SUMMARY The information in this chapter is designed to update the reader on the multidisciplinary approaches currently in place to better understand and manage the hydrologic patterns of the Everglades Protection Area (EPA). The South Florida Water Management District (District or SFWMD) has begun to shift resources away from the phosphorus (P) threshold research program and toward an ecological research program to assess the influence of hydrology. This program documents how soils, plants and animals have changed over time and attempts to relate those changes to operational trends and restoration goals. It is important to note that this report does not at this time quantify the hydrologic needs of the Everglades. Such quantification can only come with a better understanding of how the depth, source, hydroperiod and flow patterns control the spatial and temporal biogeochemical processes that influence biodiversity and produce landscape structure. Since it is not possible to study al...
