Research
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.
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