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
Reference and Potential Evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration can be computed as reference, potential, or actual evapotranspiration. Reference evapotranspiration is that from a grass surface that is well-watered. Potential evapotranspiration is that from a surface that has unlimited water (such as a lake).
Reference and potential evapotranspiration are computed at a 2-kilometer spatial resolution and daily timestep for the...
Characteristics of flow through the Franklin lock and their effects on downstream water-quality
The USGS completed a study to investigate correlations between flow rates and volumes through the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam and water-quality constituents inside the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge from March 2010 to December 2013. Scientific Investigations Report 2016-5033, authored by Amanda Booth, Lars Soderqvist, and Travis Knight, summarizes the results of the study. A...
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Maps are an integral part of water-science activities and the Caribbean Florida Water Science Center utilizes and produces maps for all types of hydrologic projects and in information dissemination. Maps are also helpful for providing the user with a geographical reference to our water information.
Water-Quality for Florida
The U.S. Geological Survey provides scientific and technical expertise, leadership, and coordination in addressing issues concerning the quality of the Nation's water resources. Our scientists:
- Collect, analyze, and interpret water-quality data,
- Engage in field and laboratory research and methods development,
- Work with local, State, and Federal agencies and the ...
Hurricanes
Preventing flood hazards, such as hurricane-induced tidal surge, from becoming human disasters requires an understanding of the relative risks floods pose to specific communities and knowledge of the processes by which flood waters rise, converge, and abate. Historically, hurricane-induced tidal surge has been documented through measurement of high-water marks left on structures or vegetation...
Effects of hydrologic system alterations on salinity in the Biscayne aquifer in Broward Co.
To address concerns about the effects of water-resource management practices and rising sea level on saltwater intrusion, the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Broward County Environmental Planning and Community Resilience Division, initiated a study to examine causes of saltwater intrusion and predict the effects of future alterations to the hydrologic system on salinity...
Mapping water levels in the Biscayne aquifer
To help inform decisions necessary for urban planning and development, Miami-Dade County Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources partnered with USGS to produce statistical analyses and maps representing mean, high, and low water-level conditions in the surface water and groundwater of Miami-Dade County.
Evapotranspiration and Carbon-Flux Network
The U.S. Geological Survey Florida Evapotranspiration Network is a network of 15 data collection sites representing various land cover types, which provide long-term, accurate, and unbiased information that meets the needs of many diverse users. The USGS collects the evapotranspiration data needed by Federal, State, and local agencies for planning and operating water-resources projects and...
CFWSC Science Highlights
The purpose of this section is to draw your attention to important information that the CFWSC are conducting in your city.
Hurricane Michael - Forecast and Documentation of Coastal Change
Hurricane Michael coastal change forecast and pre- and post-storm photos documenting coastal change.
CFWSC Strategic Science Plan - Communication, Information Management, and Science Support
The USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center Strategic Science Plan 2017-2027: A blueprint for USGS contributions to water resource science in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands
Stamm, J.F., Rodríguez, J.M., Sifuentes, D.F., Sumner, D.M., and Grimsley, K.J. with contributions from Bogeajis, N., Torres-González, S., McBride, W.S., Parks, J., and Decker, J...
CFWSC Strategic Plan - Priority Issues
The USGS Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center Strategic Science Plan 2017-2027: A blueprint for USGS contributions to water resource science in Florida, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands
Stamm, J.F., Rodríguez, J.M., Sifuentes, D.F., Sumner, D.M., and Grimsley, K.J. with contributions from Bogeajis, N., Torres-González, S., McBride, W.S., Parks, J., and Decker, J...
Science Data Integration and Delivery
Consistent synthesis, integration, storage, and availability of fundamental data is critical to meeting the needs of USGS Science. We develop databases for hydrography, topography, invasive species, water resources, and many other datasets utilized by resource managers. Our National Geospatial Program uses partnerships and data collection through a network assigned to the Southeast Region...
Across Trophic Level System Simulation for the Freshwater Wetlands of the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp
Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) is a project to develop a set of models for the Everglades and Big Cypress Swamp of South Florida. The models will support studies "to compare the future effects of alternative hydrologic scenarios on the biotic components of the system."
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Irrigated crop acreage and water withdrawals in Florida, 1990
Marella, Richard L.National water quality assessment of the Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study unit; water withdrawals and treated wastewater discharges, 1990
The Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study unit covers nearly 62,600 square miles along the southeastern United States coast in Georgia and Florida. In 1990, the estimated population of the study unit was 9.3 million, and included all or part of the cities of Atlanta, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and St. Petersburg. Estimated freshwater withdrawn in...
Marella, R.L.; Fanning, J.L.Water-use data by category, county, and water management district in Florida, 1950-90
The population for Florida in 1990 was estimated at 12.94 million, an increase of nearly 10.17 million (370 percent) from the population of 2.77 million in 1950. Consequently, water use (fresh and saline) in Florida increased nearly 510 percent (15,175 million gallons per day) between 1950 and 1990. The resident population of the State is...
Marella, R.L.Mangroves, hurricanes, and lightning strikes: Assessment of Hurricane Andrew suggests an interaction across two differing scales of disturbance
