A 7,600-square mile area of south Florida is simulated by the Natural System Model to estimate pre-drainage hydropatterns. The model was developed to support a multimillion-dollar interagency restoration effort for the Everglades ecosystem. The dataset originates from a review conducted by CEOS_EXTRA, with a last update recorded on 1996-09-30.
Use Cases
- Setting hydropattern restoration targets based on simulated pre-drainage frequency, duration, depth, and spatial extent of water inundation.
- Evaluating water-supply alternatives for projected land use and demand over 10-20 year horizons based on the related South Florida Water Management Model.
- Analyzing the impact of historical water-management activities like ground-water pumping and canal operations on surface-water conditions.
- Comparing simulated natural system hydrology against current managed conditions to assess ecosystem alteration over the last century.
Strengths
- Covers a large, defined geographic area of approximately 7,600 square miles in south Florida.
- Designed to support a specific, large-scale (multimillion-dollar) interagency ecosystem restoration effort.
- Simulates key hydrologic variables (hydropatterns) critical for restoration target setting.
Limitations
- Last updated 1996-09-30 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- CEOS_EXTRA via NASA Earthdata.
- Collection Method
- Simulation output from the Natural System Model (NSM) and the South Florida Water Management Model (SFWMM).
- Time Range
- Simulates pre-drainage (pre-1880s) conditions, though the model review used recent climatic data.
- Freshness
- 1996-09-30
- Geography
- South Florida, USA, focusing on the Everglades region within an approximately 7,600-square mile area.