Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti (Florida cottonmouth) Diet

Science.gov (United States)

Grajal-Puche, Alejandro; Josimovich, Jillian; Falk, Bryan; Reed, Robert

2016-01-01

Agkistrodon piscivorus is a generalist predator that feeds on a variety of prey, including snakes (Gloyd and Conant 1990. Snakes of the Agkistrodon Complex: A Monographic Review. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Oxford, Ohio. 614 pp.; Lillywhite et al. 2002. Herpetol. Rev. 33:259–260; Hill and Beaupre 2008. Copeia 2008:105–114). Cemophora coccinea (Scarletsnake) is not known as one of the 26 species of snakes consumed by A. piscivorus (Ernst and Ernst 2011. Venomous Reptiles of the United States, Canada, and Northern Mexico: Volume 1. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 193 pp.). On 16 June 2015, at 2210 h, we found a dead-on-road A. piscivorus (total length [TL] = 51.0 cm) in Everglades National Park on Main Park Road, 1.88 km S Pa-hay-okee, Miami-Dade Co., Florida, USA (25.414085°N, 80.78183146°W, WGS84; elev. 3 m). The snake had been killed by a vehicle and some internal organs were exposed. Visible stomach contents included a small (TL ca. 15 cm) C. coccinea. Photographic vouchers of the A. piscivorus (UF-Herpetology 177194) and C. coccinea (UF-Herpetology 177195) were deposited in the Division of Herpetology, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. Despite the fact that these species are sympatric over large areas of the southeastern United States, this is the first known documented predation of C. coccinea by A. piscivorus.

Distributional patterns of fall armyworm parasitoids in a corn field and pasture field in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

An assessment of parasitoids and their selective patterns among Spodoptera frugiperda corn and rice host strains was performed from August 2008-August 2010 in a corn crop and a grass pasture in northern Florida under different seasonal conditions (spring and fall). Sentinel larvae from our laborator...

Timescales for nitrate contamination of spring waters, northern Florida, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, B.G.; Böhlke, J.K.; Hornsby, H.D.

2001-01-01

Residence times of groundwater, discharging from springs in the middle Suwannee River Basin, were estimated using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), tritium (3H), and tritium/helium-3 (3H/3He) age-dating methods to assess the chronology of nitrate contamination of spring waters in northern Florida. During base-flow conditions for the Suwannee River in 1997–1999, 17 water samples were collected from 12 first, second, and third magnitude springs discharging groundwater from the Upper Floridan aquifer. Extending age-dating techniques, using transient tracers to spring waters in complex karst systems, required an assessment of several models [piston-flow (PFM), exponential mixing (EMM), and binary-mixing (BMM)] to account for different distributions of groundwater age. Multi-tracer analyses of four springs yielded generally concordant PFM ages of around 20±2 years from CFC-12, CFC-113, 3H, and 3He, with evidence of partial CFC-11 degradation. The EMM gave a reasonable fit to CFC-113, CFC-12, and 3H data, but did not reproduce the observed 3He concentrations or 3H/3He ratios, nor did a combination PFM–EMM. The BMM could reproduce most of the multi-tracer data set only if both endmembers had 3H concentrations not much different from modern values. CFC analyses of 14 additional springs yielded apparent PFM ages from about 10 to 20 years from CFC-113, with evidence of partial CFC-11 degradation and variable CFC-12 contamination. While it is not conclusive, with respect to the age distribution within each spring, the data indicate that the average residence times were in the order of 10–20 years and were roughly proportional to spring magnitude. Applying similar models to recharge and discharge of nitrate based on historical nitrogen loading data yielded contrasting trends for Suwanee County and Lafayette County. In Suwanee County, spring nitrate trends and nitrogen isotope data were consistent with a peak in fertilizer input in the 1970s and a relatively high overall ratio

Environmental Variability in the Florida Keys: Impacts on Coral Reef Resilience and Health

Science.gov (United States)

Soto, I. M.; Muller-Karger, F. E.

2005-12-01

Environmental variability contributes to both mass mortality and resilience in tropical coral reef communities. We assess variations in sea surface temperature (SST) and ocean color in the Florida Keys using satellite imagery, and provide insight into how this variability is associated with locations of resilient coral communities (those unaffected by or able to recover from major events). The project tests the hypothesis that areas with historically low environmental variability promote lower levels of coral reef resilience. Time series of SST from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensors and ocean color derived quantities (e.g., turbidity and chlorophyll) from the Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWiFS) are being constructed over the entire Florida Keys region for a period of twelve and nine years, respectively. These data will be compared with historical coral cover data derived from Landsat imagery (1984-2002). Improved understanding of the causes of coral reef decline or resilience will help protect and manage these natural treasures.

Compartment-based hydrodynamics and water quality modeling of a NorthernEverglades Wetland, Florida, USA

Science.gov (United States)

The last remaining large remnant of softwater wetlands in the US Florida Everglades lies within the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. However, Refuge water quality today is impacted by pumped stormwater inflows to the eutrophic and mineral-enriched 100-km c...

Islamic criminal law in northern Nigeria: politics, religion, judicial practice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weimann, G.J.

2010-01-01

In 2000 and 2001, twelve northern states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria introduced Islamic criminal law as one of a number of measures aiming at "reintroducing the shari'a." Immediately after its adoption, defendants were sentenced to death by stoning or to amputation of the hand. Apart from a

The rights of a Florida wife: slavery, U.S. expansion, and married women's property law.

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Laurel A

2010-01-01

Civil law rules were adopted in Florida that granted married women property rights long before legal reforms occurred in northern states. This article analyzes white wives' property and law in Florida between 1820 and 1860. Initially, married women's property rights were inadvertently protected by treaty law and limited to women who married before 1818. Wives' right to own separate property in Florida was subsequently reconfirmed in statute and extended to include later marriages. In contrast, nonwhites generally lost the rights and property they had enjoyed under Spain's civil law in the same period. This contrast reveals that in Florida (and other southern borderlands) it was not concern for women, or simply legal precedent, but the desire to incorporate new territory and expand slavery that influenced the development of marital property law. This challenges previous histories, which have excluded the earlier acts in the Southern borderlands and emphasized those passed in the Northeast beginning in the late 1840s. While those later acts were influenced by the early woman's rights movement and by concern for families reduced to poverty during the rise of market capitalism, this case study indicates that expansion of United States territory and slavery were responsible for the earlier married women's property rights in southern borderland territories such as Florida.

Hydrology and Alkalinity Regulation of Soft Florida Waters: An Integrated Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Stauffer, Robert E.; Canfield, Daniel E., Jr.

