Everglades restoration calls for an increase in water delivery to the major watersheds of Everglades National Park. The response to hydrologic restoration of the estuarine end-members of these watersheds are not entirely understood. In this project, we investigate how carbon fluxes in estuarine Taylor River are related to hydrology using existing seasonal and storm-mediated changes. Here we present daily estimates of whole-ecosystem, aquatic metabolism derived from high-frequency (10 minute) changes in water column dissolved oxygen.

In coastal peatlands, factors related to global climate change are expected to alter the flux of CO2 from soils to the atmosphere. Plant-soil feedbacks are expected to yield increased ecosystem stability, and strong feedback is often expressed in coastal systems, especially in peatlands. However, peatland characteristics that influence these feedbacks are not well studied, and could elucidate a better understanding of C dynamics.

The Florida coastal Everglades (FCE) is a coastal wetland, which is characterized by a freshwater to marine gradient ranging from freshwater marshes, through mangrove fringe to the seagrass dominated Florida Bay estuary. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in this system is am important biogeochemical component as most of the N and P are in an organic form. The dynamics of this DOM in the FCE is complex given its versatile sources and the effects of geomorphology, hydrology, water chemistry, and history of degradation on DOM composition and fate.

 The Southern Everglades mangrove ecotone is part of a highly oligotrophic, P-limited estuarine ecosystem. The wetland vegetation in this region is comprised mostly of dwarf red mangrove spanning the oligohaline zone between the freshwater marshes to the north and Florida Bay to the south. The hydrology of the region is wind and runoff-dominated with a small tidal component and is characterized by a strong seasonal pattern in rainfall and discharge from numerous creek systems.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous in a wide range in aquatic environments and plays important ecological roles by fueling the microbial loop, acting as a factor determining light penetration, as the substrate for photoproducts, as a pH buffer, and as a medium for the complexation of trace metals. In addition, DOM fluxes from terrestrial to marine environments have been reported to steadily increase due to climate change and anthropogenic influences. Thus, the chemical characteristics of DOM have extensive implications in aquatic environments.

The Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) is an oligotrophic wetland characterized by very low quantities of particulate organic matter (POM). POM in this environment occurs as a slow-moving, benthic layer of flocculent material (floc) that has been defined as biogenic, detrital and rich in organic matter. Although it is known that floc is an important component of the food web in the Everglades, still little is known about its biogeochemical dynamics in this environment. Floc has also been thought to be a potentially important source of dissolved organic matter (DOM).

The role abiotic factors play in structuring communities is one of the fundamental questions in ecology. At small spatial and temporal scales, abiotic conditions influence patterns of species movement and habitat use. At larger scales, abiotic factors affect patterns of species abundance and distribution. The structuring effect of abiotic conditions may be particularly important along ecotonal habitats. In the southwestern Everglades, mangrove-lined creeks link freshwater marshes to estuarine habitats.

The distribution of mangrove biomass and forest structure along Shark River estuary in the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) has been correlated with elevated total phosphorus concentration in soils thought to be associated with storm events. The passage of Hurricane Wilma across Shark River estuary in 2005 allowed us to test this hypothesis by sampling chemical properties and spatial pattern of sediment deposits in mangrove forests along FCE sites in December 2005 and October 2006. The thickness (0.5 to 4.5 cm) of hurricane sediment deposits decreased with distance inland at each site.