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?
PRMS simulator used to assess rainfall, runoff, and river flow for the National Hydrologic Model (NHM) Puerto Rico
Digital Elevation Model (DEM) at 50 m resolution for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
MODFLOW simulator used to assess groundwater flow for the Whiting Field Naval Air Station, Milton FL
Attributions for nonstationary peak streamflow records across the conterminous United States, 1941-2015 and 1966-2015
o FTLOADDS (combined SWIFT2D surface-water model and SEAWAT groundwater model) simulator used to Repurpose a Hindcast Simulation of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane using the South Florida Peninsula for the Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport
FTLOADDS (combined SWIFT2D surface-water model and SEAWAT groundwater model) simulator used to assess proposed sea-level rise response and water-resource management plans for the hydrologic system of the South Florida Peninsula for the Biscayne and Southe
Model Data Sets for 1DTempPro and VFLUX simulation experiments to Determine Groundwater Seepage in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida
Insight into Hurricane Maria peak flows from the development and application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS): Including Río Grande de Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 1981–2017
Groundwater chemistry, hydrogeologic properties, bioremediation potential, and three-dimensional numerical simulation of the sand and gravel aquifer at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, near Milton, Florida, 2015–20
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) surface-water interpolation model, version 3
Repurposing a hindcast simulation of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, south Florida
The hydrologic system of the south Florida peninsula—Development and application of the Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport (BISECT) model
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
Using heat as a tracer to determine groundwater seepage in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, April–November, 2017
Implications of refining vertical resolution of hydraulic conductivity in the numerical modeling of groundwater flow to surface water, NAS Whiting Field, Florida
Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)—A decade of serving hydrologic information to scientists and resource managers
Projecting impacts of climate change on water availability using artificial neural network techniques
Applying downscaled Global Climate Model data to a groundwater model of the Suwannee River Basin, Florida, USA
Evaluation of habitat suitability index models by global sensitivity and uncertainty analyses: a case study for submerged aquatic vegetation
EDEN
This package provides a set of functions for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN).
Conduit Flow Process (CFP): A Program to Simulate Turbulent or Laminar Groundwater Flow Conditions
Conduit Flow Process (CFP) allows simulation of laminar and turbulent flow within a standard MODFLOW layer and/or simulation of a hybrid model (one-dimensional pipe network coupled to MODFLOW).
Science and Products
- Science
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
PRMS simulator used to assess rainfall, runoff, and river flow for the National Hydrologic Model (NHM) Puerto Rico
The National Hydrologic Model (NHM) is a modeling framework which has been applied to the continental United States through the Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). The PRMS model of Puerto Rico extends the NHM and allows the simulation of rainfall-driven hydrologic conditions in the Commonwealth. Calibration of the NHM Puerto Rico model involved an initial manual calibration to understandDigital Elevation Model (DEM) at 50 m resolution for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)
Since its inception, the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) has used the High Accuracy Elevation Dataset (HAED) digital elevation model (DEM) to provide scientists and managers with continuous water depth surfaces, derived from interpolated water stage, on a 400 X 400 meter grid. A new, high resolution LiDAR-based DEM is available through a collaboration between Everglades National Park (EMODFLOW simulator used to assess groundwater flow for the Whiting Field Naval Air Station, Milton FL
The study of Whiting Field Naval Air Station, Milton Florida requires numerical modeling of the groundwater system to determine the fate of contaminants released at the air station in previous decades. The MODFLOW-NWT modeling code (Niswonger and others, 2011) was applied for this purpose with field data defining a number of inputs including aquifer properties and timeseries. Lithologic logs wereAttributions for nonstationary peak streamflow records across the conterminous United States, 1941-2015 and 1966-2015
The U.S. Geological Survey Dakota Water Science Center, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, analyzed annual peak-flow data to determine if trends are present and provide attribution of trends where possible. Work for the national trend attributions for nonstationary annual peak-flow records was broken into seven regions that are loosely based off of two-digit hydrologic unit wao FTLOADDS (combined SWIFT2D surface-water model and SEAWAT groundwater model) simulator used to Repurpose a Hindcast Simulation of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane using the South Florida Peninsula for the Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport
The previously developed Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport (BISECT) model, which combines a three-dimensional groundwater model with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic surface-water model with variable-density solute-transport (https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20195045), was used to evaluate the hydrologic response to historical and hypothesized modern hurricane strikes. Simulations werFTLOADDS (combined SWIFT2D surface-water model and SEAWAT groundwater model) simulator used to assess proposed sea-level rise response and water-resource management plans for the hydrologic system of the South Florida Peninsula for the Biscayne and Southe
The Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport(BISECT) model combines a three-dimensional groundwater model with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic surface-water model with variable-density solute-transport. Input data files containing parameters and boundary condtions for groundwater and surface-water were developed for the calibrated model, represnting conditions from 1996 to 2004. Input datModel Data Sets for 1DTempPro and VFLUX simulation experiments to Determine Groundwater Seepage in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida
A series of vertical arrays of temperature sensor were placed in the bed of Indian River Lagoon to measure temperature time series for the vertical profile. These data were used in two numerical models, 1DTempPro and VFLUX, to estimate seepage flux rates into the lagoon. - Publications
Filter Total Items: 42
