Water Quality Data (Grab Samples) from the Taylor Slough, Everglades National Park (FCE), from May 2001 to Present

Water quality samples are being collected using ISCO autosamplers at all wetland sites (that is, all sites except TS/Ph-9, 10, and 11). The autosamplers contain 24 1L bottles. Water is sampled by programming the autosamplers to take composite samples once every 3 days. These samples are a composite of four 250mL subsamples drawn every 18 hours (a sampling scheme that captures a dawn, noon, dusk, and midnight sample in every three day composite). The samples are collected every 3-4 weeks and analyzed for total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN), and salinity. When sites are visited to collect these samples, we also collect a grab sample that is immediately put on ice. A portion of these grab samples is filtered through a Whatman GF/F filter immediately upon return to the lab, and the filtered samples are analyzed for inorganic nutrients such as NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, SRP, and DOC. The unfiltered fraction of these grab samples is analyzed for TP, TN, and TOC. We use these montly grab samples to generate relationships between TP and SRP, and between TN and NO2- + NO3- + NH4+. Dissolved nutrients are measured using standard rapid flow analyzer (RFA) techniques. TP is analyzed with a modified Solorzano and Sharp (1980) technique. TN is measured with an Antec TN analyzer, TOC and DOC are quantified on a Shimadzu TOC Analyzer, and salinity is measured with a YSI conductivity meter. In addition to the regular water quality monitoring, we use the rain level actuators at all freshwater sites to trigger water sampling after rain events exceed a given threshold of duration and/or intensity. As currently programmed, when the threshold of = 2.5 cm of rain per hour is passed, the autosampler at that site collects a 500mL sample 30 minutes after the threshold has been reached. Rain event samples are collected, treated, and analyzed as all other water quality samples.