Florida Bay Project Profiles: Environmental Monitoring Stations in the Florida Keys

Question: What are the environmental conditions in the nearshore waters of the Florida Keys?

Project: Seven permanent environmental monitoring stations have been established in the nearshore waters of the Florida Keys and in Florida Bay. The C-MAN (Coastal Marine Automated Network) stations are part of the SEAKEYS (Sustained Ecological Research Related to the Management of the Florida Keys) network which provides real-time data for the Florida Keys geographic area. The data generated by the stations are readily available to research scientists, ecosystem managers, and the public. C-MAN instruments continually record wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, barometric pressure, sea temperature, salinity, solar irradiance, and water depth. In cooperation with NOAA, SEAKEYS has added instruments to some stations which measure chlorophyll-a concentrations and suspended sediments. These additional capabilities will help scientists better understand some of the factors which influence water quality. The most recently established station, which contains a full suite of instruments, was added in northwest Florida Bay in the fall of 1998.

Findings to Date: Environmental factors, which vary from site to site and throughout the year, are important in understanding water quality, microalgal blooms, water circulation, and fisheries biology. Scientists and ecosystem managers use the long-term database being built by the SEAKEYS program to provide support data for a wide array of research programs and management decisions. Fishing guides, commercial fishermen, park rangers, research scientists, and other boaters rely on the up-to-minute reports provided by the C-MAN stations to give them accurate information about the current wind and water conditions throughout the keys. The C-MAN stations recorded peak wind gusts and other oceanographic data during Hurricanes Andrew and Georges.

Status: Ongoing.

Restoration Impacts: This quantitative information is essential to research scientists monitoring animal and plant populations and to ecosystem modelers developing hydrological models which predict the outcomes of the Everglades restoration.

Funding Sources: NOAA, and the MacArthur Foundation, Past: FDEP

Related Profiles:

• FBPP - 88 • FBPP - 90

• FBPP - 91 • FBPP - 100

• FBPP - 104 • FBPP - 106

• FBPP - 107 • FBPP - 171

January 07, 2009 This page last modified: July 16, 2001
January 07, 2009 This page last modified: July 16, 2001	Water Quality Environmental Monitoring Stations in the Florida Keys Florida Bay Project Profile - 87 *Question:* What are the environmental conditions in the nearshore waters of the Florida Keys? *Project:* Seven permanent environmental monitoring stations have been established in the nearshore waters of the Florida Keys and in Florida Bay. The C-MAN (Coastal Marine Automated Network) stations are part of the SEAKEYS (Sustained Ecological Research Related to the Management of the Florida Keys) network which provides real-time data for the Florida Keys geographic area. The data generated by the stations are readily available to research scientists, ecosystem managers, and the public. C-MAN instruments continually record wind speed, wind direction, air temperature, barometric pressure, sea temperature, salinity, solar irradiance, and water depth. In cooperation with NOAA, SEAKEYS has added instruments to some stations which measure chlorophyll-a concentrations and suspended sediments. These additional capabilities will help scientists better understand some of the factors which influence water quality. The most recently established station, which contains a full suite of instruments, was added in northwest Florida Bay in the fall of 1998. *Findings to Date:* Environmental factors, which vary from site to site and throughout the year, are important in understanding water quality, microalgal blooms, water circulation, and fisheries biology. Scientists and ecosystem managers use the long-term database being built by the SEAKEYS program to provide support data for a wide array of research programs and management decisions. Fishing guides, commercial fishermen, park rangers, research scientists, and other boaters rely on the up-to-minute reports provided by the C-MAN stations to give them accurate information about the current wind and water conditions throughout the keys. The C-MAN stations recorded peak wind gusts and other oceanographic data during Hurricanes Andrew and Georges. *Status:* Ongoing. *Restoration Impacts:* This quantitative information is essential to research scientists monitoring animal and plant populations and to ecosystem modelers developing hydrological models which predict the outcomes of the Everglades restoration. *Funding Sources:* NOAA, and the MacArthur Foundation, Past: FDEP *Related Profiles:* • FBPP - 88 • FBPP - 90 • FBPP - 91 • FBPP - 100 • FBPP - 104 • FBPP - 106 • FBPP - 107 • FBPP - 171 fbpp 63
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Water Quality

Environmental Monitoring Stations in the Florida Keys