1992-06-01

Natural waters in ridge provinces of Florida and southeast Georgia were classified geographically, by degrees of cultural disturbance, and according to the dominant hydrologic and biogeochemical processes controlling chemistry. The ionic composition of lakes, upland streams, and surficial aquifer (water table) springs in relatively undeveloped catchments reflects the geographic variations in bulk deposition corrected for evapotranspiration (Na, Cl), plus a slight gain (net watershed mobilization) of Mg, and partial to nearly complete losses (net retention) of nitrate, sulfate, Ca, and K. Recharge to the Floridan aquifer in infertile, forested, sandy ridge provinces of northern Florida contains 360-580 μmol CO2. On the basis of indirect geochemical evidence, sulfate retention appears less important in lake sediments than in the region's highly weathered, ferruginous, kaolinitic, sand soils. Silica concentrations in upland streams and water table springs closely reflect the predicted equilibrium between kaolinite and gibbsite. Along with other evidence, the Si concentrations in ridge lakes indicate that seepage inflow is much more important than assumed in Baker et al.'s (1988) regional model. Lakes and streams are acidified either by humic acids or nonmarine sulfate but rarely by both, as reflected by the significant inverse correlation between these two components. Contrary to previous reports, there is no significant difference in alkalinity for culturally undisturbed lakes in the northern Trail versus southern Highlands Ridge areas.

Revision of the Euagathis species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae) from China and northern Vietnam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Achterberg, van C.; Chen, X.

2002-01-01

The species of the genus Euagathis Szépligeti, 1900 (including Balcemena Cameron, 1903; Braconidae: Agathidinae) from China and northern Vietnam are revised and keyed. Twelve species are recognised, of which six are new: Euagathis argentosa spec. nov. and E. gracilitarsis spec. nov. from Yunnan

Twelve Girls＇ Band＇ A Modern Miracle of Traditional Music

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YaoZhanxiong

2004-01-01

Twelve antique traditional instruments. Twelve spirited, pretty girls. "Twelve Girls' Band" is a traditional instrument orchestra playing well-known folk music in the form of pop. Besides age-old traditional instruments peculiar to China, such as zheng (ancient 21 to 25-stringed plucked instrument), qin (seven-stringed plucked instrument) and erhu (two-stringed Chinese fiddle),

High Resolution Forecasts in the Florida Straits: Predicting the Modulations of the Florida Current and Connectivity Around South Florida and Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Kourafalou, V.; Kang, H.; Perlin, N.; Le Henaff, M.; Lamkin, J. T.

2016-02-01

Connectivity around the South Florida coastal regions and between South Florida and Cuba are largely influenced by a) local coastal processes and b) circulation in the Florida Straits, which is controlled by the larger scale Florida Current variability. Prediction of the physical connectivity is a necessary component for several activities that require ocean forecasts, such as oil spills, fisheries research, search and rescue. This requires a predictive system that can accommodate the intense coastal to offshore interactions and the linkages to the complex regional circulation. The Florida Straits, South Florida and Florida Keys Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model is such a regional ocean predictive system, covering a large area over the Florida Straits and the adjacent land areas, representing both coastal and oceanic processes. The real-time ocean forecast system is high resolution ( 900m), embedded in larger scale predictive models. It includes detailed coastal bathymetry, high resolution/high frequency atmospheric forcing and provides 7-day forecasts, updated daily (see: http://coastalmodeling.rsmas.miami.edu/). The unprecedented high resolution and coastal details of this system provide value added on global forecasts through downscaling and allow a variety of applications. Examples will be presented, focusing on the period of a 2015 fisheries cruise around the coastal areas of Cuba, where model predictions helped guide the measurements on biophysical connectivity, under intense variability of the mesoscale eddy field and subsequent Florida Current meandering.

Major hydrologic shifts in northwest Florida during the Holocene from a lacustrine sediment record

Science.gov (United States)

Rodysill, J. R.; Donnelly, J. P.

2011-12-01

Recent climate extremes have threatened water resource availability and destroyed homes and infrastructure along the heavily populated northern Gulf of Mexico coast. Water resources in Northwest Florida, in particular, suffer from declining aquifer levels and salt water intrusion despite the presence of extensive river and aquifer systems. Intensive water resource management has been necessary to meet water supply demands during recent droughts. Advanced preparedness for abrupt climate events requires the ability to anticipate when hydrologic extremes are likely to occur; however, the long-term history of hydrologic extremes is not well known, and the instrumental record is too short to resolve longer-term hydrologic variability. Reconstructing the pre-instrumental hydrologic history is essential to building our understanding of the timing of and the driving forces behind wet and dry extremes. Here we present a new record of paleohydrology in northwest Florida based upon variations in sediment lithology and geochemistry from Rattlesnake Lake. We see evidence for both brief and long-lived changes in the lake environment during the Holocene. We compare our record to published pollen-based reconstructions of paleohydrology to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of paleohydrologic extremes across the northern Gulf of Mexico region during the Holocene.

Florida sinkhole index

OpenAIRE

Spencer, Steven; Lane, Ed.

1995-01-01

The following data were compiled from the Florida Sinkhole Research Institute data base. That database, which contains approximately 1900 sinkholes, is available from the Florida Geological Survey upon request. The data are arranged alphabetically by county. The first two digits of the identification number represents the county. These numbers correspond to the Florida Department of Transportation county numbering system. Following the county number are three numbers which represe...

The twelve colourful stones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doria, R.M.

1983-01-01

A dynamics with twelve colourful stones is created based on the concepts of gauge and colour. It is associated different gauge fields to the same group. A group of gauge invariant Lagrangians is established. A gauge invariant mass term is introduced. The colourful stones physical insight is to be building blocks for quarks and leptons. (Author) [pt

Do tropical cyclones shape shorebird habitat patterns? Biogeoclimatology of snowy plovers in Florida.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matteo Convertino

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The Gulf coastal ecosystems in Florida are foci of the highest species richness of imperiled shoreline dependent birds in the USA. However environmental processes that affect their macroecological patterns, like occupancy and abundance, are not well unraveled. In Florida the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus is resident along northern and western white sandy estuarine/ocean beaches and is considered a state-threatened species. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we show that favorable nesting areas along the Florida Gulf coastline are located in regions impacted relatively more frequently by tropical cyclones. The odds of Snowy Plover nesting in these areas during the spring following a tropical cyclone impact are seven times higher compared to the odds during the spring following a season without a cyclone. The only intensity of a tropical cyclone does not appear to be a significant factor affecting breeding populations. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Nevertheless a future climate scenario featuring fewer, but more extreme cyclones could result in a decrease in the breeding Snowy Plover population and its breeding range. This is because the spatio-temporal frequency of cyclone events was found to significantly affect nest abundance. Due to the similar geographic range and habitat suitability, and no decrease in nest abundance of other shorebirds in Florida after the cyclone season, our results suggest a common bioclimatic feedback between shorebird abundance and tropical cyclones in breeding areas which are affected by cyclones.

