A conceptual model of ecological interactions in the mangrove estuaries of the Florida Everglades

A brackish water ecotone of coastal bays and lakes, mangrove forests, salt marshes, tidal creeks, and upland hammocks separates Florida Bay, Biscayne Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico from the freshwater Everglades. The Everglades mangrove estuaries are characterized by salinity gradients that vary spatially with topography and vary seasonally and inter-annually with rainfall, tide, and freshwater flow from the Everglades. Because of their location at the lower end of the Everglades drainage basin, Everglades mangrove estuaries have been affected by upstream water management practices that have altered the freshwater heads and flows and that affect salinity gradients. Additionally, interannual variation in precipitation patterns, particularly those caused to El Nin˜o events, control freshwater inputs and salinity dynamics in these estuaries. Two major external drivers on this system are water management activities and global climate change. These drivers lead to two major ecosystem stressors: reduced freshwater flow volume and duration, and sea-level rise. Major ecological attributes include mangrove forest production, soil accretion, and resilience; coastal lake submerged aquatic vegetation; resident mangrove fish populations; wood stork (Mycteria americana) and roseate spoonbill (Platelea ajaja) nesting colonies; and estuarine crocodilian populations. Causal linkages between stressors and attributes include coastal transgression, hydroperiods, salinity gradients, and the ‘‘white zone’’ freshwater/estuarine interface. The functional estuary and its ecological attributes, as influenced by sea level and freshwater flow, must be viewed as spatially dynamic, with a possible near-term balancing of transgression but ultimately a long-term continuation of inland movement. Regardless of the spatio-temporal timing of this transgression, a salinity gradient supportive of ecologically functional Everglades mangrove estuaries will be required to maintain the integrity of the South Florida ecosystem.

Comparison of community structure of mangrove and riprap rock habitats along urban coastlines of south Florida

Globally, mangrove ecosystems have substantially declined, largely a result of human impacts. Mangroves provide a number of ecosystem services such as shoreline stabilization and nursery habitat for fish species. As declines continue, many of these ecosystem services are lost or altered. The need for shoreline stabilization has become increasingly apparent when chronic erosion wear away coastlines once mangroves are removed. Limestone boulders called riprap have been employed to offset continued erosion associated with mangrove clearing. In urban coastal areas adjacent to Biscayne Bay, Florida, as much as 80 percent of mangroves have been lost. More recently, riprap has been used in conjunction with mangroves to restore wetlands throughout the Bay. This riprap-mangrove habitat provides structure for marine organisms to colonize. However, fish assemblages and benthic composition could vary between this hybridized habitat and natural mangrove systems. Comparisons of fish and benthic community structure were made, to determine if abundance, species richness, and overall diversity differed between the two habitat types. Visual census and benthic quadrat surveys were conducted in vi mangrove and mangrove-riprap sites within two regions of Biscayne Bay. Total fish abundance was greater in mangroves, but the effect of habitat type on species richness varied between regions. The community structure of fishes and benthic composition differed significantly between mangroves and riprap habitats. Because species composition is so distinct, it is likely that the two communities do no function in the same manner. In areas with cleared shorelines, it may be important to consider the function of added anthropogenic structure for ecological communities.

Hydro-physical characterization of media used in agricultural systems to develop the best management practices for operation of an environmentally sustainable agricultural enterprise

Florida is the second leading horticulture state in the United States with a total annual industry sale of over $12 Billion. Due to its competitive nature, agricultural plant production represents an extremely intensive practice with large amounts of water and fertilizer usage. Agrochemical and water management are vital for efficient functioning of any agricultural enterprise, and the subsequent nutrient loading from such agricultural practices has been a concern for environmentalists. A thorough understanding of the agrochemical and the soil amendments used in these agricultural systems is of special interest as contamination of soils can cause surface and groundwater pollution leading to ecosystem toxicity. The presence of fragile ecosystems such as the Everglades, Biscayne Bay and Big Cypress near enterprises that use such agricultural systems makes the whole issue even more imminent. Although significant research has been conducted with soils and soil mix, there is no acceptable method for determining the hydraulic properties of mixtures that have been subjected to organic and inorganic soil amendments. Hydro-physical characterization of such mixtures can facilitate the understanding of water retention and permeation characteristics of the commonly used mix which can further allow modeling of soil water interactions. The objective of this study was to characterize some of the locally and commercially available plant growth mixtures for their hydro-physical properties and develop mathematical models to correlate these acquired basic properties to the hydraulic conductivity of the mixture. The objective was also to model the response patterns of soil amendments present in those mixtures to different water and fertilizer use scenarios using the characterized hydro-physical properties with the help of Everglades-Agro-Hydrology Model. The presence of organic amendments helps the mixtures retain more water while the inorganic amendments tend to adsorb more nutrients due to their high surface area. The results of these types of characterization can provide a scientific basis for understanding the non-point source water pollution from horticulture production systems and assist in the development of the best management practices for the operation of environmentally sustainable agricultural enterprise

