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Need To Monitor Atmospheric Impacts of South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Project
Thomas J. Goreau, PhD, Changes in the Everglades affect not only water flow and down-stream ecosystems, but also the atmosphere. Monitoring the impacts of the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration project must include impacts on the atmosphere as well as terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This is missing from current monitoring and environmental assessment plans. South Florida habitats are among the world's most intense natural sources of greenhouse gases (Goreau & De Mello, 2002). Production of these gases from Everglades waters and soils is highly sensitive to small changes in water levels by drainage or flooding and on nutrient levels (Goreau & DeMello, 2002), They would be profoundly altered by any changes in water and nutrient flow, which could have global atmospheric impacts (Goreau & DeMello, 2005) It is therefore essential that monitoring or the restoration project includes changes in the production and consumption of all climatically active gases and of volatile as well as dissolved agricultural chemicals and nutrients throughout the watershed before, during, and after the restoration project. 1) T. J. Goreau & W/ Z. De Mello, 2002, Nitrous oxide, methane, and carbon dioxide fluxes from South Florida habitats during the transition from dry to wet seasons: potential impacts of Everglades drainage and flooding on the atmosphere, p. 281-306 in J. W. Porter & K. G. Porter (Eds.), The Everglades, Florida Bay, and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys: Ab ecosystem sourcebook, CRC Press, Boca Raton 2) T. J. Goreau & W/ Z. De Mello, 2005, in press Impacts of Everglades restoration on the atmosphere, 16th International Global Warming International Conference, New York |
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