Because of their high degree of interconnectedness to soils
and the atmosphere, wetland and aquatic ecosystems integrate
conditions within their catchments and regional climatic and
depositional changes. Wetlands and aquatic ecosystems can serve as
sinks, sources, and transformers of nutrients and other chemical
contaminants, and as such they can have a significant impact on
water quality and ecosystem productivity in riverine and coastal
zones. The primary driver of these processes is ecosystem
biogeochemistry, which includes chemical, biological and physical
processes in the sediment/soil and water column.
The WBL conducts interdisciplinary research that
leads to greater understanding of wetland/aquatic biogeochemistry
and which is relevant to environmental policy development and
management of natural resources in Florida and the rest of the
nation. Collaborators include research universities both inside and
outside Florida, Florida Water Management Districts, the Florida
DEP, the National Park Service, commodity groups and private
industry. Past and current research projects can be viewed using the
pull down menu on this page.
Research areas for WBL research include:
-Evaluate biogeochemical indicators for routine use to
evaluate pollutant impacts in wetlands and aquatic systems
-Develop tools to extrapolate process-level measurements to
a wide range of spatial and temporal scales for use in restoration
and management of wetlands and aquatic systems
-Develop GIS databases of soil and sediment characterization
in Florida wetlands and associated aquatic ecosystems
-Provide process-level information for use in policy
development and regulation
-Promote interdisciplinary teaching, research and extension
programs, including ecology, limnology and
hydrology
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Wetland Biogeochemistry Laboratory, University of Florida
2181 McCarty Hall A, Box 110290
Gainesville, Florida 32611; Telephone 352-294-3151 |
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