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Examining Seasonally Pulsed Detrital Transport in the Coastal Everglades Using a Sediment Tracing Technique

  • Hydrologic Restoration
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Abstract

The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration includes plans to restore freshwater delivery to Taylor Slough, a shallow drainage basin in the Southern Everglades, ultimately resulting in increased freshwater flow to the downstream Taylor River estuary. The effect of altered hydrologic regime on the transport dynamics of flocculent, estuarine detritus is not well understood. We utilized a paramagnetic sediment tracer to examine detrital transport in three Taylor River pond/creek pairs during early wet versus late wet transition season estuarine flow conditions. Flux of floc tracer was greatest in the downstream direction during all observations, and was most pronounced during the early wet season, coincident with shallower water depth and faster discharge from northern Taylor River. Floc tracer was more likely to move upriver during the late wet/dry season. We observed a floc tracer transport velocity of approximately 1.74 to 1.78 m/day across both seasonal hydrologic conditions. Tracer dynamics were also surprisingly site-dependent, which may highlight the importance of channel geomorphology in regulating hydrologic and sediment transport conditions. Our data suggest that restoration of surface water delivery to Taylor River will influence downstream loading of detritus material into riverine ponds. These detrital inputs have the potential to enhance ecosystem primary productivity and/or secondary productivity.

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers as well as Colin Saunders and Carlos Coronado of the South Florida Water Management District for their reviews that greatly improved the quality of this manuscript. Steven Davis, René Price, and Jennifer Richards provided helpful feedback on earlier versions of the text. We would also like to thank Damon Rondeau, Rafael Travieso, and Adam Hines for help with field logistics. This publication was produced as part of a special issue devoted to investigating the ecological response of over 20 years of hydrologic restoration and active management in the Taylor Slough drainage of Everglades National Park. Support for this special issue was provided by: the Everglades Foundation, Everglades National Park, the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program (National Science Foundation cooperative agreement #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514), the South Florida Water Management District, and the Southeast Environmental Research Center. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This paper is contribution #563 from the Southeast Environmental Research Center at Florida International University.

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  1. Scot Hagerthey

    Present address: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20460, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences and Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, 331992, USA

    Gregory R. Koch & Evelyn Gaiser

  2. Everglades Systems Assessment Section, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, FL, USA

    Scot Hagerthey

  3. School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Daniel L. Childers

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  1. Gregory R. Koch
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  4. Evelyn Gaiser
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Correspondence to Gregory R. Koch.

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Koch, G.R., Hagerthey, S., Childers, D.L. et al. Examining Seasonally Pulsed Detrital Transport in the Coastal Everglades Using a Sediment Tracing Technique. Wetlands 34 (Suppl 1), 123–133 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-013-0388-y

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