2007 Cumulative Annual Report for the Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network

This report summarizes the existing data from the FIU Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network for calendar year January 1 – December 31, 2007. This includes water quality data collected from 28 stations in Florida Bay, 22 stations in Whitewater Bay, 25 stations in Ten Thousand Islands, 25 stations in Biscayne Bay, 49 stations on the Southwest Florida Shelf (Shelf), and 28 stations in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area. Each of the stations in Florida Bay were monitored on a monthly basis with monitoring beginning in March 1991; Whitewater Bay monitoring began in September 1992; Biscayne Bay monthly monitoring began September 1993; the SW Florida Shelf was sampled quarterly beginning in spring 1995; and monthly sampling in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area started January 1999.

2007 Cumulative Annual Report for the Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network

This report summarizes the existing data from the FIU Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network for calendar year January 1 – December 31, 2007. This includes water quality data collected from 28 stations in Florida Bay, 22 stations in Whitewater Bay, 25 stations in Ten Thousand Islands, 25 stations in Biscayne Bay, 49 stations on the Southwest Florida Shelf (Shelf), and 28 stations in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area. Each of the stations in Florida Bay were monitored on a monthly basis with monitoring beginning in March 1991; Whitewater Bay monitoring began in September 1992; Biscayne Bay monthly monitoring began September 1993; the SW Florida Shelf was sampled quarterly beginning in spring 1995; and monthly sampling in the Cape Romano-Pine Island Sound area started January 1999.

Changing Bacterial Growth Efficiencies across a Natural Nutrient Gradient in an Oligotrophic Estuary

Recent studies have characterized coastal estuarine systems as important components of the global carbon cycle. This study investigated carbon cycling through the microbial loop of Florida Bay by use of bacterial growth efficiency calculations. Bacterial production, bacterial respiration, and other environmental parameters were measured at three sites located along a historic phosphorus-limitation gradient in Florida Bay and compared to a relatively nutrient enriched site in Biscayne Bay. A new method for measuring bacterial respiration in oligotrophic waters involving tracing respiration of 13C-glucose was developed. The results of the study indicate that 13C tracer assays may provide a better means of measuring bacterial respiration in low nutrient environments than traditional dissolved oxygen consumption-based methods due to strong correlations between incubation length and δ13C values. Results also suggest that overall bacterial growth efficiency may be lower at the most nutrient limited sites.

Compilation of maximum ingestion and maximum clearance rate data for marine pelagic organisms

The metabolic rate of organisms may either be viewed as a basic property from which other vital rates and many ecological patterns emerge and that follows a universal allometric mass scaling law; or it may be considered a property of the organism that emerges as a result of the organism's adaptation to the environment, with consequently less universal mass scaling properties. Data on body mass, maximum ingestion and clearance rates, respiration rates and maximum growth rates of animals living in the ocean epipelagic were compiled from the literature, mainly from original papers but also from previous compilations by other authors. Data were read from tables or digitized from graphs. Only measurements made on individuals of know size, or groups of individuals of similar and known size were included. We show that clearance and respiration rates have life-form-dependent allometries that have similar scaling but different elevations, such that the mass-specific rates converge on a rather narrow size-independent range. In contrast, ingestion and growth rates follow a near-universal taxa-independent ~3/4 mass scaling power law. We argue that the declining mass-specific clearance rates with size within taxa is related to the inherent decrease in feeding efficiency of any particular feeding mode. The transitions between feeding mode and simultaneous transitions in clearance and respiration rates may then represent adaptations to the food environment and be the result of the optimization of tradeoffs that allow sufficient feeding and growth rates to balance mortality.

