A Swamp Story: The Ebb and Flow

“There are no other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them...” – Marjory S. Douglas

Referring to the Everglades as the “River of Grass,” which then stretched from Lake Okeechobee south and west to the Gulf of Mexico, Majory Stoneman Douglas was one of the first to recognize its natural beauty. Like life-supporting blood, water courses through the Everglades and sustains and feeds the diverse plants and animals found in ponds, grass prairies, and hardwood hammocks. Man-made changes in the past century have given this beauty a dramatic wasting disease. The area of the Everglades has been halved, and water has been drained away to allow for agriculture and the needs of the chronically increasing population. The plants and animals that inhabit the swampy Everglades are suffering – possibly in irreparable fashion.

The Everglades’ ecosystem thrives on very wet summers and drought-like winters. Water from the Florida Kissimmee River basin flows through and eventually empties out into the Gulf of Mexico. Farms, golf courses, and homes that use fertilizers and other chemicals to keep their lawns or gardens looking their best ultimately drain into the water supply, which also continues on through the Everglades. To protect against area flooding, water management controls were put in place. Unfortunately, sometimes nature does a better job, if just left alone. Alligator nests built at the water’s edge are destroyed when flood management practices exacerbate high water levels. Conversely, endangered snail kites feed on a snail that could not exist during prolonged droughts. Other small aquatic organisms form the foundation for the Everglades food web and rely on this water. At Rosenstiel School, scientists are interested in changes in the Everglades’ and beyond.

A view from above
With new satellite observations of South Florida, the school’s researchers can view detailed images of the Everglades’ water levels. Rosenstiel School’s unique Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing downloads satellite imagery helpful to water management and wetlands restoration. Observations can span widths of 50 to 100 km, and this project is the only one in the world providing unprecedented detail because of its particular satellite imagery. It is also the only space-based approach to real-time water-level monitoring. That means its far-ranging, continuous views help wetlands management.

Answers from within
Other Rosenstiel School researchers are studying how Everglades water composition is changing. One scientist has shown that most South Florida coastal waters are especially sensitive to nitrogen pollution. His research explores how Everglades drainage in northern portions has released large amounts of nitrogen, contributing to algal blooms and ecosystem damage.

Trying to see the future
In the mid ‘90s, Florida and the federal government embarked on a massive Everglades restoration project basically to overhaul this man-made ecosystem plumbing. One Rosenstiel School scientist is modeling the flows through the Everglades on the surface and in the ground. He is able to determine the freshwater input for coastal water models, which helps in understanding the impact of Everglades changes on the nearby saltwater ecosystems.

Searching for unknown treasures within
One Rosenstiel School researcher wants to reveal hidden treasures in the Everglades, better known as wild yeasts. While most think of yeast as merely an ingredient for making beer or bread, there are many species of this common pantry item. Scientists estimate that only 1 percent of these wild yeasts have been discovered and that the other 99 percent could have significant ecological, commercial, or medical value. The Everglades represents a good host environment, so scientists are concerned that habitat loss will lead to species extinction. And just like the diminishing rain forests of Latin America that may hold a medical breakthrough within its undiscovered depths, so to may the Everglades within its very unique ecosystem. This researcher and his team unrelentingly collect water samples, grow yeasts, extract DNA to identify the strains – all with an eye toward learning the range of unicellular treasures in this habitat.It’s this diversity in Everglades research that allows Rosenstiel School scientists to help reduce the environmental threats to this unique and valuable ecosystem.

For more information, contact:
Barbra Gonzalez, Communications Director
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science
305.421.4704 • barbgo@rsmas.miami.edu

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