Video
Everglades Perspectives: Hydrology Technician
Transcript
The water is pretty high. It is kind of average for this time of year, average level. I am basically at the ground level for upkeeping the hydrology network in the park. We take field measurements to support the measurements taken by these sensors out here in the marsh. Which would be comprised of Shark Slough, Taylor Slough, and other surrounding areas. There is probably about 60 of these stations taking physical parameters like stage, water level, rain fall… Here, we have got the difference between surface and bottom temperature. Basically, if you could imagine, we are able to generate a profile of the hydrology here in the park. We have come a long way in data sharing with lots of other agencies… Ahhh, there is a frog in there. People from lots of other agencies have access to our data. In some cases on a daily basis. Chiefly among them would be Army Corps of Engineer and South Florida Water Management District. Their concern is in operations. Those two agencies operate a lot of the water control structures that deliver water into the park. We also have park biologists who have interest in water data and drawing insights on water conditions and how it relates to resource management concerns. I have not seen one mosquito today. That is one of the things that I like about being in the middle of the slough. It is nice and sunny. There are plenty of fish to eat the mosquito larvae. There are good field conditions out here. Right now, we are in early May. This is the peak of the dry season, sooo. At this time of the year, we have to get to these remote sites by helicopter. Which is quite a costly way to access these sites. And then, once the waters recharge in the park, then our main way of access is by airboat. This is a deep wilderness part of the park. We are about thirty miles away from the nearest road. The helicopter is a very different experience from the airboat. Both have their merits. In the helicopter, you get a more panoramic view, a real landscape perspective. But, traveling by airboat is really nice because you get to feel more immersed. Although these datas are transmitted everyday via either radio telemetry or satellite, it is still necessary to come out here, verify that the sensors are accurately measuring. And also, clean them from the elements. One of my favorite aerial views is coming across the transition area of the freshwater grassy slough into the coastal rivers on the west side. These are mangrove lined tidal creeks that are tributaries that flow into Shark River. We are actually near the end of the Everglades watershed where it is beginning to mingle with the coastal area of the Gulf Coast. We measure several parameters. Water level is one of them. Right now, it is the depths of the dry season. So, at most of the sites that we will be looking at today, it will be below the surface of the ground. This is particularly important this time of the year to inventory our baseline water level before the rainy season hits. There was only less than an inch of rain over this period of time. We have been experiencing a below average rainfall for this dry season. It is very stark to see how important these residual water holes are for wildlife. It is very distinct seeing the animal tracks to and from these water reservoirs. A lot of these monitoring sites happen to be colocated in these deeper holes which in the dry season are particularly favored by alligators and other wildlife. Rain is collected into this funnel. It seeps down into these receptacles. And, the way it is calibrated is 1/100th of an inch of rain will cause it to tip. As it tips, this bar passes over this magnet which closes a circuit and the data logger will record that one tip as 1/100th of an inch of rain. Yeah, I like my job. I have been working here for over six years. I grew up in the south Florida area, studied environmental studies. And, took a particular concern to issues on the Everglades which are very water-related. And, it was kind of a natural path for me to follow. Half of my job consists of field work and the other half, I am at my office reviewing data, making reports, running the numbers. Oh look, I dumped it on top of a baby gator. I have seen a good amount of wildlife at this particular site. Alligators, night herons, soft-shelled turtles, Anhingas. So far today, we have seen a mother and two baby gators. There is probably more… Oh, there is a third right there. The Everglades is really distinguished by a dualistic climate. A really distinct dry season and a monsoon-like wet season. About 80% of the annual rainfall falls between a six-month period. This creates a really harsh dynamic of which a lot of the flora and fauna are well-adapted to. So, looking out at this prairie, it looks like vast wilderness. Uninterrupted, undisturbed, left to work out its natural processes. But, in reality, it is a very closely managed system. It is closely managed by canals, pumps, levees and other water control structures, mainly located on the periphery of the park boundary. Hold on a second, did you see the frog?
Descriptive Transcript
[music]
Description Narrator: A group of alligators thrash into the water. Fish swim around underwater vegetation. A controlled fire burns a habitat. A bird appears in a hole in a dead tree. A ranger gives a guided canoe tour. Aerial footage of Mangroves. A snail glides along a tree branch.
Everglades National Park. National Park Service logo.
Everglades Perspectives: Hydrology Technician.
Summer Wet Season equals Airboat Season. An airboat speeds through the marsh grasses.
Fabian Kahn, Hydrology Technician, Everglades National Park.
[music continues]
Description Narrator: The airboat continues through the Sawgrass Prairie, passing a tree island, and water lilies floating on the water. The airboat pulls up to a small dock at a Hydrology station and alligator hole.
An underwater view of an alligator slowly coming to the surface from deep in the hole.
Fabian: The water is pretty high, it's kind of average for this time of the year, average level. Basically, I’m at the ground level for upkeeping a hydrology network in the park. We take field measurements to support the measurements taken by these sensors out here in the marsh, which would be comprised of Sharks Slough, Taylor Slough, and other surrounding areas.
Description Narrator: A map of the park is marked with Hydrologic Monitoring Sites: pump stations and hydro stations.
Fabian: There's probably about 60 of these stations taking physical parameters like stage, water level, rainfall. Here we've got the difference between surface and bottom temperature. Basically, if you can imagine, we're able to generate a profile of the hydrology here in the park.