Compilation of growth rate data for marine pelagic organisms

The metabolic rate of organisms may either be viewed as a basic property from which other vital rates and many ecological patterns emerge and that follows a universal allometric mass scaling law; or it may be considered a property of the organism that emerges as a result of the organism's adaptation to the environment, with consequently less universal mass scaling properties. Data on body mass, maximum ingestion and clearance rates, respiration rates and maximum growth rates of animals living in the ocean epipelagic were compiled from the literature, mainly from original papers but also from previous compilations by other authors. Data were read from tables or digitized from graphs. Only measurements made on individuals of know size, or groups of individuals of similar and known size were included. We show that clearance and respiration rates have life-form-dependent allometries that have similar scaling but different elevations, such that the mass-specific rates converge on a rather narrow size-independent range. In contrast, ingestion and growth rates follow a near-universal taxa-independent ~3/4 mass scaling power law. We argue that the declining mass-specific clearance rates with size within taxa is related to the inherent decrease in feeding efficiency of any particular feeding mode. The transitions between feeding mode and simultaneous transitions in clearance and respiration rates may then represent adaptations to the food environment and be the result of the optimization of tradeoffs that allow sufficient feeding and growth rates to balance mortality.

Hydro-Physical Characterization of Media Used in Agricultural Systems to Develop the Best Management Practices for operation of an Environmentally Sustainable Agricultural Enterprise

Florida is the second leading horticulture state in the United States with a total annual industry sale of over $12 Billion. Due to its competitive nature, agricultural plant production represents an extremely intensive practice with large amounts of water and fertilizer usage. Agrochemical and water management are vital for efficient functioning of any agricultural enterprise, and the subsequent nutrient loading from such agricultural practices has been a concern for environmentalists. A thorough understanding of the agrochemical and the soil amendments used in these agricultural systems is of special interest as contamination of soils can cause surface and groundwater pollution leading to ecosystem toxicity. The presence of fragile ecosystems such as the Everglades, Biscayne Bay and Big Cypress near enterprises that use such agricultural systems makes the whole issue even more imminent. Although significant research has been conducted with soils and soil mix, there is no acceptable method for determining the hydraulic properties of mixtures that have been subjected to organic and inorganic soil amendments. Hydro-physical characterization of such mixtures can facilitate the understanding of water retention and permeation characteristics of the commonly used mix which can further allow modeling of soil water interactions. The objective of this study was to characterize some of the locally and commercially available plant growth mixtures for their hydro-physical properties and develop mathematical models to correlate these acquired basic properties to the hydraulic conductivity of the mixture. The objective was also to model the response patterns of soil amendments present in those mixtures to different water and fertilizer use scenarios using the characterized hydro-physical properties with the help of Everglades-Agro-Hydrology Model. The presence of organic amendments helps the mixtures retain more water while the inorganic amendments tend to adsorb more nutrients due to their high surface area. The results of these types of characterization can provide a scientific basis for understanding the non-point source water pollution from horticulture production systems and assist in the development of the best management practices for the operation of environmentally sustainable agricultural enterprise

How monuments shape urban identity

Monuments in our society commemorate historical events, acts or heroes, and educate people about them. Monuments are landmarks that stand out from other buildings to give the city identity and order. This thesis asks how a monument can be designed to project a clear image at a distance and articulate a spatial experience at close range. Two important monuments that form part of the life of America serve as examples: (1) The Statue of Liberty, in the New York Harbor, that has become the visual icon of New York if not the nation and (2) The Holocaust Memorial in Miami Beach, Florida, that leads the visitor through a poignant experience at close range. The second part of the thesis is the design of a monument and museum for The Port of Miami, as part of the Port Boulevard Enhancement Project, sponsored by the Florida Foreign Trade Association, to celebrate the trade pioneers who helped Miami-Dade County achieve its prominence. The site for the monument is located at Biscayne Boulevard and Fifth Street, between Bayside Market Place and The American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami, at the Biscayne Bay.

Assessment of natural resource conditions in and adjacent to Biscayne National Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/BISC/NRR—2012/598

This report is an assessment of the conditions of natural resources in Biscayne National Park (BNP) based on the compilation, review and evaluation of existing information on the Park’s natural resources. This review evaluates threats and stressors, and is intended to improve understanding of BNP resources to help guide Park management to address the identified threats, which are supported by enhanced data collection, research and assessment efforts. The report is focused on broad resource components, namely terrestrial resources and aquatic systems including: wetlands, canals, bay waters, marine/reef areas and ground waters. Biotic and abiotic resource components are considered in the review.

