SOFIA - Poster - Design and Development of the Florida Bay Salinity Database (printable version)

Understanding the salinity dynamics of Florida Bay is central to its management and restoration. Salinity is an intermediate link in the cause and effect that connects upstream water-management activities to the structure and function of the downstream Florida Bay ecosystem. Long-term regional water-management practices are widely thought to have reduced the quantity of freshwater flow into the bay and shifted its distribution and timing, leading to the marinification of Florida Bay. The perception of ecological decline in Florida Bay, as evidenced by seagrass die-off, the onset of extensive turbidity/algal blooms and corresponding declines in dependent fisheries, is often linked, at least in part, to salinity stress and long-term changes in salinity within the bay. Prominent elements within the Florida Bay Restoration Program include: restoring freshwater inflows; enabling predictions of Florida Bay salinity based on upstream hydrology and water-management; and developing, as a possible restoration target, a model of the salinity regime in Florida Bay prior to water management. The success of these restoration efforts requires an understanding of salinity conditions in Florida Bay.

The salinity record for Florida Bay extends from early in this century but is scattered across a diverse literature and many unpublished sources. Salinity information takes the form of actual measurements of salinity as well as anecdotal information interpretable in terms of salinity. This database will consolidate available salinity observations and related information into a single source that will provide the basis for a synthesis of salinity conditions in Florida Bay as well as for a website from which researchers may acquire salinity data and synthesis for their own purposes.

This salinity database is being developed in Oracle 8i. It integrates salinity and temperature observations as well as related literature and anecdotal references into a relational database within which the data can be explored, data sets developed in space and time, and data files exported for further analysis. The current database schema allows searches for salinity and temperature data on study, study station, basin, and place name as well as user defined space using latitude and longitude or UTM coordinates. The primary data for each study is available in the database; however, a calculated data set of daily average salinity will form the basis for integrating data from different studies. To expedite data searches data summaries will be available on monthly, seasonal (wet/dry), and annual time steps.

The experimental designs of studies contributing data to this database vary greatly but generally between two extremes: time series data from a single location (e.g. NPS hourly monitoring data) spatial data with many locations represented by a single value at each location (e.g. USGS boat survey data). Most studies produce data sets falling along a continuum between these extremes. When the data from these studies is integrated by averaging over an area and time period distortions can result because of variations in data density leading to inaccurate or misleading results. In order to minimize this effect three rules have been applied within this database when calculating monthly, seasonal and annual averages: 1) these calculations were based on daily average data; 2) daily average data were calculated as the average salinity/temperature for each station within each study on a given day, and 3) in spatial data sets salinity/temperature observations were averaged within each basin on a given day and assigned a station location of the geographic center of the respective basin.

An organizing feature of this database is the underlying basin grid. Basins are loosely defined as hydro-dynamically homogeneous areas. This concept works best in Florida Bay but has been extended to cover the west coast river systems. Salinity observations have been assigned to basins providing a "scaling-up" which facilitates data searches. Places can vary greatly in spatial extent. Place names in the database have been defined in terms of a basin or basins. The user can aggregate basins in order to define ecologically or hydrologically useful areas.

The observation was made within Florida Bay waters or in waters adjacent to the bay.
The measurement was a discrete observation (not an average value).
The date and time that the observation was made is known.
The location at which the observation had been made was known or could be estimated.
The depth at which the observation was made could be determined.

To complete the exiting salinity record for Florida Bay, a comprehensive search for salinity data was performed over the published an unpublished literature.

The result of this effort, at present, is a database containing 232 references, including 70 sources of salinity data extending from 1936 to the present. Spatially extensive data are available from the mid-1950's. Less quantitative or anecdotal references to salinity conditions date back to the turn-of-the-century in the scientific literature, and to the mid-19th Century in the historical record. A sampling of references relating to the Johnson Key Basin are shown below. Information about changing salinity conditions in Florida Bay is also being pursued through an exhaustive search of historical records in libraries, museums, agencies, private papers, and through oral histories. Dating to the mid-19th century, these less quantitative and anecdotal materials contain information interpretable in terms of salinity conditions within the bay. These sources include primarily anecdotal observations about salinity and related conditions (e.g., direct observations of freshwater occurrences, fish kills, and other phenomena reflecting changes in water quality).

One of the earliest of such records is the Hackley Diary, a copy of which was found in the Monroe Public Library in Key West.

Bugden, J. 1991. Water quality observations made in Florida Bay, 1990 to 1991, as part of a M. S. Thesis on seagrass die-off. Florida International University.

Costello, T. J., D. M. Allen and J. H. Hudson 1986. Distribution, seasonal abundance, and ecology of juvenile northern pink shrimp, Penaeus duorarum, in Florida Bay area. NOAA Technical Memorandum. NMFS-SEFC-161, United States Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Miami, Florida, 84 pp.

Davies, T. D. 1980. Peat formation in Florida Bay and its significance in interpreting the recent vegetation and geological history of the bay area. Ph. D. Dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania. 338 pp.

