Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS32 Holistic Studies In Impacted Meso-Scale Basins (Science and Society Connections)

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 2:15:00 PM

Location: Galisteo

Carrick, H, J, Division of Watershed Research & Planning, South Florida Water Management District, West Palm Beach, USA, hcarrick@sfwmd.gov

LINKING LAKE PRODUCTIVITY TO LAND-USE: VARIATION WITHIN A SUBTROPICAL CHAIN OF LAKES (FLORIDA, USA).

Watershed-scale land use can have measurable impacts on the productivity and trophic function of aquatic systems. The Kissimmee Upper Basin (KUB, area 5,866 km2) is a major source of water to south Florida, draining into the Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee, and eventually to the extensive Florida Everglades wetlands. Land use coverage in the KUB is divided between wetlands-lakes (39%), agriculture-rangeland (30%), upland forest-barren land (15%), and urban-utilities (16%). Preliminary studies show that the chemistry of some tributaries and lakes appears to have been impacted by the swift urbanization of the northern watershed. I evaluated limnological data from 20 lakes in the KUB, where a marked trophic gradient among lakes is evident (TP range 10 to 150 ug/L). Regression analysis revealed that in-lake TP concentrations were correlated with land-use around each lake (r2=0.64, p<0.01, n=20). Such models may prove useful in guiding water management in this region, given the population growth projections (93% over 25-yrs) and it’s proximity to active urban centers (Orlando, Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Disney World).

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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