Record length, mass, and clutch size in the nonindigenous Burmese Python, Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820 (Squamata: Pythonidae), in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Krysko, Kenneth L.; Hart, Kristen M.; Smith, Brian J.; Selby, Thomas H.; Cherkiss, Michael S.; Coutu, Nicholas T.; Reichart, Rebecca M.; Nuñez, Leroy P.; Mazzotti, Frank J.; Snow, Ray W.

2012-01-01

The Burmese Python, Python bivittatus Kuhl 1820 (Squamata: Pythonidae), is indigenous to northern India,east to southern China, and south to Vietnam and a few islands in Indonesia (Barker and Barker 2008, Reed and Rodda 2009). This species has been introduced since at least 1979 in southern Florida, USA, where it likely began reproducing and became established during the 1980s (Meshaka et al. 2000, Snowet al. 2007b,Kraus 2009, Krysko et al. 2011, Willson et al. 2011). Python bivittatus has been documented in Florida consuming a variety of mammals and birds, and the American Alligator(Alligator mississippiensis) (Snowet al. 2007a, 2007b; Harvey et al. 2008; Rochford et al. 2010b; Holbrook and Chesnes 2011), many of which are protected species. Herein, we provide details on two of the largest known wild P. bivittatus in Florida to date, including current records on length,mass,clutch size, and diet.

Comparative study on preliminary breakdown pulse trains observed in Johor, Malaysia and Florida, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Baharudin, Z. A.; Ahmad, Noor Azlinda; Fernando, M.; Cooray, V.; Mäkelä, J. S.

2012-11-01

In this paper, the preliminary breakdown (PB) pulse train preceding the negative first return stroke (RS) is recorded using a broad band antenna system. These analyses were carried out in Johor Bahru, Malaysia and Florida, United States. This is a novel initiative at examining and identifying the characteristics of the PB pulse trains in the negative cloud-to-ground flashes observed in Malaysia. The arithmetic mean of the total pulse train duration is 12.3 ms and the weighted arithmetic mean of the pulse durations and interpulse intervals are 11 μs and 152 μs, respectively. The arithmetic mean ratio between the maximum peak amplitude of the PB pulse and the peak RS electric field was 27.8%, and the corresponding value in Florida was 29.4%. The arithmetic mean of the time duration between the most active part of the pulse train, and the RS was 57.6 ms in Malaysia and 22 ms in Florida. A qualitative comparison of our results with those obtained earlier in Sri Lanka, Sweden and Finland supports the hypothesis that the PBP/RS ratio is higher in the northern regions compared to the tropical regions.

Dissolved organic matter in the Florida everglades: Implications for ecosystem restoration

Science.gov (United States)

Aiken, G.R.; Gilmour, C.C.; Krabbenhoft, D.P.; Orem, W.

2011-01-01

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Florida Everglades controls a number of environmental processes important for ecosystem function including the absorption of light, mineral dissolution/precipitation, transport of hydrophobic compounds (e.g., pesticides), and the transport and reactivity of metals, such as mercury. Proposed attempts to return the Everglades to more natural flow conditions will result in changes to the present transport of DOM from the Everglades Agricultural Area and the northern conservation areas to Florida Bay. In part, the restoration plan calls for increasing water flow throughout the Everglades by removing some of the manmade barriers to flow in place today. The land- and water-use practices associated with the plan will likely result in changes in the quality, quantity, and reactivity of DOM throughout the greater Everglades ecosystem. The authors discuss the factors controlling DOM concentrations and chemistry, present distribution of DOM throughout the Everglades, the potential effects of DOM on key water-quality issues, and the potential utility of dissolved organic matter as an indicator of success of restoration efforts. Copyright ?? 2011 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

78 FR 43881 - Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Site, Davie, Broward County, Florida; Notice of Settlement

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-22

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL9836-2; CERCLA-04-2013-3758] Florida Petroleum Reprocessors... entered into a settlement with Jap. Tech, Inc. concerning the Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Site located.... Painter. Submit your comments by Site name Florida Petroleum Reprocesssors Site by one of the following...

Florida Energy Assurance Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Niescja E.; Murtagh, William; Guthrie, Kevin; Nykyri, Katariina; Radasky, William A.; Senkowicz, Eric

2012-08-01

This spring, Florida held the nation's first statewide emergency preparedness training and exercises geared specifically to the aftermath of severe geomagnetic events. Funded by the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) via a Department of Energy grant and held in collaboration with Watch House International, Inquesta Corporation, and the Florida Institute of Technology, the 17-19 April 2012 workshop had 99 on-site attendees in an oceanfront hotel in Melbourne, Florida, as well as 16 over live Web streaming. The workshop was the capstone to a three-month season of 21 regional space weather training sessions and workshops serving 386 attendees in total.

Florida Hydrogen Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Block, David L

2013-06-30

The Florida Hydrogen Initiative (FHI) was a research, development and demonstration hydrogen and fuel cell program. The FHI program objectives were to develop Florida?s hydrogen and fuel cell infrastructure and to assist DOE in its hydrogen and fuel cell activities The FHI program funded 12 RD&D projects as follows: Hydrogen Refueling Infrastructure and Rental Car Strategies -- L. Lines, Rollins College This project analyzes strategies for Florida's early stage adaptation of hydrogen-powered public transportation. In particular, the report investigates urban and statewide network of refueling stations and the feasibility of establishing a hydrogen rental-car fleet based in Orlando. Methanol Fuel Cell Vehicle Charging Station at Florida Atlantic University ? M. Fuchs, EnerFuel, Inc. The project objectives were to design, and demonstrate a 10 kWnet proton exchange membrane fuel cell stationary power plant operating on methanol, to achieve an electrical energy efficiency of 32% and to demonstrate transient response time of less than 3 milliseconds. Assessment of Public Understanding of the Hydrogen Economy Through Science Center Exhibits, J. Newman, Orlando Science Center The project objective was to design and build an interactive Science Center exhibit called: ?H2Now: the Great Hydrogen Xchange?. On-site Reformation of Diesel Fuel for Hydrogen Fueling Station Applications ? A. Raissi, Florida Solar Energy Center This project developed an on-demand forecourt hydrogen production technology by catalytically converting high-sulfur hydrocarbon fuels to an essentially sulfur-free gas. The removal of sulfur from reformate is critical since most catalysts used for the steam reformation have limited sulfur tolerance. Chemochromic Hydrogen Leak Detectors for Safety Monitoring ? N. Mohajeri and N. Muradov, Florida Solar Energy Center This project developed and demonstrated a cost-effective and highly selective chemochromic (visual) hydrogen leak detector for safety

The twelve colourful stones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doria, R.M.

