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projects > freshwater flows into northeastern florida bay > work plan
U.S. Geological Survey, Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystems Science (GE PES)Fiscal Year 2005 Study Work PlanStudy Title: Freshwater Flows to Northeastern Florida Bay
Principal Investigator(s): Mark Zucker, Clinton Hittle
Overview & Objective(s): The project objectives are: 1) To determine the quantity, timing and distribution of freshwater flow through estuarine creeks into northeastern Florida Bay, 2) to provide real-time physical data to Everglades modelers and researchers, and 3) to advance accurate methods for gaging estuarine creeks. Flow, water-level, and salinity data are collected at the estuarine creeks that connect the Everglades wetland with Florida Bay. This project helps determine how freshwater flow affects the health of Florida Bay, a critical concern of the CERP, and how changes in water-management practices upstream (Taylor Slough and C-111 basins) directly influence flow and salinity conditions in the estuary. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), USGS, Everglades National Park (ENP) and other agencies as well as universities are currently using the data from this study to answer specific research questions that will directly benefit the restoration effort. Specific Relevance to Major Unanswered Questions and Information Needs Identified: (Page numbers below refer to DOI Science Plan.) This study supports several of the projects listed in the DOI science plan (specifically: C-111 Spreader Canal and CSOP; Additional Water for ENP and Biscayne Bay Feasibility Study; Florida Bay and Florida Keys Feasibility Study) by (a) providing baseline hydrologic data for model calibration and verification and for resource management; (b) quantifying discharge at estuarine creeks to answer the quantity, timing and distribution question; (c) quantifying discharge at estuarine creeks for load calculations; (d) providing temperature data for biological studies; (e) providing salinity data to support restoration criteria (i.e. performance measure) This study supports the C-111 Spreader and CSOP projects (p. 71) as it (1) provides critical coastal discharge data for nutrient and pesticide loading to the bay and (2) provides salinity data to calibrate models or verify model predictions of salinity. This study supports the Additional Water to Everglades National Park and Biscayne Bay Feasibility Study (p. 74) as it (1) provides critical coastal discharge data for nutrient and pesticide loading to the bay (p. 63) and (2) provides baseline data to assist with the question of how will natural flows in Taylor Slough will change the quantity, timing, and distribution of flows in Biscayne Bay. This study supports the Florida Bay and Florida Keys Feasibility Study (p. 77) as it (1) provides baseline data to address the quantity, timing and distribution of freshwater flow to Florida Bay question, (2) provides basic hydrologic data to assist with model calibration and verification (p. 78) of the Florida Bay Hydrodynamic and the USGS TIME and SICS models, and (3) provides critical coastal discharge data for nutrient, pesticide, and mercury loading. Key Findings:
Status: On-going Recent Products: Published unit values of water level, discharge, salinity, and temperature are available from 1996 to 2000. (http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/patino/patinoflow.html), Poster titled Estimation of Freshwater Flow to Joe Bay, South Florida. Planned Products: Published unit values of water level, discharge, salinity, and temperature for water years 2001 through 2003. Fact Sheet and poster prepared for First National Conference on Ecosystem Restoration (NCER) in Orlando, Florida, December 2004. WORK PLAN Title of Task 1: Gaging Freshwater Flows into Northeastern Florida Bay Task Summary and Objectives: Task 1 is the continuation of measuring freshwater flow from the Everglades wetlands into northeastern Florida Bay. Flow, water-level, salinity and temperature data are collected in real-time at monitoring sites in estuarine creeks and are transmitted via satellite to the USGS Center for Water and Restoration Studies in Miami, Florida. The task objectives are: 1) to determine the quantity, timing and distribution of freshwater flow through estuarine creeks into northeastern Florida Bay (the Florida Bay and Florida Keys Feasibility Study (p. 77), 2) To provide real-time physical data to Everglades/Florida Bay modelers and researchers (Additional Water to Everglades National Park and Biscayne Bay Feasibility Study (p. 74), and 3) to advance accurate methods for gaging estuarine creeks. Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures: Data collection includes continuous 15-minute interval measurements of water level, water velocity, salinity, and temperature data and periodic measurements of discharge for acoustic Doppler velocity meter (ADVM) calibrations at West Highway Creek, Stillwater Creek, Trout Creek, Mud Creek, Taylor River at Mouth, upstream Taylor River, McCormick Creek, and Jewfish Creek. Field data at the instrumented sites are recorded by an electronic data logger and transmitted every 4 hours by way of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) into the database of the USGS CWRS office. Non-transmitting stations where only discharge and water level are collected include East Highway Creek and Oregon Creek. Boat mounted acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) are used to measure discharge in the estuarine creeks mentioned above. The ADCP uses the Doppler shift in returned acoustic signals reflected by particles suspended in the water to determine the velocity of moving water. Discharge and flow direction are calculated using the Doppler software package. The mean channel water velocity is calculated by dividing the total discharge (measured with the ADCP) by the cross-sectional area determined by the water level at the time of measurement. The cross-sectional area is computed by using the site-specific stage area ratings, which is a function of water level. Water-level data are collected with an incremental shaft encoder equipped with a pulley, stainless-steel tape, weight, and float inside an 8 in. (inch) polyvinyl chloride pipe stilling well. Salinity and temperature data are collected with YSI instrumentation (i.e. 600R, Optical Monitoring System). During routine station visits, these in-situ instruments are cleaned, calibrated (if necessary), and verified with laboratory standards. In essence, fouling and electronic errors are observed and datum corrections are applied accordingly. An independently calibrated YSI instrument is used during each field trip to verify in-situ salinities and temperatures. The independent YSI sensor is checked against a NIST laboratory certified thermometer in the lab periodically. Specific Task Product(s): A USGS Data Series Report is planned for FY05 that includes a data summary for the estuarine creeks for water years 2001-2003. All summarized data will be available on the SOFIA web page and NWIS database for retrieval. In addition, FY2004 manuscripts will be published in the USGS Surface Water Data and data will be available on the SOFIA web page and NWIS database for retrieval. |
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
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Last updated: 24 February, 2006 @ 11:14 AM(KP)