This project contributes to the Science Component of the St. Johns River Water Management District Springs Protection Initiative (SPI), http://www.sjrwmd.com/springs/initiative.html. The partnership is called the “Collaborative Research Initiative on Sustainability and Protection of Springs,” or CRISPS. While the overall goal of the SPI is to acknowledge that effective management of springs requires that understanding of the relative influences and manageability of the numerous natural and anthropogenic forcings that affect their ecological health, the objectives of this portion of research are divided into two sections and are as follows:
Benthic Sources of Sink Nutrients
- Map the thickness of benthic sediments within the Silver River channel. Conduct a first-pass assessment at 500m intervals in the areas of thickest sediment deposits.
- Identify biogeochemical transformations of the pore water compositions with particular emphasis on nitrogen, soluble reactive phosphorus, and dissolution of iron-manganese oxides.
- Estimate diffusive and advective fluxes of solutes from the sediment to the overlying water column.
Nitrogen Dynamics and Metabolism
- Quantify continuous carbon and nitrogen metabolism using in situ sensor data from the District.
- Conduct in situ nitrogen depletion experiments.
- Conduct in situ submerged aquatic vegetation growth experiments.
- Conduct mesocosm measurements of submerged aquatic vegetation growth.
The primary goal of this portion of the overall project is to predict how nitrogen enrichment impacts primary producer community structure and function in the Silver Springs System and whether nitrogen reduction alone to meet the total maximum daily load will be sufficient to restore community structure. For more information regarding the SPI project, visit: http://www.sjrwmd.com/springs/investigation.html |