Synthesis of active Belite-Alite-Ye'elimite clinker (BAY)

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is an environmentally contentious material, as for every ton of OPC produced, on average, 0.97 tons of CO2 are released. Ye'elimite-rich cements are considered as eco-cements because their manufacturing process releases less CO2 into the atmosphere than OPC; this is due to the low calcite demand. Belite-Alite-Ye’elimite (BAY) cements are promising eco-friendly building materials as OPC substitutes at a large scale. The reaction of alite and ye´elimite with water should develop cements with high mechanical strengths at early ages, while belite will contribute to later curing times. However, they develop lower mechanical strengths at early-medium ages than OPC. It is known that the presence of different polymorphs of ye'elimite and belite affects the hydration due to the different reactivity of those phases. Thus, a solution to this problem may be well the activation of BAY clinkers by preparing them with 'H-belite and pseudo-cubic-ye'elimite, jointly with alite. The aim of this work is the preparation and characterization of active-BAY clinkers which contain high percentages of coexisting 'H-belite and pseudo-cubic-ye'elimite, jointly with alite to develop, in a future step, comparable mechanical strengths to OPC. The parameters evolved in the preparation of the clinker have been optimized, including the selection of raw materials (mineralizers and activators) and clinkering conditions. Finally, the clinker was characterized through laboratory X-ray powder diffraction, in combination with the Rietveld methodology, and scanning electron microscopy.

Synthesis and behavior of Belite-Alite-Ye’elimite (BAY) cement

Ye’elimite based cements have been studied since 70’s years in China, due to the irrelevant characteristics from a hydraulic and environmental point of view. One of them is the reduced fuel consumption, related to the lower temperature reaction required for this kind of cement production as compared to Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), another characteristic is the reduced requirement of carbonates as a typical raw material, compared to OPC, with the consequent reduction in CO2 releases (~22%)from combustion. Thus, Belite-Ye’elimite-Ferrite (BYF) cements have been developed as potential OPC substitutes. BYF cements contain belite as main phase (>50 wt%) and ye´elimite as the second content phase (~30 wt%). However, an important technological problem is associated to them, related to the low mechanical strengths developed at intermediate hydration ages (3, 7 and 28 days). One of the proposed solutions to this problem is the activation of BYF clinkers by preparing clinkers with high percentage of coexisting alite and ye'elimite. These clinkers are known Belite-Alite-Ye’elimite (BAY) cements. Their manufacture would produce ~15% less CO2 than OPC. Alite is the main component of OPC and is responsible for early mechanical strengths. The reaction of alite and ye´elimite with water will develop cements with high mechanical strengths at early ages, while belite will contribute to later curing times. Moreover, the high alkalinity of BAY cement pastes/mortars/concretes may facilitate the use of supplementary cementitious materials with pozzolanic activity which also contributes to decrease the CO2 footprint of these ecocements. The main objective of this work was the design and optimization of all the parameters evolved in the preparation of a BAY eco-cement that develop higher mechanical strengths than BYF cements. These parameters include the selection of the raw materials (lime, gypsum, kaolin and sand), milling, clinkering conditions (temperature, and holding time), and clinker characterization The addition of fly ash has also been studied. All BAY clinker and pastes (at different hydration ages) were mineralogically characterized through laboratory X-ray powder diffraction (LXRPD) in combination with the Rietveld methodology to obtain the full phase assemblage including Amorphous and Crystalline non-quantified, ACn, contents. The pastes were also characterized through rheological measurements, thermal analyses (TA), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The compressive strengths were also measured at different hydration times and compared to BYF.

Water renewal mechanisms of the Bay of Algeciras in the Strait of Gibraltar

The Bay of Algeciras (BA) is a marine environment subject to high levels of anthropogenic pressure. Here we analyze observations collected at the Bay and the results of an ocean circulation model to investigate its circulation and variability. Special attention is paid to the identification of the mechanisms enhancing the exchange of water with the adjacent Strait of Gibraltar and therefore contributing to maintain satisfactory levels of water quality.

Integrating science through Bayesian Belief Networks : case study of Lyngbya in Moreton Bay

Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) are emerging as valuable tools for investigating complex ecological problems. In a BBN, the important variables in a problem are identified and causal relationships are represented graphically. Underpinning this is the probabilistic framework in which variables can take on a finite range of mutually exclusive states. Associated with each variable is a conditional probability table (CPT), showing the probability of a variable attaining each of its possible states conditioned on all possible combinations of it parents. Whilst the variables (nodes) are connected, the CPT attached to each node can be quantified independently. This allows each variable to be populated with the best data available, including expert opinion, simulation results or observed data. It also allows the information to be easily updated as better data become available ----- ----- This paper reports on the process of developing a BBN to better understand the initial rapid growth phase (initiation) of a marine cyanobacterium, Lyngbya majuscula, in Moreton Bay, Queensland. Anecdotal evidence suggests that Lyngbya blooms in this region have increased in severity and extent over the past decade. Lyngbya has been associated with acute dermatitis and a range of other health problems in humans. Blooms have been linked to ecosystem degradation and have also damaged commercial and recreational fisheries. However, the causes of blooms are as yet poorly understood.