projects > groundwater
seepage in the florida keys
The objective of this study is to determine the volume and composition of
groundwaters seeping upward through the rock water interface into Florida
Bay and the coral reef tract. These studies are necessary (1) to determine
if the level of nutrients and other contaminants is rising (i.e. baseline data),
(2) to provide data for modeling effors and (3) to explain the mortality of
certain benthic organisms such as corals and seagrass.
The strategy of this study is to install seepage meters and measure (quarterly)
the volume of groundwater seepage into the overlying marine environment. The
waters will be analyzed for major nutrient levels. The primary product will
be a set of volume values which can be used by hydraulic modelers to determine
the source and movement of Florida Bay waters. Submarine groundwater input
into Florida Bay has been ignored by modelers and results show current models
are likely to be erroneous. An additional major product will be an improved
seepage meter design.
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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal Geology This page is: http://sofia.usgs.gov/projects/grndwtr_seepage/index.html Comments and suggestions? Contact: Heather Henkel - Webmaster Last updated: 22 May, 2003 @ 01:25 PM (KP) |