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Everglades National Park protects the largest contiguous stand of mangroves in the Western Hemisphere. This highly productive forest is commonly recognized as a prolific nursery for numerous species of commercially, recreationally, and ecologically important marine life. Mangroves are also commonly viewed as our first line of defense against the ravages of tropical storms. Less appreciated, however are the contributions that mangroves make to a full suite of ecosystem processes. The mangroves of south Florida help in the control of coastal erosion, the sequestration of carbon, and gas exchange. This CESI-funded study measured water use rates among mangroves growing along the Shark River in Everglades National Park. This data, in concert with ongoing studies of evapotranspiration, help better illustrate the movement of water through coastal forests. RELATED PUBLICATIONS Engel, V., Fuentes, J., Barr, J. (2010) Investigating disturbance and recovery following a hurricane along the Everglades mangrove coast. Fluxletter, 3(1): 13-16 Contact the principal investigator directly with questions about this study, |
Last updated: April 14, 2015