Mark A. Zucker and Jeff Woods
U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Numerous estuarine creeks flow from the wetlands of the Everglades into Florida Bay which is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Between October 2000 and September 2005, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal Monitoring Network recorded surface-water stage, velocity, salinity, and temperature data at 15-minute and hourly intervals within 14 estuarine creeks that flow into northeastern Florida Bay and Joe Bay. Salinity and temperature were recorded at 12 of the 14 stations, and corrected for biofouling and electronic drift according to USGS quality assurance guidelines. Five of the stations, (East Highway Creek, Oregon Creek, Joe Bay 2E, Joe Bay 5C, and Joe Bay 8W) were instrumented with an acoustic Doppler velocity meter (ADVM) during the 2001 water year to monitor surface-water stage and discharge.

Discharge is the product of the mean channel water velocity and the cross-sectional area. Continuous discharge record is determined by first calculating the quotient of ADCP measured discharge and the rated cross-sectional area of the creek to obtain mean channel velocity. Changes in the cross-sectional area are related to changes in surface water level. Linear regression is then used to relate the in situ velocity, measured by an ADVM, to the mean channel water velocity.

Mean monthly values of surface-water stage and discharge are presented in time series graphs and tables to evaluate the quantity, timing, and distribution of flow to Joe Bay, northeastern Florida Bay, and central Florida Bay. Previously unpublished data at Jewfish Creek, Joe Bay 1E, Joe Bay 2E, Joe Bay 5C, and Joe Bay 8W prior to October 2000, are available at the USGS South Florida Information Access web page (http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/index.html)

Contact Information: Mark Zucker, U.S. Geological Survey, Florida Integrated Science Center, 3110 SW 9th Ave, Building B, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 33315, Phone: 954-377-5952, Fax: 954-377-5901, Email: mzucker@usgs.gov

(This abstract is from the 2006 Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration Conference.)

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Related Project: Freshwater Flows to Northeastern Florida Bay