Ken Krauss 700 Cajundome Blvd. Lafayette, LA, 70506 voice: 337 266-8882 fax: 337 266-8592 email: kkrauss@usgs.gov
1. A stratified network of gaging stations will be distributed across the oligohaline-estuarine gradient within the Wood River basin bounded by the Faka-Union canal to the southeast and the little Wood River to the northwest. A dozen continuous stage recorders will be installed in a 3 × 4 matrix overlaying the upper and lower reaches of the Wood River basin from the southern side of the Tamiami Trail to the coastal inland bay boundary. Select stations along the latitudinal gradient from north to south will also be instrumented with salinity gages to record hourly changes in salinity affected by tidal coupling and freshwater discharge circulated from the adjoining Faka-Union Canal at high flow. Paired rain gages will be installed at the northern end of the network to account for rainfall input on stage and salinity; a meterological station to predict ET rates will also be co-located. Two Doppler velocity meters will be placed under bridges on the Tamiami Trail (Bridges 39 and 51) where freshwater exchange occurs north to south under the highway into the study basin. Groundwater well data and surface water records for the Faka-Union Canal at the intersection with the Tamiami Trail will be obtained from the South Florida Water Management District for completing hydrologic analyses.
Specific data collected are stage records (hourly) across the Wood River basin network, salinity records (hourly) along the oligohaline-estuarine gradient, flow velocities (hourly) across the Tamiami Trail, and meteorological observations (hourly temp, precip, humidity, wind velocity, etc)
2. Routine visits will be required to download and maintain dataloggers including data retrieval, processing and archiving responsibilities. Hydrologic, salinity, and meteorological stations indicated in 1 correspond to key inputs for the development of a mass flux hydrologic model to include marsh, mangrove, and open channel flows through TTINWR.
3. Elevation surveys will be initiated to develop a digital elevation model of gaging stations and habitat quadrats across the Wood River basin watershed. This task is fairly involved and will begin in FY06 but continue in outyears concomitant with full funding level and labor force. Closed circuits will be achieved to account for leveling order and accuracy based on established benchmark monuments in the study area. Elevation profiles of the TTINWR marsh-mangrove complex will be determined from transect surveys and from LIDAR data, if available. Bathymetric survey of the Faka-Union Canal and coastal inland bay complex will be conducted with acoustic soundings, unless otherwise available from other state or Federal agency. Hydroperiod calculations and inundation maps of grid point locations will be generated from the rectified elevations of surrounding soil surfaces relative to water levels at each gage site.
4. The vegetation types and mangrove growth along the oligohaline-estuarine gradient will be quantified to correspond with observed hydroperiod and salinity. Vegetation components of this study will be initiated in part concomitant to funding level.
Vegetation composition and cover data will be gathered at each grid station and along elevation transects between gage stations in relation to water level above surface to generate species and community ordinations by location and environmental characteristics. Mangrove stands and tree islands will be measured for tree size, density, and stature to relate stand development to hydroperiod and site quality. Tree and species growth rates may be monitored for select stands near network gaging stations utilizing dendrometer band techniques to make specific growth links.
Specific products will be dendroband growth data on mangrove trees and vegetation quadrant observations at gaging stations
U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for
Coastal Geology
Comments and suggestions? Contact: Heather
Henkel - Webmaster
Generated by mp version 2.7.33 on Tue Aug 22 10:49:04 2006