say) collected in August and December 1993 from Osceola County (28°15′N, 81°17′W) and Glades County (26°45′N, 81°10′W), Florida (USA), respectively, were infected with Bothrigaster variolaris (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae); this parasite has not been reported previously from birds in the United States. One bird, a fledgling female, harbored 270 specimens of B. variolaris ; the helminths caused airsacculitis and bronchitis, possible contributing factors in the death of this bird. The other bird, a subadult female, was infected with 40 trematodes and had gross and microscopic lesions consistent with trauma as the cause of death.

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USGS1995

Wind damage effects of Hurricane Andrew on mangrove communities along the southwest coast of Florida, USA

On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew downed and defoliated an extensive swath of mangrove trees across the lower Florida peninsula. Permanent field sites were established to assess the extent of forest damage and to monitor the rate and process of forest recovery. Canopy trees suffered the highest mortality particularly for sites within and immediately north of the storm's eyewall. The type and extent of site damage, windthrow, branch loss, and defoliation generally decreased exponentially with increasing distance from the storm track. Forest damage was greater for sites in the storm's right quadrant than in the left quadrant tor the same given distance from the storm center. Stand exposure, both horizontally and vertically, increased the susceptibility and probability of forest damage and accounted for much of the local variability. Slight species differences were found. Laguncularia racemosa exceeded Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle in damage tendency under similar wind conditions. Azimuths of downed trees were strongly correlated with maximum wind speed and vector based on a hurricane simulation of the storm. Lateral branch loss and leaf defoliation on sites without windthrow damage indicated a degree of crown thinning and light penetration equivalent to treefall gaps under normally intact forest conditions. Mangrove species and forests are susceptible to catastrophic disturbance by hurricanes; the impacts of which are significant to changes in forest structure and function.

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