Eric Swain has lived in Miami for over 37 years and researched South Florida hydrology with the USGS since 1988. With over 130 publications in water resources and fluid mechanics, Eric has developed a variety of analyses and models to understand the hydrologic system and provide information for water management.
Dr. Swain is a research hydrologist at the Caribbean Florida Water Science Center office in Fort Lauderdale Florida. He has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering along with a M.S. and two B.S. degrees all from the University of Miami. He has specialized in the development of numerical models of surface-water/groundwater flow as well as statistical analysis of hydrologic parameters and methodology for determining field parameters. Dr. Swain has developed models for use in predicting the effects of ecosystem restoration efforts and the interaction with biologic concerns. His most recent work has concerned the dynamic effects of sea-level rise and other climatic factors on coastal hydrology and ecology.
Hydrologist for U. S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division from November 1988 to the present. Surface Water Specialist at USGS Miami Florida Subdistrict office.
Projects include:
Developing methodology for measurement of canal discharge from ultrasonic velocity measurements;
Coupling of ground-water and canal-network computational models with modifications to simulate seasonally inundated wetlands directly connected to a regulated canal system
Analysis and optimization of a ground-water measurement network;
Determine functionality and accuracy of a regional digital model utilized by water managers for decision-making in South Florida.;
Determination of surface-water outflows by hydraulic structure rating and numerical modeling;
Digitally compute two-dimensional surface-water flow and transport in the southern coastal area of Everglades National Park and Florida Bay. This model is coupled with a ground-water model to examine flow and salinity transport in both regimes. Using boundaries from a regional model allows the coupled model to be used by water managers for restoration decisions and for input to ecologic models;
Appling parameter-estimation code to numerical model to determine the water-delivery scheme to optimize salinity values in the coastal Everglades;
Incorporating heat-transport in the coupled model to provide heat-transport as well as other hydrologic information for ecological studies;
Numerical modeling of coupled hydrodynamic surface-water and ground-water flow and transport; development of FTLOADDS model;
Utilizing numerical techniques to evaluate sea-level rise effects on coastal landscapes.
Representing historic storm effects on coastal hydrology with numerical techniques.
Applying neural network techniques to represent the rainfall/runoff process in Puerto Rico.
Modeling seepage flow in coastal areas with heat as a tracer.
Determining regional flood-frequency atribution.
Developing processes for the National Hydrologic Model (NHM)
Taught Fluid Mechanics at the University of Miami Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering from Fall 1999 through fall 2004.
Topics included: Fluid statics, fluid flow concepts, dynamics of inviscid and viscous fluids, closed and open channel
Science and Products
Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
Potential for Increased Inundation in Flood-Prone Regions of Southeast Florida in Response to Climate and Sea-Level Changes in Broward County, Florida, 2060–69
CFWSC Science Highlights
How will Florida’s Biodiversity Respond to Climate Change?
Science and Products
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Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
In the early 2000s, USGS developed the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) to provide water-level data for scientists, decision-makers, and managers to help monitor and assess Everglades restoration. EDEN is a real-time integrated network of 275 water-level gages, water-surface models, and applications that provides 400 x 400 meter gridded daily water-level data across the freshwater part...Potential for Increased Inundation in Flood-Prone Regions of Southeast Florida in Response to Climate and Sea-Level Changes in Broward County, Florida, 2060–69
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with Broward County Environmental Planning and Resilience Division, has developed county-scale and local-scale groundwater/surface-water models to study the potential for increased inundation and flooding in eastern Broward County that are due to changes in future climate and sea-level rise. The purpose is to provide information that can be used to help...CFWSC Science Highlights
The purpose of this section is to draw your attention to important information that the CFWSC are conducting in your city.How will Florida’s Biodiversity Respond to Climate Change?
Florida is home to 50 endangered species, 23 National Wildlife Refuges, 9 national parks, and 119 state parks. Straddling both temperate and sub-tropical zones, the state is also unique in that it is a long and narrow peninsula, surrounded on three sides by warm water, creating a dynamic environment. The impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise and severe storms, threaten the state’s uniq... - Data
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