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USGS Science for a Changing
Everglades
Vic Engel
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Gainesville, FL.
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
USGS Mission Areas
https://www.usgs.gov/science/mission-areas
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Ecosystems
Water
Climate and Land Use Change
Environmental Health
Core Science Systems
Natural Hazards
Energy and Minerals
USGS Ecosystems Mission Area
Provide science to
support the sound
management and
conservation of our
Nation’s biological
resources, with
particular emphasis on
DOI trust
responsibilities.
USGS Water Mission Area
The USGS works with
partners to monitor,
assess, and conduct
targeted research on
the wide range of
water resources and
conditions, including
streamflow,
groundwater, water
quality, and water use
and availability.
USGS Organizational Role
USGS Science Center locations
WARC, BR
WARC, LFYT
WARC, GNV
CFWSC
SPCMSC
Other USGS science centers working in south FL
FCSC – For Collins (Ecosystems)
WSC – Wisconsin Science Center
EGSC – Eastern Geography
EGPSC – Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate
NRP – National Research Program (Water)
CCR
Research topics in south Florida
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Invasive species
Imperiled species
Climate change
Ecological and hydrologic modeling
Hydrogeology
Paleo-ecology
Water quality
Carbon, nutrient and sediment dynamics
Plant community ecology
USGS - CESU projects
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Spatial Ecology of Crocodilians in the Greater
Everglades
 Field work and pubs
Evaluation of Tegu Movements and Habitat Use in
Relation to Location
 Field work and pubs
Little Blue Heron habitat modeling in relation to
freshwater flows
 Modeling and pubs
USGS - CESU projects
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Joint Ecosystem Modeling: Greater Everglades
Modeling Decision Support Tools
 Apple snail habitat modeling
Modeling coastal vegetation change as a result of
SLR and storm surge
 Stable isotope analyses
Structured decision-making and optimization of
invasive species management
 Data analysis, modeling and pubs
Sea turtle satellite tracking and habitat modeling
 Geospatial and statistical analyses
Research needs - Ecosystems
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Increased high resolution topography data
eDNA methods and interpretation in soils and
flowing waters
Invasive species control methods
Information on pathogens carried by nonnative species
Impacts of harmful algal blooms on imperiled
species
Climate change forecasts and impacts
Research needs - Water
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Climate change impacts on water availability
and sustainability projects
Optimization algorithms for water
management and communicating risks of
specific actions
Competing demands (e.g. water supply for
people vs agriculture vs ecosystems)
Trade-offs between water supply and flood
control
Thank you!