FCE III Year Two Annual Report For NSF Award Deb-1237517
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Material Information

Title:
FCE III Year Two Annual Report For NSF Award Deb-1237517
Alternate title:
FCE Annual Reports and Proposals
Creator:
Gaiser, Evelyn E.
Heithaus, Michael R.
Jaffe, Rudolf
Kominoski, John
Price, Rene M.
Affiliation:
Florida International University
Florida International University -- Department of Biological Sciences and Marine Sciences Program
Florida International University -- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry -- Southeast Environmental Research Center
Florida International University -- Department of Biological Sciences
Florida International University
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Everglades (Fla.) ( lcsh )
Freshwater ( lcsh )
Freshwater -- Florida ( lcsh )
Sea Level Rise ( lcsh )

Notes

Scope and Content:
The FCE III research framework focused on the tension between marine and freshwater supplies has reshaped and improved our understanding of how the Everglades is responding and will change in the future in response to changing water management in the face of sea level rise. First, we have found that an acceleration in the rate of sea level rise, as predicted to result in increases of 0.5 m to 2 m from 2010 to 2100, can be determined with statistical significance by 2020 to 2030 (Haigh et al., 2014). Increases in marine exposure are increasing inundation times in the ecotone, and causing rapid changes in groundwater salinity (Zapata-Rios and Price 2012). Laboratory results suggest that phosphorus tends to adsorb to sediments in the presence of freshwater and desorb from sediments in the presence of native Florida Bay water, consistent with the findings of Price et al. (2010) and suggesting a trend toward phosphorus desorption under sea-level rise in the absence of additional freshwater inflows (Fig. 1). Therefore, increased marine exposure from groundwater sources is increasing salinity, inundation and phosphorus in the ecotone, confirming an appropriate context for conducting and interpreting our long-term and experimental research. Initial experiments to determine the influence of elevated phosphorus and plant defoliation (simulating storm damage) on ecotone carbon exchange and stoichiometry was successful in addressing our key hypotheses. We found that phosphorus exposure to mangrove peat soils reduced N:P and C:P, increased net aquatic ecosystem productivity, reduced respiration and resulted in an overall increase in soil CO2-C flux (Fig. 2-5). Mangrove defoliation reduced aquatic gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration. Overall, added phosphorus increased soil organic C mineralization suggesting that increased phosphorus loading with sea level rise, together with elevated salinity (Chambers et al. 2014), may increase soil carbon losses. However, increased aquatic production may offset this influence on soils. Storms that deliver Prich sediment to coastal wetlands may be important short-term drivers of longer-term increases in coastal net ecosystem production through enhanced terrestrial and aquatic gross primary production. These results set the stage for more extensive long-term experiments in the laboratory and field. ( English )

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Source Institution:
Florida International University
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