The track of Hurricane Andrew carried it across one of the most extensive mangrove for ests in the New World. Although it is well known that hurricanes affect mangrove forests, surprisingly little quantitative information exists concerning hurricane impact on forest structure, succession, species composition, and dynamics of mangrove-dependent...
Smith, Thomas J.; Robblee, Michael B.; Wanless, Harold R.; Doyle, Thomas W.Estimated discharge of treated wastewater in Florida, 1990
According to the Florida Department of Environ- mental Protection, 5,100 wastewater treatment systems were in operation during 1990. Of this total, 72 percent were domestic wastewater facilities and 28 percent were industrial waste- water facilities. The number of wastewater systems inventoried for 1990 was 1,062 (systems that treated and...
Marella, R.L.Estimated use of water in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin during 1990, with state summaries from 1970 to 1990
The Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin covers approximately 19,800 square miles in parts of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. Most of the basin lies within Georgia as does most of the population. Most of the water withdrawn in the basin in 1990 was withdrawn in Georgia (82 percent). Withdrawals in Florida and Alabama each accounted for 9...
Marella, R.L.; Fanning, J.L.; Mooty, W.S.Public-supply water use in Florida, 1990
In 1990, public supply withdrawals represented nearly 26 percent of the total freshwater withdrawn in Florida. Total water withdrawn for public supply in Florida during 1990 averaged 1,925 million gal/day. Public suppliers served 11.23 million residents, in 1990. Groundwater was the source for more than 88 percent (1,699 million gal/day) of public...
Marella, R.L.Factors that affect public-supply water use in Florida, with a section on projected water use to the year 2020
Public-supply water use in Florida increased 242 percent between 1960 and 1987 from 530 Mgal/d (million gallons per day) to 1,811 Mgal/d. This change is primarily a result of increases in population and tourism since 1960. Public-supply utilities provide water to a variety of users. In 1985, 71 percent of the water used for public supply was...
Marella, R.L.Water withdrawals in Florida during 1990, with trends from 1950 to 1990
Marella, Richard L.Water withdrawals, use, and trends in Florida, 1990
Marella, R.L.National water summary 1987: Hydrologic events and water supply and use
Water use in the United States, as measured by freshwater withdrawals in 1985, averaged 338,000 Mgal/d (million gallons per day), which is enough water to cover the 48 conterminous States to a depth of about 2.4 inches. Only 92,300 Mgal/d, or 27.3 percent of the water withdrawn, was consumptive use and thus lost to immediate further use; the...
Carr, Jerry E.; Chase, Edith B.; Paulson, Richard W.; Moody, David W.Public-supply water use in Florida, 1987
Marella, R.L.Panoramic view of sampling site in Everglades
Panoramic view of USGS employees at a sampling site in Florida Everglades.
Impacts to island in Florida Bay following Hurricane Irma
Scientists from the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center first sampled four islands in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park, in April 2014 to collect cores to study sea level rise and storm history in the region. In September 2017, Hurricane Irma (a category 4 storm at landfall in the Florida Keys) passed just to the west of our field sites. The western-most of the four
...Using Decision Tools to Design the Everglades Headwaters NWR
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge (EHNWR) is strategically located in Florida to protect upland and wetland habitats. The location of the new refuge was targeted to: address pressures from urbanization and climate change, provide improved quality of water flowing southward to the Greater Everglades, and protect
USGS geologists study sediment exchange in estuary and marshes
Sediments in estuarine and marsh environments contain organic peat, or material derived from life, that plays an important role in ecosystem health. Here, USGS geologist Chris Smith of the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center uses a peat auger, a type of coring apparatus, to extract peat cores from the mud
...Earth as Art 6
The Earth As Art project began in the early 2000s, and its original intent remains the same: to produce images that do not look like satellite images at first glance. Earth As Art shows not only what satellites capture in the visible wavelengths of light you and I can see, but also what’s hiding in the invisible wavelengths that Landsat sensors can detect in the infrared
Scientists track Hurricane Dorian effects on Low Country Coast
A storm-tide sensor deployed on Florida's Indian River Lagoon, at Indian River Drive in St. Lucie County, on Aug. 30, 2019 in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. NOTE: Though the story is about the Carolinas, the photo is from Florida. No photos of the Carolinas deployment were available at the time this story was published.
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 4): Amphibian Surveys – Call of the Frog
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe the USGS’s efforts to track frog populations in the southeast United States.
Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana. See https://marine.
...Barry's wave, surge likely to affect beaches in four states
This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team map was created Friday, July 12, 2019 and shows forecast beach erosion (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) effects of Tropical Storm Barry’s predicted landfall in Louisiana. See https://marine.
...Sea Turtle Underwater POV
See St. Joseph Bay in the Florida Panhandle through the eyes of two young adult female loggerheads as they swim, surface to breathe, dive, forage on underwater grasses and spend time with other sea turtles. Three species of threatened or endangered sea turtles congregate in St. Joseph Bay. They surface only briefly to breathe, and rarely come ashore except when females
Congressman Charlie Crist visits the SPCMSC
On May 6, 2019, Congressman Charlie Crist (13th district, FL) and Operations and Outreach Director Mr. Kendrick Lewis will visit the St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center (SPCMSC). Congressman Crist requested this visit because he is interested to learn more about the Center and to discuss needs/priorities that we may have. (First row, left to right:
...Breach in Eastern Berm of Jim Foot Key, Florida
In Photo: Eastern berm of Jim Foot Key, April 2019. This photo taken from Florida Bay, looking in toward the center of the island (now covered in water). The arrow points toward a breach in the berm, first noted in 2014, but the cut has deepened significantly after Hurricane Irma, and the island interior appears to be permanently tidal. Loss of the berm structure is
...Mapping Landscape Connectivity in Florida

