Linking Land, Air and Water Management in the Southern Everglades and Coastal Zone to Water Quality and Ecosystem Restoration: Task 2, Sulfur and Nutrient Contamination, Biogeochemical Cycling, and Effects

The scientific focus of this project is to examine the complex interactions (synergistic and antagonistic) of contaminants (externally derived nutrients, mercury, sulfur, pesticides, herbicides, polycyclic aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, and other metals), ecosystem responses to variations in contaminant loading (time and space dimensions), and how imminent ecosystem restoration steps may affect existing contaminant pools.

The major objectives of this project are to use an integrated biogeochemical approach to examine: (1) anthropogenic-induced changes in the water chemistry of the Everglades ecosystem, (2) biogeochemical processes within the ecosystem affecting water chemistry, and (3) the predicted impacts of restoration efforts on water chemistry. The project uses a combination of field investigations, experimental approaches (mesocosm experiments in the ecosystem, and controlled laboratory experiments), and modeling to achieve these objectives.