Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan 2012 System Status Report Interim Update December 2012 Restoration Coordination and Verification This page intentionally left blank. Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. VII ACRONYMS AND UNITS OF MEASUREMENT ............................................................. XIII CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 2: PROGRAM-LEVEL UPDATES ........................................................................ 7 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 7 FY 2012 MAP Monitoring Optimization and Prioritization ................................................................. 7 Support to Projects .................................................................................................................. 14 Modeling and Performance Measures ................................................................................................ 14 Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan Development ............................................................... 17 Reporting Restoration Success ........................................................................................................... 17 QAOT Contributions to RECOVER ..................................................................................... 20 2014 System Status Report Game Plan ................................................................................. 22 References ................................................................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER 3: LAKE OKEECHOBEE MODULE .................................................................. 27 Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 27 Water Quality and Stage ........................................................................................................ 28 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Methods and Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 28 Results ................................................................................................................................................. 30 Stage ............................................................................................................................................................... 30 Inflows ............................................................................................................................................................ 32 Nutrient Loading ............................................................................................................................................ 32 Total Phosphorus Concentrations ....................................................................................................... 34 Performance Measures ................................................................................................................................... 35 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 36 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 36 Phytoplankton .......................................................................................................................... 37 Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................. 37 Monitoring and Recent Results ........................................................................................................... 38 Results ................................................................................................................................................. 38 Community Composition ............................................................................................................................... 38 Biomass Determination .................................................................................................................................. 41 Diatom to Cyanobacteria Ratio ...................................................................................................................... 42 Cyanotoxins .................................................................................................................................................... 43 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 44 2012 System Status Report Interim Update i December 2012 Table of Contents Submerged Aquatic Vegetation ............................................................................................. 45 Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................. 45 Monitoring .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Transect Monitoring ....................................................................................................................................... 46 Annual Mapping ............................................................................................................................................. 47 Results ................................................................................................................................................. 47 Transect Monitoring ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Annual Mapping ............................................................................................................................................. 48 References ................................................................................................................................ 55 CHAPTER 4: NORTHERN ESTUARIES MODULE ............................................................ 59 Oysters ...................................................................................................................................... 59 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 59 Habitat Suitability Index ..................................................................................................................... 59 Analysis of Oyster Metrics in the Caloosahatchee Estuary ................................................................ 65 Study Objectives ............................................................................................................................................. 65 Key Findings .................................................................................................................................................. 66 Early Life Stage Salinity Tolerance .................................................................................................... 68 Salinity Treatments ......................................................................................................................................... 69 Data Analysis and Water Management .......................................................................................................... 69 Excerpt from 2012 Systemwide Ecological Indicators ....................................................................... 70 Summary Findings ......................................................................................................................................... 70 Key Findings .................................................................................................................................................. 70 Benthic Macroinvertebrates ................................................................................................... 71 Benthic Mapping ..................................................................................................................... 80 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 80 Methods .............................................................................................................................................. 80 Results ................................................................................................................................................. 80 St. Lucie Estuary ............................................................................................................................................ 80 Loxahatchee River Estuary ............................................................................................................................