Unified Interior Regions
Florida
World class scientists working in Southeast Region Science Centers help our partners understand and manage complex issues including competition for limited water resources, coastal hazards, mineral and energy resource extraction, degraded ecosystems, vector-borne diseases, rapidly changing land use, and response to climate change.
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
Detection, tracking, and removal of non-native marine fishes in Florida
Thirty-four species of non-native marine fishes have been documented in Florida, and their distributions are currently being tracked via the US Geological Survey’s Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (USGS-NAS) database.
Impacts of Non-Native Fishes in the Florida Everglades
The Florida Everglades is the largest wetland ecosystem in the United States and supports a diverse flora and fauna, including many rare species.
Advanced Technological Solutions in Support of Greater Everglades Priority Ecosystem Science: Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM)
The JEM Biological Database offers secure data storage in relational databases, as well as web applications to manage, search, analyze, and report on captured data.
Collaborative Development of Ecological Forecasting Model and Data Manipulation Software: Everglades National Park, South Florida Natural Resources Center (SFNRC)
The goal of the Advanced Applications Team’s partnership with SFNRC is to facilitate the use of scientific research findings in restoration and land management decisions.
Mangroves vs. Salt Marshes: Mangrove Forest Range Expansion at the Expense of Salt Marshes
Winter climate change has the potential to have a large impact on coastal wetlands in the southeastern United States.
Baseline Aquatic Contamination and Endocrine Status in Resident Fish Populations of Biscayne National Park and in the Adjacent Coastal Environment
As part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, water managers are planning to use treated wastewater from the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) to supplement the canal waters that will be used to rehydrate wetlands adjacent to the Biscayne National Park (Park).
Population Demography and Food Web Analysis of Large Aquatic Salamanders (Siren and Amphiuma) in North Florida
Understanding amphibian's life-histories can help predict how they may persist in aquatic habitats in the face of droughts and other climate change-associated events.
Socio-Ecological Conservation Targets for the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Peninsular Florida has a high density of species and ecosystems of conservation concern, as well as many threats to the persistence of native species and their habitats. USGS worked closely with the Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative to define conservation targets to help meet conservation goals.
Peninsular Florida Landscape Conservation Cooperative (PFLCC) Climate Scenarios and Species Vulnerability Assessment
Peninsular Florida is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the United States. With complex socioeconomic and ecology dynamics and a large number of governing agencies involved in conservation planning, USGS worked to created an appropriate framework for landscape conservation cooperative-scale decision-making across current conservation planning agencies and jurisdictions...
Winter Manatee Foraging Behavior and the Decline of Seagrass Beds in the Northern Indian River Lagoon
With high numbers of manatees using the Florida Power and Light power plant warm water refuge during winter, their impact on the seagrass beds in the Indian River Lagoon is considered an important indicator of the long-term capacity of the area to support the manatees. USGS is working with partners to investigate the spatial extent and intensity of manatee use of seagrass beds in the area. ...
Mangrove Migration Network
At the poleward marsh-mangrove ecotone, mangrove abundance and coverage is winter temperature-sensitive in that it oscillates in response to the frequency, duration, and/or intensity of extreme winter temperatures. Future winter climate change is expected to facilitate poleward mangrove range expansion at the expense of salt marshes in Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Florida.
Life History Characterization and Host Fish Identification for Federally Listed and Imperiled Freshwater Mussel Species in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia and Florida
Freshwater mussels are considered the most imperiled group of animals in the United States. These animals provide valuable ecological services by filtering water, sequestering nutrients, and providing forage for migratory birds, small mammals, and turtles. They also have a unique and complex life cycle that makes them especially vulnerable to human disturbances. It includes a parasitic larval...
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta/michelinii. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so
...
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral
Bleaching colony of blushing star coral, Stephanocoenia intersepta/michelinii.
Bleaching colony of elliptical star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii
Bleaching colony of elliptical star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so
...
Bleaching colony of elliptical star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii
Bleaching colony of elliptical star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so
...
Bleaching colony of symmetrical brain coral, Diploria strigosa
Bleaching colony of symmetrical brain coral, Diploria strigosa, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when
...
Bleaching colony of symmetrical brain coral, Diploria strigosa
Bleaching colony of symmetrical brain coral, Diploria strigosa, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when
...
