FS 2006-3076
2006
Freshwater and Nutrient Fluxes to Coastal Waters of Everglades National Park--A Synthesis
Benjamin F. McPherson and Arturo E. Torres
CONTENTS
Introduction
Watershed inflows into ENP
What are the major sources of nutrient loads?
Current and historical work on freshwater and nutrient watershed inputs
Water-quality (nutrient) models for restoration
References
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Abstract
  Freshwater in the Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp drains south and southwest into coastal regions where
it mixes with seawater to create the salinity gradients characteristic of productive estuarine and marine systems.
  Studies in Florida Bay have shown that over the last 100-200 years, salinity and seagrass distributions have
fluctuated substantially in response to natural climatic cycles. The timing of this change coincides at least in
part with the canal construction and landscape alterations in the Everglades that have altered the quantity,
timing, distribution, and quality of surface water that flows south into the coastal waters.
  Federal and State agencies have undertaken a massive Everglades restoration project that will require changes in
water management throughout the Everglades, and this will affect water flows to the coastal region. A major concern
involves how changes in water flow could affect salinity and nutrient availability in coastal waters.
Suggested Citation:
McPherson, B.F., and Torres, A.E., 2006, Freshwater and Nutrient Fluxes to Coastal Waters of Everglades National Park--A Synthesis:
U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2006-3076, 4 p.
For more information, contact:
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Suite 215
10500 University Center Dr.
Tampa, FL 33612-6427
813-975-8620
aetorres@usgs.gov