1984-01-01

The gauge symmetry is extended. It is associated differents matter and gauge fields to the same group. A group of gauge invariant Lagrangians is established. A gauge invariant mass term is introduced. A massive Yang Mills is obtained. A dynamics with twelve colourful stones is created based on the concepts of gauge and colour. Structures identified as quarks and leptons are generated. A discussion about colour meaning is presented. (Author) [pt

'Florida Beauty' strawberry

Science.gov (United States)

‘Florida Beauty’ strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) originated from a 2012 cross made by the Queensland breeding program between Queensland Australia selection 2010-119 (female parent) and ‘Florida Radiance’ (male parent). Selection 2010-119 was chosen as a parent for its excellent fruit shape and fl...

Mythematics Solving the Twelve Labors of Hercules

CERN Document Server

Huber, Michael

2009-01-01

How might Hercules, the most famous of the Greek heroes, have used mathematics to complete his astonishing Twelve Labors? From conquering the Nemean Lion and cleaning out the Augean Stables, to capturing the Erymanthean Boar and entering the Underworld to defeat the three-headed dog Cerberus, Hercules and his legend are the inspiration for this book of fun and original math puzzles. While Hercules relied on superhuman strength to accomplish the Twelve Labors, Mythematics shows how math could have helped during his quest. How does Hercules defeat the Lernean Hydra and stop its heads from multip

Ground-dwelling arthropod association with coarse woody debris following long-term dormant season prescribed burning in the longleaf pine flatwoods of north Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

J.L. Hanula; D.D. Wade; J. O' Brien; S.C. Loeb

2009-01-01

A 5·year study of long· term (40 years) study plots was conducted on the Osceola National·Forest in northern Florida to determine how dormant-season fire frequency (annual, biennial,quadrennial, or unburned) affects ground-dwelling macroarthropod use of coarsewoody debris in longleaf pine (Pinus...

Human sexuality education in the middle grades classroom: A review of curricula in a sample of Florida school districts

Science.gov (United States)

Myrick, Melinda D.

2007-12-01

This study examined the extent to which human sexuality topics are covered in Florida middle school science classrooms and the process by which curricular decisions are made regarding human sexuality education on a county-wide basis. Primary data included interviews with county-level administrators who oversee curricular decisions related to the middle-grades science curriculum or health curriculum in twelve school districts within the state. These districts represented four geographic locations and districts of various sizes. Administrators from four of the twelve studies in the sample chose to provide information regarding their human sexuality education curriculum. In two cases, teacher leads were identified and were interviewed to understand the implementation of the curriculum within the classroom. Additional data were collected from the district curriculum guides for human sexuality education and the adopted middle-grades science textbook for each county. The interview and documentary data were analyzed by comparison to established criteria for a comprehensive human sexuality education curriculum. The analysis revealed that the scope of human sexuality education varied considerably within the sample and that much of the curricula in place failed to include topics and activities that have been identified as important in a successful human sexuality education program. These findings are limited because few counties chose to fully participate. Additional research is clearly needed to examine the effectiveness of existing human sexuality education curricula in Florida. In addition, research is needed to understand the characteristics, values, and beliefs of successful human sexuality education instructors across the state.

Hydrology and Ecology of Freshwater Wetlands in Central Florida - A Primer

Science.gov (United States)

Haag, Kim H.; Lee, Terrie M.

2010-01-01

Freshwater wetlands are an integral part of central Florida, where thousands are distributed across the landscape. However, their relatively small size and vast numbers challenge efforts to characterize them collectively as a statewide water resource. Wetlands are a dominant landscape feature in Florida; in 1996, an estimated 11.4 million acres of wetlands occupied 29 percent of the area of the State. Wetlands represent a greater percentage of the land surface in Florida than in any other state in the conterminous United States. Statewide, 90 percent of the total wetland area is freshwater wetlands and 10 percent is coastal wetlands. About 55 percent of the freshwater wetlands in Florida are forested, 25 percent are marshes and emergent wetlands, 18 percent are scrub-shrub wetlands, and the remaining 2 percent are freshwater ponds. Freshwater wetlands are distributed differently in central Florida than in other parts of the State. In the panhandle and in northern Florida, there are fewer isolated wetlands than in the central and southern parts of the State, and few of those wetlands are affected by activities such as groundwater withdrawals. In southern Florida, the vast wetlands of the Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp blanket the landscape and form contiguous shallow expanses of water, which often exhibit slow but continuous flow toward the southwestern coast. In contrast, the wetlands of central Florida are relatively small, numerous, mostly isolated, and widely distributed. In many places, wetlands are flanked by uplands, generating a mosaic of contrasting environments-unique wildlife habitat often adjacent to dense human development. As the population of central Florida increases, the number of residents living near wetlands also increases. Living in close proximity to wetlands provides many Floridians with an increased awareness of nature and an opportunity to examine the relationship between people and wetlands. Specifically, these residents can observe

Estimating Belowground Carbon Stocks in Isolated Wetlands of the Northern Everglades Watershed, Central Florida, Using Ground Penetrating Radar and Aerial Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

McClellan, Matthew; Comas, Xavier; Benscoter, Brian; Hinkle, Ross; Sumner, David

2017-11-01

Peat soils store a large fraction of the global soil carbon (C) pool and comprise 95% of wetland C stocks. While isolated freshwater wetlands in temperate and tropical biomes account for more than 20% of the global peatland C stock, most studies of wetland soil C have occurred in expansive peatlands in northern boreal and subarctic biomes. Furthermore, the contribution of small depressional wetlands in comparison to larger wetland systems in these environments is very uncertain. Given the fact that these wetlands are numerous and variable in terms of their internal geometry, innovative methods are needed for properly estimating belowground C stocks and their overall C contribution to the landscape. In this study, we use a combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR), aerial imagery, and direct measurements (coring) in conjunction with C core analysis to develop a relation between C stock and surface area, and estimate the contribution of subtropical depressional wetlands to the total C stock of pine flatwoods at the Disney Wilderness Preserve (DWP), Florida. Additionally, GPR surveys were able to image collapse structures underneath the peat basin of depressional wetlands, depicting lithological controls on the formation of depressional wetlands at the DWP. Results indicate the importance of depressional wetlands as critical contributors to the landscape C budget at the DWP and the potential of GPR-based approaches for (1) rapidly and noninvasively estimating the contribution of depressional wetlands to regional C stocks and (2) evaluating the formational processes of depressional wetlands.