Durako, M. J. 1990. Environmental data collected in association with seagrass die-off studies in Florida Bay under contract CA5280-9-8002 to Florida Marine Research Institute, Department of Natural Resources, St. Petersburg, Florida from the South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Fourqurean, J. W., R. D. Jones and J. C. Zieman 1993. Processes influencing water column nutrient characteristics and phosphorus limitation of phytoplankton biomass in Florida Bay, Florida, USA: inferences from the spatial distributions. Estuarine, Coastal & Shelf Sci., 36, 295-314.

Jones, R. D. 1995. Water quality observations in Florida and Manatee Bays and Barnes Sound, 1991 to 1995. Collected under MA5280-0-9015 between Florida International University, Miami, Florida and the South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Robblee, M. B. 1987. Salinity observations following Hurricane Floyd in October 1987. South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Robblee, M. B. 1991. Salinity and temperature data collected at swim-over stations associated with sea-grass die-off monitoring, 1990 to 1991. South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Robblee, M. B. 1992. Salinity and temperature data associated with benthic animal sampling of seagrass die-off impacted areas in Florida Bay, 1989 to 1991. South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Robblee, M. B. 1997. Salinity and temperature data associated with benthic animal sampling of 30 stations within Johnson Key Basin from 1994-1997.

Robblee, M. B. 1999. Salinity and temperature data associated with benthic animal sampling of seagrass beds within Johnson Key Basin 1998-1999.

Robblee, M. B. and T. W. Schmidt 1987. Environmental data collected in association with collections of pink shrimp, caridean shrimp, and fishes in Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay, 1981 to 1987. South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Rutherford, E S. 1983. Larval and juvenile gamefish study, February 1982 to December 1983. South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Shaw, A. B. 1984. Salinity data collected in May 1966 and from January 1984 - June 1984 from across Florida Bay associated with studies of the distribution of mollusk shells (maps), Amoco Oil, Chicago, Illinois. Provided by Allan Shaw.

Smith, D. T. 1995. Surface refractometer measurements made at marine monitoring stations, 1981 to 1995. South Florida Research Center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida.

Tabb, D. C. 1967. Prediction of estuarine salinities in Everglades National Park, Florida, by the use of ground water records. Ph. D. Dissertation, University of Miami. Coral Gables, Florida. 107 pp.

Thayer, G. W., W. F. Jr. Hettler, A. J. Chester, D. R. Colby and P. T. McElhaney 1987. Distribution and abundance of fish communities among selected estuarine and marine habitats in Everglades National Park. Technical Report SFRC-87/02. South Florida Research center, Everglades National Park, Homestead, Florida. 166 pp.

Zieman, J. C. and J. W. Fourqurean 1991. Water quality observations associated with seagrass die-off research, 1989 to 1990. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Notes from Hackley Diary – January 1857 – Key West, Florida

William R. Hackley moved to Key West in 1829 where he remained until 1857. He was a practicing attorney and kept a diary, of which only parts survived. The Key West Library has a copy of all surviving portions. It was transcribed by Robert L. Goulding, Hackley’s maternal grandfather.

[larger version] Saturday, 3rd:
"The calm weather has lasted so long that the fresh water from the Everglades has drifted down to the Keys. The fisherman say that yesterday in the NW channel the water was fresh enough to drink and that they did drink full droughts of it. The water at the wharfs and in the harbor this morning has the greenish tinge peculiar to the water near the courts of the mainland the fish certain to die in great numbers and of all kinds—King fish, mullet, morays, trunk fish, grunts and line the beaches making a horrible stench and the water is covered with them dead & drifting out with the tide…"
Monday, 5th
"…the water shows the admixture with fresh and the men say that in streaks it is fresh enough to drink. The blue water was very perceptible in a streak in the channel yesterday…"

Source: Wilkinson, Jerry, "History Talk from the Upper Florida Keys" Fall 1997, <electronic version>, Tampa: University of South Florida, URL: http://www.lib.usf.edu/spccoll/guide/h/hpsuk/htfall97/ht14.html; last accessed Nov, 20, 2000. (Note: This URL can no longer be found. To find information, look to the special collections URL: http://www.lib.usf.edu/public/index.cfm?Pg=SpecialCollections.)

This research is supported in significant part by the USGS Place Based Studies program, and in part by USGS' Florida Caribbean Science Center. We also wish to thank Maxim Chekmasov, Marina Chekmasova, Nancy DeWitt, Chris Dufore, Troy Mullins, Patty Mumford, Diane Riggs and Darrell Tidwell.