Bleaching colony of lobed star coral, Montastraea annularis
Bleaching colony of lobed star coral, Montastraea annularis, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when
...
Bleaching colony of great star coral, Montastraea cavernosa
Bleaching colony of great star coral, Montastraea cavernosa, Florida Keys. When corals are stressed, the symbiosis between the coral animal and its photosynthetic algal symbionts (zooxanthellae) breaks down and the zooxanthellae are expelled from the coral tissue. The zooxanthellae’s photosynthetic pigments contribute much of the color we see in corals, so when
...
Brain coral with black-band disease
A colony of symmetrical brain coral, Diploria strigosa, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
Star coral, Montastraea faveolata, affected by black-band disease
A colony of mountainous star coral, Montastraea faveolata, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
Star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii, affected by black-band disease
A colony of elliptical star coral, Dichocoenia stokesii, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
Colony brain coral, Diploria clivosa, affected by black-band disease
A colony of knobby brain coral, Diploria clivosa, affected by black-band disease (BBD), Florida Keys.
TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa office of U.S. Geological Survey Florida Water Science Center will relocate from its current location near the University of South Florida to an industrial park in Lutz in August.
For the first time, scientists have measured the amount of dissolved organic carbon and mercury moving from a southwest Florida mangrove swamp via tides to coastal waters. The scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey discovered that a large amount of mercury and methylmercury–the form of mercury that is most toxic and the form that accumulates in fish–flows from mangroves into...
Study Offers Clues to Loggerheads' Elusive Habits at Sea
Three non-native fish species have been spotted in Florida waters again this past year after not being seen for as many as 19 years. The fishes -- a panther grouper, spotted scat, and yellow tang -- were found off West Palm, Stuart and Pompano Beach.
Streamflow and groundwater conditions in southwestern Georgia and adjacent parts of Florida and Alabama continued to worsen during July. Waterways in many of the regions rivers are setting new record lows with gauges on the Flint, Suwannee, Ochlocknee, Alapaha, and Apalachicola rivers recording the lowest water levels in their history due to lower than normal rainfall.
A manatee spotted this week in Calvert County, Maryland is the same one that first made waves 17 years ago when he appeared in Chesapeake Bay just before the onset of winter and later had to be rescued.
Harvesting the bountiful and renewable energy of the Florida sun, a new solar heating system that will reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save on energy costs is being installed at the U.S. Geological Survey facility in St. Petersburg, Fla. Evacuated-tube solar collectors will supplement the current natural-gas boiler to provide heat in the winter and reheat conditioned air in the summer.
Approximately 13 million metric tons of rare earth elements (REE) exist within known deposits in the United States, according to the first-ever nationwide estimate of these elements by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Gainesville, FL. -- The first genetic study to compare nuclear DNA of endangered Antillean manatees in Belize with Florida manatees confirmed their designation as separate subspecies. Belize’s manatees, however, were found to have extremely low genetic diversity, raising questions about their long-term genetic viability.
Identifying watersheds with naturally occurring geologic sources of phosphorus will be easier with the release of a new map by the U.S. Geological Survey.
A wetland primer recently published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides a comprehensive new view of how central Florida’s freshwater wetlands function and how their benefits can contribute to environmental sustainability.
The importance of a ‘blanket effect’ caused by layers of fresh and salt water in two warmwater manatee refuges along the coast of southwest Florida has been documented by a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists.
Social Media
Locations
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center - Gainesville, FL
Phone: 352-378-8181
Fax: 352-378-4956
St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center
Phone: (727) 502-8000
Fax: (727) 502-8181
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Florida Office
Phone: (813) 498-5000
Fax: (813) 498-5002
USGS-St. Petersburg Carbon Analytical Laboratory
USGS Everglades Research Offices
Phone: 305-242-7834
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Fort Myers office
Phone: (239) 275-8448
Fax: (239) 275-6820
Caribbean Florida Water Science Center - Tallahassee Field office
Phone: (850) 553-3640
Fax: (805) 553-3641
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center - Orlando Office
Phone: (407) 803-5500
Fax: (407) 803-5501
Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center Davie office
Phone: (954) 377-5900
Fax: (954) 377-5901