Final report on the University of Florida U.S. Department of Energy 1995--96 Reactor Sharing Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernetson, W.G.

1996-11-01

Grant support has been well used by the University of Florida as host institution to support various educational institutions in the use of the reactor and associated facilities as indicated in the proposal. These various educational institutions are located primarily within Florida. However, when the 600-mile distance from Pensacola to Miami is considered, it is obvious that this Grant provides access to reactor utilization for a broad geographical region and a diverse set of user institutions serving over twelve million inhabitants throughout the State of Florida and still others throughout the nation. All users and uses were carefully screened to assure the usage was for educational institutions eligible for participation in the Reactor Sharing Program; where research activities were involved, care was taken to assure the research activities were not funded by grants for contract funding from outside sources. In some cases external grant funding is limited or is used up, in which case the Reactor Sharing Grant and frequent cost sharing by the UFTR facility and the University of Florida provide the necessary support to complete a project or to provide more results to make a complete project even better. In some cases this latter usage has aided renewal of external funding. The role of the Reactor Sharing Program, though relatively small in dollars, has been the single most important occurrence in assuring the rebirth and continued high utilization of the UFTR in a time when many better equipped and better placed facilities have ceased operations. Through dedicated and effective advertising efforts, the UFTR has seen nearly every four-year college and university in Florida make substantive use of the facility under the Reactor Sharing Program with many now regular users. Some have even been able to support usage from outside grants where the Reactor Sharing Grant has served as seed money; still others have been assisted when external grants were depleted

Estimating belowground carbon stocks in isolated wetlands of the Northern Everglades Watershed, central Florida, using ground penetrating radar (GPR) and aerial imagery

Science.gov (United States)

McClellan, Matthew; Comas, Xavier; Hinkle, Ross; Sumner, David M.

2017-01-01

Peat soils store a large fraction of the global soil carbon (C) pool and comprise 95% of wetland C stocks. While isolated freshwater wetlands in temperate and tropical biomes account for more than 20% of the global peatland C stock, most studies of wetland soil C have occurred in expansive peatlands in northern boreal and subarctic biomes. Furthermore, the contribution of small depressional wetlands in comparison to larger wetland systems in these environments is very uncertain. Given the fact that these wetlands are numerous and variable in terms of their internal geometry, innovative methods are needed for properly estimating belowground C stocks and their overall C contribution to the landscape. In this study, we use a combination of ground penetrating radar (GPR), aerial imagery, and direct measurements (coring) in conjunction with C core analysis to develop a relation between C stock and surface area, and estimate the contribution of subtropical depressional wetlands to the total C stock of pine flatwoods at the Disney Wilderness Preserve (DWP), Florida. Additionally, GPR surveys were able to image collapse structures underneath the peat basin of depressional wetlands, depicting lithological controls on the formation of depressional wetlands at the DWP. Results indicate the importance of depressional wetlands as critical contributors to the landscape C budget at the DWP and the potential of GPR-based approaches for (1) rapidly and noninvasively estimating the contribution of depressional wetlands to regional C stocks and (2) evaluating the formational processes of depressional wetlands.

Assessing the invasive potential of biofuel species proposed for Florida and the United States using the Australian Weed Risk Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gordon, D.R. [The Nature Conservancy, PO Box 118526, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Department of Biology, PO Box 118526, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Tancig, K.J. [PO Box 116455, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States); Onderdonk, D.A.; Gantz, C.A. [Department of Biology, PO Box 118526, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611 (United States)

2011-01-15

Twelve taxa under exploration as bioenergy crops in Florida and the U.S. were evaluated for potential invasiveness using the Australian Weed Risk Assessment system (WRA) modified for separate assessment at the state and national scales. When tested across a range of geographies, this system correctly identifies invaders 90%, and non-invaders 70% of the time, on average. Predictions for Florida were the same as for the U.S. Arundo donax, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus grandis, Jatropha curcas, Leucaena leucocephala, Pennisetum purpureum, and Ricinus communis were found to have a high probability of becoming invasive, while Miscanthus x giganteus, Saccharum arundinaceum, Saccharum officinarum, and the sweet variety of Sorghum bicolor have a low probability of becoming invasive. Eucalyptus amplifolia requires further evaluation before a prediction is possible. These results are consistent with reports on other tests of these taxa. Given the economic and ecological impacts of invasive species, including the carbon expended for mechanical and chemical control efforts, cultivation of taxa likely to become invasive should be avoided. (author)

Untangling Trends and Drivers of Changing River Discharge Along Florida's Gulf Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Glodzik, K.; Kaplan, D. A.; Klarenberg, G.

2017-12-01

Along the relatively undeveloped Big Bend coastline of Florida, discharge in many rivers and springs is decreasing. The causes are unclear, though they likely include a combination of groundwater extraction for water supply, climate variability, and altered land use. Saltwater intrusion from altered freshwater influence and sea level rise is causing transformative ecosystem impacts along this flat coastline, including coastal forest die-off and oyster reef collapse. A key uncertainty for understanding river discharge change is predicting discharge from rainfall, since Florida's karstic bedrock stores large amounts of groundwater, which has a long residence time. This study uses Dynamic Factor Analysis (DFA), a multivariate data reduction technique for time series, to find common trends in flow and reveal hydrologic variables affecting flow in eight Big Bend rivers since 1965. The DFA uses annual river flows as response time series, and climate data (annual rainfall and evapotranspiration by watershed) and climatic indices (El Niño Southern Oscillation [ENSO] Index and North Atlantic Oscillation [NAO] Index) as candidate explanatory variables. Significant explanatory variables (one evapotranspiration and three rainfall time series) explained roughly 50% of discharge variation across rivers. Significant trends (representing unexplained variation) were shared among rivers, with geographical grouping of five northern rivers and three southern rivers, along with a strong downward trend affecting six out of eight systems. ENSO and NAO had no significant impact. Advancing knowledge of these dynamics is necessary for forecasting how altered rainfall and temperatures from climate change may impact flows. Improved forecasting is especially important given Florida's reliance on groundwater extraction to support its growing population.