SPCMSC Oceanographer Kara Doran was invited to be the keynote speaker at the Friends of Pinellas Master Naturalists annual meeting on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at the Bay Pines STEM center in St. Petersburg, FL.

Lauren Toth (Research Oceanographer, SPCMSC) was awarded the International Coral Reef Society’s Young Scientist award in recognition of an exceptional series of publications.

Astrangia poculata, the northern star coral, is a temperate scleractinian coral that has been documented on the Atlantic Coast of the United States from Maine to Florida, as well as the Gulf Coasts of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

USGS Scientist Julie Richey (USGS, Research Geologist) and collaborator from the University of South Carolina Eric Tappa will collect and redeploy the Gulf of Mexico Sediment Trap for the 22nd time, from February 26–28, 2019.

Research Marine Biologist Ilsa Kuffner, Research Oceanographer Lauren Toth, and Oceanographer Anastasios Stathakopoulos will travel to Key Largo, FL, December 10 to 14 to attend "Reef Futures 2018: A Coral Restoration and Intervention-Science Symposium."
USGS’ preliminary storm trackers show potential for subtle damage in natural areas

A new study published in the journal Global Change Biology by scientists at the USGS St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center suggests that unlike most other reefs, the geological decline of Florida’s reefs preceded modern coral-reef degradation by at least 3,000 years.

Scientists from SPCMSC and WARC led children, families, and the public in hands-on activities to learn about USGS science at this year's St. Petersburg Science Festival and School Day, October 19–20.
USGS study finds most have grown little in 3000 years
To learn more about USGS’ role providing science to decision makers before, during and after Hurricane Michael, visit the USGS Hurricane Michael page at https://usgs.gov/hurricane-michael.
USGS study of Lake Okeechobee algae gives new insight on South Florida coastal blooms