Geology and Hydrology of Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is the third largest national park in the continental United States and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wetland of International Importance, and an International Biosphere Reserve.
The Southern Florida subtropical ecosystem was established as a park in 1947 and covers a vast area of protected plant and animal wildlife. The USGS and the National Park Service work together to conduct many scientific research projects in and around the park.
Most of the underlying bedrock geology consists of limestone, a sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate, but rocks rarely crop out at the surface, hidden by the flat landscape of extensive wetlands and grasses. South Florida’s elevation is very close to sea level, and the shape of the coast varies over time. This region also experiences strong storms, such as thunderstorms and hurricanes. On September 10, 2017, strong winds from Hurricane Irma caused significant damage to Southern Florida. Landsat imagery shows the extent of the damage and scientists from many agencies continue to study the effects of hurricanes to the Everglades ecosystem.
The name Everglades came from early explorers who noticed the large fields of grass that seemed to go on forever. Native Americans who inhabited the area named it Pa-hay-Okee which translates into “grassy waters” and Marjory Stoneman Douglas famously referred to the Everglades as “River of Grass” which has become a popular nickname for the park. Everglades National Park contains immense biodiversity with a mixture of dense forests, open prairies, swamps and croplands with plant and animal species found nowhere else. The ecology of the park has changed dramatically since the 1900s. Over the past 120 years, much of this area has been converted to agricultural use and urban development. Canals, roads and buildings began to quickly displace native habitats resulting in only 50% of the original wetlands still remaining today. Not only is the Greater Everglades region essential for local wildlife, but this area also serves as the primary source of drinking water for over seven million Florida residents. Having long been shaped by human impact, the Everglades ecosystem is now the focus of the world’s largest interagency watershed restoration through the Office of Everglades Restoration.
The USGS conducts several long-term monitoring, modeling, and scientific research projects in Everglades National Park that supports the park’s management and restoration, including biogeochemistry, invasive species detection, climate change, monitoring threatened and endangered species, and water flow and quality.
Additional USGS research
Today, water levels and patterns of water flow are largely controlled by an extensive system of levees and canals. The control system was originally designed for flood control, land drainage, and water supply. More recently, water management policies have also begun to address issues related to ecosystem restoration. Extensive land subsidence that has been caused by drainage and oxidation of peat soils will greatly complicate ecosystem restoration and threatens the future of agriculture in the Everglades.