Woodville Karst Plain, North Florida

OpenAIRE

2006-01-01

Map showing the largest mapped underwater cave systems and conduit flow paths confirmed by tracer testing relative to surface streams, sinkholes and potentiometric surface of the Florida aquifer in the Woodville Karst Plain, Florida

Florida Bay: A history of recent ecological changes

Science.gov (United States)

Fourqurean, J.W.; Robblee, M.B.

1999-01-01

Florida Bay is a unique subtropical estuary at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. Recent ecological changes (seagrass die-off, algal blooms, increased turbidity) to the Florida Bay ecosystem have focused the attention of the public, commercial interests, scientists, and resource managers on the factors influencing the structure and function of Florida Bay. Restoring Florida Bay to some historic condition is the goal of resource managers, but what is not clear is what an anthropogenically-unaltered Florida Bay would look like. While there is general consensus that human activities have contributed to the changes occurring in the Florida Bay ecosystem, a high degree of natural system variability has made elucidation of the links between human activity and Florida Bay dynamics difficult. Paleoecological analyses, examination of long-term datasets, and directed measurements of aspects of the ecology of Florida Bay all contribute to our understanding of the behavior of the bay, and allow quantification of the magnitude of the recent ecological changes with respect to historical variability of the system.

University of Florida Advanced Technologies Campus Testbed

Science.gov (United States)

2017-09-21

The University of Florida (UF) and its Transportation Institute (UFTI), the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the City of Gainesville (CoG) are cooperating to develop a smart transportation testbed on the University of Florida (UF) main...

Ecological characterization of the lower Everglades, Florida Bay, and the Florida Keys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schomer, N.S.; Drew, R.D.

1982-09-01

A conceptual model of the study area identifies four major ecological zones: (1) terrestrial and freshwater wetlands, (2) estuarine and saltwater wetlands, (3) Florida Bay and mangrove islands, and (4) the Florida Keys. These zones are delineated by differences in basic physical-chemical background factors which in turn promote characteristic ecological communities. The terrestrial and freshwater wetlands support pinelands, sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, sloughs and occasional tree islands. The estuarine and saltwater wetlands support mangrove forests, salt marshes and oscillating salinity systems. Florida Bay exhibits oscillating meso- to hypersaline waters over grassbeds on marine lime mud sediments surrounding deeper lake areas. The exposed tips of the mud banks frequently support mangrove or salt prairie vegetation. The Florida Keys support almost all of the above communities to some small degree but are characterized by extensive offshore coral reefs. The productivity of these communities with regard to fish and wildlife reflects (1) the diversity and type of habitats available to species that are potentially capable of exploiting them, (2) the degree of alteration of these habitats by man and natural forces, and (3) historical, biogeographic and random factors that restrict organisms to specific environments or prohibit them from exploiting a potential habitat.

Occurrence of Pasteuria spp. in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Hewlett, T. E.; Cox, R.; Dickson, D. W.; Dunn, R. A.

1994-01-01

Two years of data collected from the Florida Nematode Assay Laboratory of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service and 4 years of data from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, were compiled to find out the distribution of Pasteuria spp. on nematodes in Florida soils. Information recorded came from 335 samples and included nematode genera with Pasteuria endospores attached, host plants associated with the samples, and the origins of the samples. Pasteuria spp. were detected on 14 different plant-parasitic nematode genera in 41 Florida counties and associated with over 39 different plant species and in seven fallow fields. Pasteuria-infected nematodes were associated with a wide range of plant hosts, although frequency of associations with these hosts reflected the sample bias of the laboratories involved. Meloidogyne and Hoplolaimus spp. were the two nematode genera most frequently associated with Pasteuria. Pasteuria spp. were observed attached to members of these two genera in 176 and 59 soil samples, respectively. PMID:19279936

Florida Sinkholes and Grout Injection Stabilization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charles Hunt Griffith II

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Florida has a major problem when it comes to sinkholes. These sinkholes can become very hazardous to people, homes, and to the landscape as a whole. Florida sits on a carbonate platform which is highly indicative of sinkholes. There are three main types of sinkholes which occur in Florida: dissolution, cover subsidence, and cover collapse. I will compare these types of sinkholes to the underlying formation beneath Florida to see if there is a connection between the types of sinkholes that occur. I will also create a 3D model of grout injection stabilization and calculate its volume to compare to the actual volume placed under the house. This information will help inform and bring attention to the problem in Florida and in turn, may help alleviate the problem if we can understand what causes these sinkholes. The 3D model may help engineering companies become more efficient in predicting the projected amount of volume to stabilize a house that may be in danger.

Hydrology of Southeast Florida and Associated Topics.

Science.gov (United States)

Monsour, William, Comp.; Moyer, Maureen, Comp.

This booklet deals with the hydrology of southeastern Florida. It is designed to provide the citizen, teacher, or student with hydrological information, to promote an understanding of water resources, and to initiate conservation practices within Florida communities. The collection of articles within the booklet deal with Florida water resources…

Effect of winter cover crops on nematode population levels in north Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, K-H; McSorley, R; Gallaher, R N

2004-12-01

Two experiments were conducted in north-central Florida to examine the effects of various winter cover crops on plant-parasitic nematode populations through time. In the first experiment, six winter cover crops were rotated with summer corn (Zea mays), arranged in a randomized complete block design. The cover crops evaluated were wheat (Triticum aestivum), rye (Secale cereale), oat (Avena sativa), lupine (Lupinus angustifolius), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa), and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum). At the end of the corn crop in year 1, population densities of Meloidogyne incognita were lowest on corn following rye or oat (P rye or lupine was planted into field plots with histories of five tropical cover crops: soybean (Glycine max), cowpea (Vigna unguiculata), sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor x S. sudanense), sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), and corn. Population densities of M. incognita and Helicotylenchus dihystera were affected by previous tropical cover crops (P cover crops present at the time of sampling. Plots planted to sunn hemp in the fall maintained the lowest M. incognita and H. dihystera numbers. Results suggest that winter cover crops tested did not suppress plant-parasitic nematodes effectively. Planting tropical cover crops such as sunn hemp after corn in a triple-cropping system with winter cover crops may provide more versatile nematode management strategies in northern Florida.