Insight into Hurricane Maria peak flows from the development and application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS): Including Río Grande de Arecibo, Puerto Rico, 1981–2017
The Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) was used to develop a simulation of watershed hydrology on the island of Puerto Rico for the period 1981–2017, concentrating on the Río Grande de Arecibo, a river with some of the highest streamflows on the island. This development is part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Hydrologic Model (NHM) infrastructure which supports coordinatedAuthorsEric Swain, Jason C. BellinoGroundwater chemistry, hydrogeologic properties, bioremediation potential, and three-dimensional numerical simulation of the sand and gravel aquifer at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, near Milton, Florida, 2015–20
The U.S. Geological Survey completed a study between 2015 and 2020 of groundwater contamination in the sand and gravel aquifer at a Superfund site in northwestern Florida. Groundwater-quality samples were collected from representative monitoring wells located along a groundwater-flow pathway and analyzed in the field and laboratory. In general, ambient groundwater in the sand and gravel aquifer isAuthorsJames Landmeyer, Eric D. Swain, Carole D. Johnson, John T. Lisle, W. Scott McBride, David H. Chung, Michael A. SingletaryThe Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) surface-water interpolation model, version 3
The Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) is an integrated network of water-level gages, interpolation models that estimate daily water-level data at ungaged locations, and applications that generate derived hydrologic data across the freshwater part of the Greater Everglades landscape. Version 3 (V3) of the EDEN interpolation surface-water model is the most recent update, replacing the versiAuthorsSaira Haider, Eric Swain, James Beerens, Matthew D. Petkewich, Bryan McCloskey, Heather HenkelRepurposing a hindcast simulation of the 1926 Great Miami Hurricane, south Florida
Hydrodynamic model hindcasts of the surface water and groundwater of the Everglades and the greater Miami, Florida, area were used to simulate hydrology using estimated storm surge height, wind field, and rainfall for the Great Miami Hurricane (GMH), which struck on September 18, 1926. Ranked estimates of losses from hurricanes in inflation-adjusted dollars indicate that the GMH was one of the mosAuthorsM. Dennis Krohn, Eric D. Swain, Catherine A. Langtimm, Jayantha ObeysekeraThe hydrologic system of the south Florida peninsula—Development and application of the Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport (BISECT) model
The Biscayne and Southern Everglades Coastal Transport (BISECT) model was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey under the Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Studies Initiative to evaluate, both separately and in conjunction, the likely effects on surface-water stages and flows, hydroperiod, and groundwater levels and salinity in south Florida of (1) a vertical Biscayne aquifer barrier to mainAuthorsEric D. Swain, Melinda A. Lohmann, Carl R. GoodwinPotential 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. These models were constructed by using MODFLOW 2005, with the suAuthorsJeremy D. Decker, Joseph D. Hughes, Eric D. SwainUsing heat as a tracer to determine groundwater seepage in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, April–November, 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the St. Johns River Water Management District, conducted a study to examine water fluxes in two small study areas in the Indian River Lagoon. Vertical arrays of temperature sensors were placed at multiple locations in the lagoon bed to measure temperature time series in the vertical profile. These data at one of the study areas, Eau Gallie, were usedAuthorsEric D. Swain, Scott T. PrinosImplications of refining vertical resolution of hydraulic conductivity in the numerical modeling of groundwater flow to surface water, NAS Whiting Field, Florida
Naval Air Station Whiting Field is located near Milton, Florida and is one of the Navy's two primary pilot training bases. Commissioned in 1943, historic operations at Whiting Field generated industrial wastes that contaminated soil and the water-table aquifer. The Environmental Protection Agency placed Whiting Field on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List of contaminated sites in 1994AuthorsEric D. Swain, Bruce G. Campbell, James LandmeyerEverglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN)—A decade of serving hydrologic information to scientists and resource managers
IntroductionThe Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN) provides scientists and resource managers with regional maps of daily water levels and depths in the freshwater part of the Greater Everglades landscape. The EDEN domain includes all or parts of five Water Conservation Areas, Big Cypress National Preserve, Pennsuco Wetlands, and Everglades National Park. Daily water-level maps are interpolAuthorsEduardo Patino, Paul Conrads, Eric D. Swain, James M. BeerensProjecting impacts of climate change on water availability using artificial neural network techniques
Lago Loíza reservoir in east-central Puerto Rico is one of the primary sources of public water supply for the San Juan metropolitan area. To evaluate and predict the Lago Loíza water budget, an artificial neural network (ANN) technique is trained to predict river inflows. A method is developed to combine ANN-predicted daily flows with ANN-predicted 30-day cumulative flows to improve flow estimatesAuthorsEric D. Swain, Julieta Gomez-Fragoso, Sigfredo Torres-GonzalezApplying downscaled Global Climate Model data to a groundwater model of the Suwannee River Basin, Florida, USA
The application of Global Climate Model (GCM) output to a hydrologic model allows for comparisons between simulated recent and future conditions and provides insight into the dynamics of hydrology as it may be affected by climate change. A previously developed numerical model of the Suwannee River Basin, Florida, USA, was modified and calibrated to represent transient conditions. A simulation of rAuthorsEric D. Swain, J. Hal DavisEvaluation of habitat suitability index models by global sensitivity and uncertainty analyses: a case study for submerged aquatic vegetation
Habitat suitability index (HSI) models are commonly used to predict habitat quality and species distributions and are used to develop biological surveys, assess reserve and management priorities, and anticipate possible change under different management or climate change scenarios. Important management decisions may be based on model results, often without a clear understanding of the level of uncAuthorsZuzanna Zajac, Bradley Stith, Andrea C. Bowling, Catherine A. Langtimm, Eric D. Swain - Software
EDEN
This package provides a set of functions for the Everglades Depth Estimation Network (EDEN).
Conduit Flow Process (CFP): A Program to Simulate Turbulent or Laminar Groundwater Flow Conditions
Conduit Flow Process (CFP) allows simulation of laminar and turbulent flow within a standard MODFLOW layer and/or simulation of a hybrid model (one-dimensional pipe network coupled to MODFLOW).