Groundwater Seepage in the Florida Keys

Frequently-anticipated questions:

• What does this data set describe?
  1. How should this data set be cited?
  2. What geographic area does the data set cover?
  3. What does it look like?
  4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?
  5. What is the general form of this data set?
  6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
  7. How does the data set describe geographic features?
• Who produced the data set?
  1. Who are the originators of the data set?
  2. Who also contributed to the data set?
  3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
• Why was the data set created?
• How was the data set created?
  1. From what previous works were the data drawn?
  2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?
  3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?
• How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?
  1. How well have the observations been checked?
  2. How accurate are the geographic locations?
  3. How accurate are the heights or depths?
  4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?
  5. How consistent are the relationships among the data, including topology?
• How can someone get a copy of the data set?
  1. Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?
  2. Who distributes the data?
  3. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?
  4. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?
  5. How can I download or order the data?
• Who wrote the metadata?

What does this data set describe?

1. How should this data set be cited?

   Gene Shinn (retired) Chris Reich; Robert Halley; Ron Reese, 2005, Groundwater Seepage in the Florida Keys.

   Online Links:

   • <http://sofia.usgs.gov/projects/grndwtr_seepage/>

2. What geographic area does the data set cover?

   West_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.9

   East_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.3

   North_Bounding_Coordinate: 25.2

   South_Bounding_Coordinate: 24.8

3. What does it look like?

   <http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/posters/hydro_flkeys/clflasatx.jpg> (JPEG)

   satellite image of southern Florida showing study site location

4. Does the data set describe conditions during a particular time period?

   Beginning_Date: 17-Jul-1995

   Ending_Date: 20-Aug-1996

   Currentness_Reference: ground condition

5. What is the general form of this data set?

   Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: spreadsheets

6. How does the data set represent geographic features?
   1. How are geographic features stored in the data set?

      Indirect_Spatial_Reference: Florida Bay, Florida Keys

      This is a Point data set. It contains the following vector data types (SDTS terminology):
      • Point (33)

   2. What coordinate system is used to represent geographic features?

      Horizontal positions are specified in geographic coordinates, that is, latitude and longitude. Latitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Longitudes are given to the nearest 0.000001. Latitude and longitude values are specified in Decimal degrees.

      The horizontal datum used is WGS84.
      The ellipsoid used is WGS84.
      The semi-major axis of the ellipsoid used is 6378137.
      The flattening of the ellipsoid used is 1/298.257223563.
      

7. How does the data set describe geographic features?

   Entity_and_Attribute_Overview:

   Information provided in the spreadsheets includes: site_name, data_provided, station_id, station_name, station_type, latitude, longitude, horz_datum_code, horz_collect_method_code, class (water quality, hydrologic stations or both), field_msr_id, medium, result_value, result_unit, field_msr_equipment_type, and field_msr_equipment_name

   Entity_and_Attribute_Detail_Citation: USGS personnel

Who produced the data set?

1. Who are the originators of the data set? (may include formal authors, digital compilers, and editors)
   • Gene Shinn (retired)

2. Who also contributed to the data set?

3. To whom should users address questions about the data?
   Chris Reich
   U.S. Geological Survey
   600 Fourth St. South
   St. Petersburg, FL 33701
   USA
   

   727 803-8747 ext 3032 (voice)
   727 803-2032 (FAX)
   creich@usgs.gov
   

Why was the data set created?

The Florida Keys contain 25,000 septic tank systems, approximately 5000 cesspools, and 1000 class 5 injection wells. Depth of injection wells ranges from 10 to 30 meters. Excessive algal growth, coral diseases, and both marine grass and sponge lortality is perceived to be caused by sewage nutrients leaking from roundwater on both sides of the Florida Keys. Determining the volume and composition of groundwaters seeping into the marine environment from teh sea floor is vital to management decisions on the area.

The objective of this study was to determine the volume and composition of groundwaters seeping upward through the rock water interface into Florida Bay and the coral reef tract. Submarine groundwater input into Florida Bay has been ignored by modelers and results show current models are likely to be erroneous. An additional major product will be an improved seepage meter design.

How was the data set created?

1. From what previous works were the data drawn?

2. How were the data generated, processed, and modified?

   Date: 1997 (process 1 of 1)

   For the seepage meter experiment in south Florida (Florida Bay, Florida Keys) a new design of seepage meters was developed. A fiberglass mold (approx. 70 cm x 70 cm) was constructed from an off-the-shelf household skylight. Approximately 60 seepage meter domes were constructed and installed at various locations throughout the study region. Because the study region's underlying Pleistocene limestone is very heterogeneous, several domes were installed in certain locations to combat hydrologic variations which control flow in and out of the subsurface. The fiberglass seepage meter provided a rigid frame which was them mounted to the bare rock seafloor throughout Florida Bay and along the Keys. Portland cement was mixed and used to seal the edges of the fiberglass domes. A hole was previously cut in the dome top to be used for connecting a plastic bag. The preferred bag was a turkey basting bag because of its construction material.

   After the domes were in place and the cement had cured, basting bags were placed on the domes. The bags were left on the dome for a 24 hour period (one tidal cycle) and subsequently removed. The volume on the bag was measured with a calibrated graduated cylinder. Knowing the volume over the 24 hour period and the area of the seepage meter, a flux (L/m2/d) could be calculated. These measurements were recorded and placed in spreadsheets to determine variations by location and other environmental factors (i. e., rain, tide, wave).