The Dynamics of Cuba Anticyclones (CubANs) and Interaction With the Loop Current/Florida Current System

Science.gov (United States)

Kourafalou, Vassiliki; Androulidakis, Yannis; Le Hénaff, Matthieu; Kang, HeeSook

2017-10-01

Mesoscale anticyclonic eddies along the northern Cuban coast (CubANs) have been identified in the Straits of Florida, associated with the northward shift of the Florida Current (FC) and the anticyclonic curvature of the Loop Current (LC) at the western entrance of the Straits. The dynamics of CubAN eddies and their interaction with the LC/FC system are described for the first time using satellite, drifter and buoy data, and a high-resolution model. It is shown that the evolution of CubANs to the south of the FC front complements the evolution of cyclonic eddies to the north of the FC, advancing previous studies on synergy between FC meandering and eddy activity. Two types of CubAN eddies are characterized: (a) a main anticyclonic cell (type "A") within the core of the LC during retracted phase conditions, associated with the process of LC Eddy (LCE) shedding from an extended LC, and (b) an individual, distinct anticyclonic eddy that is released from the main LC core and is advected eastward, along the northern Cuban coast (type "B"). There are also mixed cases, when the process of LCE shedding has started, so a type "A" CubAN is being formed, in the presence of one or more eastward progressing type "B" eddies. CubAN evolution is associated with an increased mixed layer and weaker stratification of the upper ocean along the eddy's track. The cyclonic activity along the Cuban coast and wind-induced upwelling events also contribute to the evolution and fate of the CubAN eddies.

Water Use in Florida, 2005 and Trends 1950-2005

Science.gov (United States)

Marella, Richard L.

2008-01-01

Water is among Florida's most valued resources. The State has more than 1,700 streams and rivers, 7,800 freshwater lakes, 700 springs, 11 million acres of wetlands, and underlying aquifers yielding quantities of freshwater necessary for both human and environmental needs (Fernald and Purdum, 1998). Although renewable, these water resources are finite, and continued growth in population, tourism, and agriculture will place increased demands on these water supplies. The permanent population of Florida in 2005 totaled 17.9 million, ranking fourth in the Nation (University of Florida, 2006); nearly 86 million tourists visited the State (Orlando Business Journal, 2006). In 2005, Florida harvested two-thirds of the total citrus production in the United States and ranked fifth in the Nation net farm income (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2006). Freshwater is vital for sustaining Florida's population, economy, and agricultural production. Accurate estimates reflecting water use and trends in Florida are compiled in 5-year intervals by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) and the Northwest Florida, St. Johns River, South Florida, Southwest Florida, and Suwannee River Water Management Districts (Marella, 2004). This coordinated effort provides the necessary data and information for planning future water needs and resource management. The purpose of this fact sheet is to present the highlights of water use in Florida for 2005 along with some significant trends in withdrawals since 1950.

High relative frequency of thyroid papillary carcinoma in northern Portugal.

Science.gov (United States)

Sambade, M C; Gonçalves, V S; Dias, M; Sobrinho-Simões, M A

1983-05-01

Two hundred and twelve papillary and 40 follicular carcinomas were found in 3002 thyroid glands examined from 1931 to 1975 in four Laboratories of Pathology that fairly cover northern Portugal. There was a striking preponderance of women both in papillary (female:male = 6.9:1) and follicular carcinoma (5.7:1). Sex-specific frequency of malignancy was significantly greater in men (13.3%) than in women (8.8%). The overall papillary/follicular ratio was 5.3:1 and did not significantly change throughout the study period. Papillary/follicular ratio was not significantly greater in litoral (5.5:1) than in regions with a low iodine intake and a relatively high prevalence of goiter (3.5:1). It is advanced that this high relative frequency of papillary carcinoma in northern Portugal, even in goiter areas, may reflect the existence of a racial factor since there is not enough evidence to support the influence of dietary iodine, previous irradiation and concurrent thyroiditis.

Ten colour photometry of twelve Ap-stars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Musielok, B.; Lange, D.; Schoeneich, W.; Hildebrandt, G.; Zelwanowa, E.; Hempelmann, A.; Salmanov, G.

1980-01-01

Ten-colour photoelectric observations are presented for twelve Ap-stars. Improved ephemeris for seven of them is given. Phase relations between the light curves and line intensity variations are discussed. The problem of the electromagnetic flux conctancy of IOTA Cas is approached from a qualitative point of view. (author)

Satellite-Observed Black Water Events off Southwest Florida: Implications for Coral Reef Health in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Jun; Hu, Chuanmin; Lapointe, Brian; Melo, Nelson; Johns, Elizabeth; Smith, Ryan

2013-01-01

A “black water” event, as observed from satellites, occurred off southwest Florida in 2012. Satellite observations suggested that the event started in early January and ended in mid-April 2012. The black water patch formed off central west Florida and advected southward towards Florida Bay and the Florida Keys with the shelf circulation, which was confirmed by satellite-tracked surface drifter trajectories. Compared with a previous black water event in 2002, the 2012 event was weaker in terms...

78 FR 43197 - Duke Energy Florida, Inc.; Florida Power & Light Company; Tampa Electric Company; Orlando...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-19

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [ER13-1922-000; ER13-1929-000; ER13-1932-000; NJ13-11-000] Duke Energy Florida, Inc.; Florida Power & Light Company; Tampa Electric Company; Orlando Utilities Commission; Notice of Compliance Filings Take notice that on July 10, 2013, Duke Energy...

Aliphatic hydrocarbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon geochemistry of twelve major rivers in the Northwest Territories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Backus, S.; Swyripa, M.; Peddle, J.; Jeffries, D.S.

1995-01-01

Suspended sediment and water samples collected from twelve major rivers in the Northwest Territories were analyzed for aliphatic hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to assess the sources and transport of hydrocarbons entering the Arctic Ocean. Three stations on the Mackenzie River and one station near the mouth of eleven other northern rivers were selected for sampling. Samples were collected on the Mackenzie River on four occasions to characterize spring, summer and fall flow conditions and once on the remaining eleven rivers during high flow conditions. The Mackenzie River is distinctively different then the other eleven rivers. Naturally occurring hydrocarbons predominate in the river. These hydrocarbons include biogenic alkanes, diagenic PAHs, petrogenic alkanes, and PAHs from oil seeps and/or bitumens. Anthropogenic inputs of PAHs are low as indicated by low concentrations of combustion PAHs. Alkyl PAH distributions indicate that a significant component of the lower molecular weight PAH fraction is petrogenic. The majority of the high molecular weight PAHs, together with the petrogenic PAHs have a principal source in the Mackenzie River

78 FR 29364 - Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Florida Municipal Power Agency v. Duke Energy Florida...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-20

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL13-63-000] Seminole Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Florida Municipal Power Agency v. Duke Energy Florida, Inc.; Notice of... of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission), 18 CFR 385.206 and sections 206, 306, and...

