Synthesis

Currently, there are several synthesis projects started in the South Florida Ecosystem program. The first, "Interagency Synthesis of Scientific Information, South Florida" will focus on developing concise descriptions and coverages of over 70 Ecosystem projects. The second project, "Salinity Patterns in Florida Bay: A Synthesis, will investigate salinity conditions within Florida Bay, starting in 1900. "Synthesis by the Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades" is studying the factors that control mercury cycling and bioaccumulation in the Everglades. "Synthesis of Sediment Production, Transport, and Accumulation" will integrate six projects that have focused on various aspects of sedimentation in Florida Bay. And, "Synthesis on the impact of 20th Century water-management and land-use practices on the coastal hydrology of southeast Florida" will assess the hydrogeologic character of the surficial aquifer system and examine the overall status of saltwater intrusion in South Florida.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is beginning synthesis for its South Florida Ecosystem Program. The approach adopted by the USGS could serve as a guide or prototype for interagency synthesis. The schedule for the USGS Ecosystem Program is ideal for developing and testing an approach and implementation plan for interagency synthesis. The approach for the USGS synthesis will be to summarize each of the approximately 70 Ecosystem projects into 70 short, 2-page reports that contain the main findings of each project and to distribute these reports at a symposium in the winter of 1999. Review and discussion of these short reports and presentations will serve as the basis for topical synthesis of critical resource issues and will summarize the USGS Ecosystem Program from 1996 through 1998. (more...)

Salinity in Florida Bay and its relationship to climate and water management in south Florida is central to restoration activities in Florida Bay. Upstream water management activities over the last century have disrupted the quantity, quality, timing and distribution of freshwater flows into Florida Bay affecting salinity conditions. Long-term and short-term effects of salinity are integral elements of conceptual models of seagrass die-off. Loss of seagrass habitat beginning with seagrass die-off in 1987 is implicated in the changes in sediment dynamics, nutrient dynamics and nursery function characterizing the Bay over the last decade. Detailed paleoecological studies are underway to reconstruct salinity conditions in a pre-management Florida Bay as a possible restoration target. Hydrodynamic models (RMA 10, FATHOM, SWIFT2D) are being developed for Florida Bay to aid in predicting circulation, inflow and the movement of nutrients through the system. All these studies require salinity data and synthesis for calibration, verification and interpretation. Despite these needs present and past spatial and temporal patterns of salinity in Florida Bay have not been summarized. This project will combine several data sets and available anecdotal data into a synthesis of salinity conditions within Florida Bay from 1900. (more...)

The toxicological manifestation of mercury contamination varies widely among ecosystems; some ecosystems show little transference of mercury to the food web (bioaccumulation), while others show efficient transfer into living organisms. Such is the case with the Florida Everglades. For the past three years, the Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades (ACME) project has been investigating the factors controlling mercury cycling and bioaccumulation. The objective this proposed work is to bring to fruition the research conducted by the ACME project. Products from the synthesis (databases, scientific papers, overall synthesis document) will be valuable for State of Florida managers who are cunimily making restoration design decisions. In addition, because mercury is globally distributed, our results will be transferable worldwide to other scientists and ecosystem managers. (more...)

This project will synthesize portions of six projects that deal in diverse but complimentary aspects of sediments in Florida Bay. Results from those projects will be integrated with appropriate literature to develop a sediment budget for the lagoon/estuary system. The synthesis will be process oriented, describing the mechanisms by which sediments are formed, moved, and deposited to form mudbanks and islands. The summary will include recommendations to management questions such as the effects of sea-level rise on Florida Bay and expected impacts of increased fresh-water flows. (more...)

This synthesis will assess the hydrogeologic character of the surficial aquifer system, review the extensive impact of water-management controls on the hydrologic system, and examine the manner in which urban and agricultural areas have effected the ambient quality of ground water. In addition, this synthesis will examine the overall status of saltwater intrusion in South Florida, potential effects of Everglades restoration scenarios on intrusion, and the impact on water supply and the South Florida ecosystem due to saltwater intrusion. (more...)