   Person who carried out this activity:
   

   Chris Reich
   U.S. Geological Survey
   600 Fourth St. South
   St. Petersburg, FL 33701
   USA
   

   727 803-8747 ext 3032 (voice)
   727 803-2032 (FAX)
   creich@usgs.gov
   

3. What similar or related data should the user be aware of?

   Shinn, E. A. Reese, R. S.; Reich, C. D., 1994, Fate and pathways of injection-well effluent in the Florida Keys: USGS Open-File Report 94-276, U. S. Geological Survey, Florida.

   Online Links:

   • <http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/ofr/94-276>

   Reich, C. D., 1996, Diver-operated manometer: a simple device for measuring hydraulic head in underwater wells: Journal of Sedimentary Rresearch v. 66 n. 5, S E P M Society for Sedimentary Research, Tulsa, OK.

   Other_Citation_Details:

   Journal of Sedimentary Research table of contents and abstracts are open access. Full text articles are available to non-member subscribers or pay-per-view at two websites accessed from the JSR website (<http://www.sepm.org/jsr/jsr_home.html>)

   Halley, R. B. Vacher, H. L.; Shinn, E. A., 1997, Geology and Hydrogeology of the Florida Keys: Developments in Sedimentology Geology and hydrogeology of carbonate islands, Elsevier Science B. V., Doorwerth, The Netherlands.

   Online Links:

   • <http://sofia.usgs.gov/publications/papers/keys_geohydro/>

   Other_Citation_Details:

   This chapter was originally published in Geology and Hydrology of Carbonate Islands, Developments in Sedimentology 54, edited by H. L. Vacher and T. Quinn

   Paul, J. H. Rose, J. B.; Brown, J.; Shi, 1995, Viral tracer studies indicate contamination of marine waters by sewage disposal practices in Key Largo, Florida: Applied and Environmental Microbiology v. 61, n. 6, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC.

   Online Links:

   • <http://aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/61/6/2230>

   Other_Citation_Details: The full article may be downloaded from the AEM website

   Paul, J. H. Rose, J. B.; Jiang, S.; Kel, 1995, Occurrence of fecal indicator bacteria in surface waters and the subsurface aquifer in Key Largo, Florida: Applied and Environmental Microbiology v. 61, n. 6, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC.

   Online Links:

   • <http://aem.asm.org/cgi/reprint/61/6/2235>

   Other_Citation_Details: The full article may be downloaded from the AEM website

   Shinn, Eugene A. Reich, Christopher D.; Hick, 2002, Seepage Meters and Bernoulli's Revenge: Estuaries v. 25, n. 1, Estuarine Research Federation, Port Republic, MD.

   Online Links:

   • <http://estuariesandcoasts.org/journal/ESTU2002/ESTU2002_25_1_126_132.pdf>

   Reich, C. D. Shinn, E. A.; Hickey, T. D., 2001, Tidal and Meterological Influences of Shallow Marine Groundwater Flow in the Upper Florida Keys: CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

   Other_Citation_Details:

   in The Everglades, Florida Bay and Coral Reefs of the Florida Keys: An Ecosystem Source-book

   Porter, J. W. And Porter, K. G., eds

How reliable are the data; what problems remain in the data set?

1. How well have the observations been checked?

2. How accurate are the geographic locations?

   Benchmarks were installed onshore on both sides of Key Largo and position and elevation determined using GPS_Military P-code enabled. Two wells at each cluster were later leveled in using the benchmarks as a reference point.

3. How accurate are the heights or depths?

4. Where are the gaps in the data? What is missing?

   Data collected from all the sites were used in the calculations of ground seepage

5. How consistent are the relationships among the observations, including topology?

   The same tests were performed for each data collection site

How can someone get a copy of the data set?

Are there legal restrictions on access or use of the data?

Access_Constraints: none

Use_Constraints: none

1. Who distributes the data set? (Distributor 1 of 1)
   Heather S.Henkel
   U.S. Geological Survey
   600 Fourth St. South
   St. Petersburg, FL 33701
   USA
   

   727 803-8747 ext 3028 (voice)
   727 803-2030 (FAX)
   hhenkel@usgs.gov
   

2. What's the catalog number I need to order this data set?

   Groundwater Seepage

3. What legal disclaimers am I supposed to read?

   No warrantees are implied or explicit for the data

4. How can I download or order the data?
   • Availability in digital form:

     Data format:	contains information and data collected during the seepage meter experiments along the Florida Keys on both the Florida Bay and Atlantic Ocean sides in format MS Excel (version unknown) Size: 0.088
     Network links:	<http://sofia.usgs.gov/exchange/shinn/>

   • Cost to order the data: none

Who wrote the metadata?

Dates:

Last modified: 17-Mar-2008

Metadata author:

Heather Henkel
U.S. Geological Survey
600 Fourth Street South
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
USA

727 803-8747 ext 3028 (voice)
727 803-2030 (FAX)
sofia-metadata@usgs.gov

Metadata standard:

Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (FGDC-STD-001-1998)

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
Comments and suggestions? Contact: Heather Henkel - Webmaster
Generated by mp version 2.8.18 on Mon Mar 17 11:00:17 2008