We've come a long way in data sharing where lots of lots of other agencies…
Description Narrator: Fabian reaches up into a piece of equipment and jerks his hand away.
Fabian: …there's a frog in there, lots of other, people from lots of other agencies have access to our data. In some cases on a daily basis. Chiefly among them would be Army Corps of Engineers and South Florida Water Management District. Their concern is in operations. Those two agencies operate a lot of the water control structures that deliver water into the park. We also have park biologists who have interests in water data and drawing insights on water conditions and how it relates to resource management concerns.
Description Narrator: A close-up of a spider sitting on the water, between lily pads.
Fabian: I haven't seen one mosquito today. That's one of the things I like about being in the middle of the slough. It's nice and sunny. There are plenty of fish to eat the mosquito larvae. It's a good, there're good field conditions out here.
Description Narrator: Fabian pours water from a large container into a measuring cylinder, then drives away in the airboat. (03:38)
A helicopter takes off.
Winter Dry Season equals Helicopter Season.
Fabian: Right now, we're in early May, this is the peak of the dry season, so at this time of the year, we have to get to these remote sites by helicopter, which is quite costly way to, to access these sites.
Description Narrator: An aerial view of a Tree Island surrounded by Sawgrass Prairie.
Fabian: And then once the water is recharged in the park, then our main way of access is by airboat. This is a deep wilderness part of the park, we're about 30 miles away from the nearest road.
Description Narrator: The helicopter lands in a dry area near a small dock with a monitoring site, next to a tree island.
Fabian: The helicopter is a very different experience from the airboat, both have their merits. In the helicopter, you get a more panoramic view, a real landscape perspective, and uh, but the airboat… Traveling by airboat is really nice because you get to be more, feel more immersed.
Although these data are transmitted every day via either radio telemetry or satellite, it's still necessary to come out here, verify that the sensors are accurately measuring, and also clean them from the elements. One of my favorite aerial views is coming across the transition area of the freshwater grassy slough into the coastal rivers on the west side. These are mangrove-lined tidal creeks, that are tributaries that flow into Shark River.
We are actually at the, near the end of the Everglades watershed, where it's beginning to mingle with the coastal area of the Gulf Coast. We measure several parameters, water level’s one of them. Right now, it's the depths of the dry season. So most of the sites we'll be looking at today, it will be below the surface of the ground. This is particularly important this time of the year to inventory our baseline water level before the rainy season hits. And there was only less than an inch of rain over this period of time. We have, we've been experiencing a below average rainfall for this dry season.
Description Narrator: May 2011, two months since the last station check.
Fabian walks though grasses growing in dry, cracked soil.
Fabian: It's very stark to see how important these residual waterholes are for wildlife. It's very distinct seeing the animal tracks to and from these water reservoirs.
Description Narrator: An aerial view from the helicopter shows tracks near the water holes.
An alligator in a deep water hole.
Fabian: A lot of these monitoring sites happen to be co-located in these deeper holes, which in the dry season are particularly favored by alligators, and other wildlife.
Rain is collected into this funnel. It seeps down into these receptacles, and the way it's calibrated is 100th of an inch of rain will cause it to tip, as it tips this bar passes over this magnet, which closes a circuit, and the data log will record that one tip as 100th of an inch of rain.
Yeah, I like my job. I've been working here for over six years. I grew up in the South Florida area, studied environmental studies, and took a particular concern to issues on the Everglades, which are very water related. It was kind of a natural path for me to follow. Half of my job consists of fieldwork and then the other half I'm at my office, we're reviewing data, making reports, running the numbers.
Description Narrator: Fabian measures and dumps water out of the rain collection container.
Fabian: Oh look, I dumped it on top of a baby gator. I've seen a good amount of wildlife at this particular site, alligators, night herons, softshell turtles, anhingas. So far today we've seen a mother and two baby gators. There's probably more. Oh, there's a third right there.
[music starts again] The Everglades is really distinguished by a dualistic climate, a really distinct dry season, and a monsoon-like wet season. About 80% of the annual rainfall falls between a six-month period. This creates a really harsh dynamic, of which a lot of the flora and fauna are well adapted to.
Description Narrator: An alligator pokes the top of its head out of the water.
The helicopter takes off from the site.
Fabian: So, looking out at this prairie, it looks like vast wilderness, uninterrupted, undisturbed, left to work out its natural process, but in reality, it's a very closely managed system, that's closely managed by canals, pumps, levees, and other water control structures, mainly located on the periphery of the park boundaries.
Description Narrator: An aerial view of canals and water control buildings.
Fabian: Hold on a second…
Description Narrator: Fabian moves the receptacles back and forth on a water meter, and a frog jumps out.
Fabian: Did you see the frog?
Description Narrator: U.S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Everglades National Park. National Park Service logo.
Everglades National Park Video.
Featuring: Fabian Kahn.
Producer, Director, Editor: Jennifer Brown.
Executive Producers: Allyson Gantt, Alan Scott.
Graphic: Caryl Alarcon.
Helicopter Pilot: Mauricio Faulin.
Music Performed by: Reza Manzoori, ‘This’ and ‘Stone Flower’ from the Reza Nation album, and Jami Sieber, ‘Invisible Wings’ from the Lush Mechanique album. Magnatunes Records, www.magnatunes.com.
Description
This video features the unique perspective of a Hydrology Technician in Everglades National Park (9 min. with closed-captions).
Duration
9 minutes, 31 seconds
Credit
NPS Video by Jennifer Brown
Date Created
08/01/2011
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