An Analysis of Rainfall in Shark Slough
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Material Information

Title:
An Analysis of Rainfall in Shark Slough Report T-646
Creator:
South Florida Natural Resources Center/South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park
Place of Publication:
Homestead
Florida
Publisher:
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Publication Date:

Notes

Abstract:
Shark Slough comprises one of the largest freshwater flow sytems in south Florida. It provides critical habitat for plant and animal communities which are intricately related to, and dependent upon their water environments. The waters of Shark Slough also contribute freshwater inputs to the estuarine regions within Everglades National Park. This report focuses on rainfall inputs into that portion of the Shark River Slough drainage basin which lies south of the Tamiami Trail, both within the confines of the park 2 and adjacent to the park's northeast border. It is an area of approximately 1000 km (245,000 acres). The two major sources of water input into the slough are direct precipitation, and surface water inflow which, since 1962, has been regulated via control structures along the northern boundary of the park. While the regulated water releases help ameliorate drought conditions and a declining water table, quantification of rainfall inputs to this region is necessary to determine the relative significance of these two water sources. Moreover, rainfall quantification is necessary for understanding and modelling the hydrologic processes of the slough, and for refining water management practices. This report examines a 22 month period of rainfall monitoring (December 1977-September 1979) within the slough in order to: (1) quantify direct rainfall inputs, (2) compare these inputs to regulated water inputs, and (3) evaluate sources of error which might be minimized in future monitoring efforts designed to supply rainfall data for water management requirements. Since the known climatic characteristics of an area are pertinent to the design of a rainfall monitoring network, a brief section on south Florida rainfall patterns has also been included. In addition, three long-term stations on the periphery of Shark Slough have been utilized to calculate the approximate rainfall contributions to the slough from 1950 to 1979. Determinations of rainfall input based upon these three stations also have been used to assess the accuracy of rainfall determinations acquired from the 22 months of intensive monitoring. ( English )
Issuing Body:
SuDoc number: I 29.95:T-646

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Holding Location:
South Florida Natural Resource Center
Rights Management:
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