Water Chemistry Data from Big Cypress National Preserve Monitoring Stations

Long-term water chemistry records from 19 monitoring stations in Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park, with sampling dating back to 1984. The data includes measurements of major ions, nutrients, and physical parameters like pH and temperature. It was collected by the National Park Service and analyzed by the South Florida Water Management District under a cooperative agreement.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term trends in nutrient concentrations like nitrogen and phosphorus to assess the impact of agricultural runoff.
• Model the relationship between physical parameters (water temperature, pH, gage height) and chemical constituents such as chloride and sulfate.
• Compare water quality metrics like total dissolved solids and silica between the 10 Big Cypress stations and the 9 Everglades stations.
• Correlate discharge and gage height data with lab-measured ion concentrations (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium) to understand flow-chemistry dynamics.
• Establish baseline background concentrations for constituents like oxygen and silica using data from remote, unimpacted monitoring stations.

Strengths

• Data spans over 16 years for Big Cypress (since 1984/1988) and over 16 years for Everglades (since 1984).
• Includes measurements for over 20 distinct water quality parameters per sample, from nutrients to major ions.
• Collected under a formal cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and the South Florida Water Management District, ensuring consistent methodology.

Limitations

• Sampling frequency is limited to bi-monthly for Big Cypress and monthly for Everglades, not continuous.
• An analysis covering all parameters across the full period of record and comparing both park units had not been performed as of the study's start in 2000.
• The dataset's temporal coverage ends in the year 2000, making it a historical baseline rather than a current resource.

Provenance

Source

U.S. National Park Service (Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park) and the South Florida Water Management District.

Collection Method

Field samples collected by Park Service staff, with laboratory analysis provided by the South Florida Water Management District.

Time Range

1984 to 2000 (with some BICY data extending back to 1988).

Freshness

Data collection period ended circa 2000; the dataset is a historical archive.

Geography

Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park in South Florida, USA.