Basin Names
1	Key Largo	42	Conchie Channel	82	North River	122	Chevelier Bay
2	Plantation	43	Nilemile Bank	83	Whitewater Bay	123	Chatham River
3	Upper Matecumbe	44	Dildo Key Bank	84	Oyster Bay	124	Storter Bay
4	Lower Matecumbe	45	Tavernier Creek	85	Big Sable Creek	125	Huston River
5	Barnes Sound	46	Buttemut Key Basin	86	Watson River	126	Last Huston Bay
6	Manatee Bay	47	Duck Key Basin	87	Shark River	127	Huston Bay
7	Long Sound	48	Manatee Keys Basin	88	Ponce de Leon Bay	128	Oyster Bay
8	Little Blackwater Sound	49	Little Card Sound	89	Little Shark River	129	House Hammock Bay
9	Blackwater Sound	50	Triangle Area	90	Shark Point	130	Sunday Bay
10	Tarpon Basin	51	C-111 Canal	91	Hamey River	131	Lumber Key
11	Little Buttonwood Sound	52	Highway Creek	92	Tarpon Bay	132	Lopez River
12	Nest Keys Basin	53	Snapper Creek	93	Rookery Branch	133	Turner River
13	Joe Bay	54	Upper Joe Bay	94	North Prong	134	Halfway Creek
14	Little Madeira Bay	55	Taylor River	95	Upper Broad River	135	Chokolaskee Bay
15	Black Betsy Key Basin	56	Madeira Hammock	96	Broad Creek	136	Barron River
16	Upper Cross Bank	57	Noble Hammock	97	Broad Bay	137	Ferguson River
17	Rock Harbor	58	Hells Bay	98	Broad River	138	West Pass Bay
18	Buttonwood Sound	59	Snake Bight Canal	99	Broad River Bay	139	Panther Key
19	Jimmie Key Basin	60	Seven Palm Lake	100	Indian Camp Creek	140	Ten Tousand Islands
20	Cotton Key Basin	61	Middle Lake	101	Cabbage Island	141	East River
21	Captain Key Basin	62	Monroe Lake	102	Rogers River	142	Fakahatchee River
22	Russell Key Basin	63	The Lungs	103	Key McLaughlin	143	Faka Union River
23	Crocodile Dragover	64	Alligator Creek	104	Rogers River Bay	144	Fakahatchee Bay
24	Madeira Bay	65	Henry Lake	105	Rocky Creek Bay	145	Faka Union Bay
25	Terrapin Bay	66	Long Lake	106	Big Lostmans Bay	146	Wood River
26	End Key Basin	67	Cuthbert Lake	107	Tom's Creek	147	Pumkin River
27	Calusa Keys Basin	68	West Lake	108	Lostmans Second Bay	148	Pumkin Bay
28	Spy Key Basin	69	Coot Bay	109	Lostmans First Bay	149	Dismal Key
29	Porpoise Lake	70	Mud Lake	110	Hog Key	150	Whitney River
30	Lignumvitae Basin	71	Buttonwood Canal	111	Onion Key Bay	151	Buttonwood Bay
31	Long Key Basin	72	Bear Lake	112	Cabbage Bay	152	Blackwater River
32	Twin Keys Basin	73	Fox Lakes	113	Mullet Bay	153	Palm Bay
33	Corrine Key Basin	74	Gator Lake	114	Two Island Bay	154	Tripod Key
34	Whipray Basin	75	Raulerson Prairie	115	Lostmans Five	155	Big Marco River
35	North Whipray Basin	76	Cape Sable	116	Plate Creek Bay	156	Ten Thousand Islands Offshore
36	Rankin Bight	77	Lake Ingraham	117	Dads Bay	157	Highland Beach Offshore
37	Rankin Lake	78	Middle Cape	118	Alligator Bay	158	Shark Point Offshore
38	Rabbit Key Basin	79	Joe River	119	Gofer Key Bay	159	Middle Keys
39	Johnson Key Basin	80	Lane River	120	Highland Beach	160	Sprigger Bank
40	Catfish Key Basin	81	Roberts River	121	Cannon Bay	161	Long Key Viaduct
41	Snake Bight

Relational Database Schema Click on images to view larger version

Notes from Hackley Diary – January 1857 – Key West, Florida
William R. Hackley moved to Key West in 1829 where he remained until 1857. He was a practicing attorney and kept a diary, of which only parts survived. The Key West Library has a copy of all surviving portions. It was transcribed by Robert L. Goulding, Hackley’s maternal grandfather.
[larger version]	Saturday, 3rd: "The calm weather has lasted so long that the fresh water from the Everglades has drifted down to the Keys. The fisherman say that yesterday in the NW channel the water was fresh enough to drink and that they did drink full droughts of it. The water at the wharfs and in the harbor this morning has the greenish tinge peculiar to the water near the courts of the mainland the fish certain to die in great numbers and of all kinds—King fish, mullet, morays, trunk fish, grunts and line the beaches making a horrible stench and the water is covered with them dead & drifting out with the tide…" Monday, 5th "…the water shows the admixture with fresh and the men say that in streaks it is fresh enough to drink. The blue water was very perceptible in a streak in the channel yesterday…"
Source: Wilkinson, Jerry, "History Talk from the Upper Florida Keys" Fall 1997, <electronic version>, Tampa: University of South Florida, URL: http://www.lib.usf.edu/spccoll/guide/h/hpsuk/htfall97/ht14.html; last accessed Nov, 20, 2000. (Note: This URL can no longer be found. To find information, look to the special collections URL: http://www.lib.usf.edu/public/index.cfm?Pg=SpecialCollections.)