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projects > ecosystem history of biscayne bay and the southeast coast
Summary
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Our project will compile data in order to reconstruct the ecosystem history for the entire region over the last 150 years
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Recent negative trends have been observed in the ecosystem of Florida Bay,
including algal blooms, seagrass die-offs, and declining numbers or
shellfish, adversely affecting the fishing and tourist industries. Many
theories of cause and effect exist to explain the adverse trends, but
these theories have not been scientifically tested. Prior to finalizing
plans for ecosystem restoration, the relative roles of human activities
versus natural ecosystem variations need to be established. This project
addresses this need by focusing on two primary goals. First, to determine
the characteristics of the ecosystem prior to significant human alteration,
including the natural range of variation in the system; this establishes
the baseline for restoration. Second, to establish the extent, range, and
timing of changes to the ecosystem over approximately the last 150 years
and to determine if these changes correlate to human alteration,
meteorological patterns, or a combination of factors. In addition,
data on recovery times of certain components of the ecosystem will be
obtained allowing biologists to estimate responses to proposed
restoration efforts. This project is planned as a five year study, to
be completed in 1999. This project is one segment in a group of
coordinated USGS projects examining the biota, geochronology,
geochemistry, sedimentology, and hydrology of southern Florida,
Florida Bay and the surrounding areas. Data are being compiled from
terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments in onshore and offshore
sites in order to reconstruct the ecosystem history for the entire region
over the last 150 years.
Proposals
Project Summaries
Accomplishments
Data
Metadata
Publications
Abstracts:
- The Biotic Record of Change in Florida Bay and the South Florida Ecosystem (from the Florida Bay Science Conference Proceedings, 1996, and can be found on the Ecosystem History: Florida Bay and the Southwest Coast project page)
- Diatoms as Indicators of Environmental Change in Sediment Cores from Northeastern Florida Bay (from the GEER Conference, December 2000)
- Ecological Controls on Benthic Foraminifer Distributions in Biscayne Bay, Florida (from the GEER Conference, December 2000)
- Ecosystem History of Biscayne Bay and the Southeast Coast
- Florida Bay Ecosystem: Measuring Historical Change (from the Florida Bay Science Conference Proceedings, 1995, and can be found on the Ecosystem History: Florida Bay and the Southwest Coast project page)
- A Paleosalinity Record from Manatee Bay, Barnes Sound, Florida
- Temporal Salinity and Seagrass Changes in Biscayne Bay (from the South Florida Restoration Science Forum, May 1999)
Fact Sheets:
- Ecosystem History of Biscayne Bay and the Southeast Coast
- South Florida Ecosystems: Changes Through Time
Open File Reports:
- Ecosystem History of South Florida: Biscayne Bay Sediment Core Descriptions (OFR 97-437; document will open in a new browser window)
- Lithostratigraphy, Petrography,
Biostratigraphy, and Strontium-Isotope Stratigraphy of the Surficial Aquifer
System of Western Collier County, Florida (OFR 98-205)
- Modern Benthic Foraminifer Distributions in Biscayne Bay: Analogs for Historical Reconstructions (OFR 97-034; document will open in a new browser window)
- A Paleoecologic Reconstruction of the History of Featherbed Bank, Biscayne National Park, Biscayne Bay, Florida (OFR 00-191)
Poster:
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A Paleoenvironmental Record from Manatee Bay, Barnes Sound, Florida
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