Interactions between the invasive Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, and the local mosquito community in Florida, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Lawrence E; Krysko, Kenneth L; Avery, Michael L; Gillett-Kaufman, Jennifer L; Kawahara, Akito Y; Connelly, C Roxanne; Kaufman, Phillip E

2018-01-01

The Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, is a well-established invasive species in the greater Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida, USA. Most research on its ecological impacts focuses on its role as a predator and its trophic interactions with native vertebrate species, particularly mammals. Beyond predation, there is little known about the ecological interactions between P. bivittatus and native faunal communities. It is likely that established populations of P. bivittatus in southern Florida serve as hosts for native mosquito communities. To test this concept, we used mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcoding to determine the hosts of blood fed mosquitoes collected at a research facility in northern Florida where captive P. bivittatus and Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator merianae (Duméril and Bibron), are maintained in outdoor enclosures, accessible to local mosquitoes. We recovered python DNA from the blood meals of three species of Culex mosquitoes: Culex erraticus (Dyar and Knab), Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Culex pilosus (Dyar and Knab). Culex erraticus conclusively (P = 0.001; Fisher's Exact Test) took more blood meals from P. bivittatus than from any other available host. While the majority of mosquito blood meals in our sample were derived from P. bivittatus, only one was derived from S. merianae. These results demonstrate that local mosquitoes will feed on invasive P. bivittatus, a recently introduced host. If these interactions also occur in southern Florida, P. bivittatus may be involved in the transmission networks of mosquito-vectored pathogens. Our results also illustrate the potential of detecting the presence of P. bivittatus in the field through screening mosquito blood meals for their DNA.

Interactions between the invasive Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, and the local mosquito community in Florida, USA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lawrence E Reeves

Full Text Available The Burmese python, Python bivittatus Kuhl, is a well-established invasive species in the greater Everglades ecosystem of southern Florida, USA. Most research on its ecological impacts focuses on its role as a predator and its trophic interactions with native vertebrate species, particularly mammals. Beyond predation, there is little known about the ecological interactions between P. bivittatus and native faunal communities. It is likely that established populations of P. bivittatus in southern Florida serve as hosts for native mosquito communities. To test this concept, we used mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcoding to determine the hosts of blood fed mosquitoes collected at a research facility in northern Florida where captive P. bivittatus and Argentine black and white tegu, Salvator merianae (Duméril and Bibron, are maintained in outdoor enclosures, accessible to local mosquitoes. We recovered python DNA from the blood meals of three species of Culex mosquitoes: Culex erraticus (Dyar and Knab, Culex quinquefasciatus Say, and Culex pilosus (Dyar and Knab. Culex erraticus conclusively (P = 0.001; Fisher's Exact Test took more blood meals from P. bivittatus than from any other available host. While the majority of mosquito blood meals in our sample were derived from P. bivittatus, only one was derived from S. merianae. These results demonstrate that local mosquitoes will feed on invasive P. bivittatus, a recently introduced host. If these interactions also occur in southern Florida, P. bivittatus may be involved in the transmission networks of mosquito-vectored pathogens. Our results also illustrate the potential of detecting the presence of P. bivittatus in the field through screening mosquito blood meals for their DNA.

Dispersal capacity and genetic relatedness in Acropora cervicornis on the Florida Reef Tract

Science.gov (United States)

Drury, Crawford; Paris, Claire B.; Kourafalou, Vassiliki H.; Lirman, Diego

2018-06-01

Sexual reproduction in scleractinian corals is a critical component of species recovery, fostering population connectivity and enhancing genetic diveristy. The relative contribution of sexual reproduction to both connectivity and diversity in Acropora cervicornis may be variable due to this species' capacity to reproduce effectively by fragmentation. Using a biophysical model and genomic data in this threatened species, we construct potential connectivity pathways on the Florida Reef Tract (FRT) and compare them to inferred migration rates derived from next-generation sequencing, using a link and node-based approach. Larval connectivity on the FRT can be divided into two zones: the northern region, where most transport is unidirectional to the north with the Florida Current, and the southern region that is more dynamic and exhibits complex spatial patterns. These biophysical linkages are poorly correlated with genetic connectivity patterns, which resolve many reciprocal connections and suggest a less sparse network. These results are difficult to reconcile with genetic data which indicate that individual reefs are diverse, suggesting important contributions of sexual reproduction and recruitment. Larval connectivity models highlight potential resources for recovery, such as areas with high larval export like the Lower Keys, or areas that are well connected to most other regions on the FRT, such as the Dry Tortugas.

7 CFR 915.332 - Florida avocado maturity regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 8 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Florida avocado maturity regulation. 915.332 Section... SERVICE (Marketing Agreements and Orders; Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AVOCADOS GROWN IN SOUTH FLORIDA Container and Pack Regulations § 915.332 Florida avocado maturity regulation. (a...

Chemical Evolution of Groundwater Near a Sinkhole Lake, Northern Florida: 2. Chemical Patterns, Mass Transfer Modeling, and Rates of Mass Transfer Reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Brian G.; Plummer, L. Niel; Busenberg, Eurybiades; Revesz, Kinga M.; Jones, Blair F.; Lee, Terrie M.

1995-06-01

Chemical patterns along evolutionary groundwater flow paths in silicate and carbonate aquifers were interpreted using solute tracers, carbon and sulfur isotopes, and mass balance reaction modeling for a complex hydrologic system involving groundwater inflow to and outflow from a sinkhole lake in northern Florida. Rates of dominant reactions along defined flow paths were estimated from modeled mass transfer and ages obtained from CFC-modeled recharge dates. Groundwater upgradient from Lake Barco remains oxic as it moves downward, reacting with silicate minerals in a system open to carbon dioxide (CO2), producing only small increases in dissolved species. Beneath and downgradient of Lake Barco the oxic groundwater mixes with lake water leakage in a highly reducing, silicate-carbonate mineral environment. A mixing model, developed for anoxic groundwater downgradient from the lake, accounted for the observed chemical and isotopic composition by combining different proportions of lake water leakage and infiltrating meteoric water. The evolution of major ion chemistry and the 13C isotopic composition of dissolved carbon species in groundwater downgradient from the lake can be explained by the aerobic oxidation of organic matter in the lake, anaerobic microbial oxidation of organic carbon, and incongruent dissolution of smectite minerals to kaolinite. The dominant process for the generation of methane was by the CO2 reduction pathway based on the isotopic composition of hydrogen (δ2H(CH4) = -186 to -234‰) and carbon (δ13C(CH4) = -65.7 to -72.3‰). Rates of microbial metabolism of organic matter, estimated from the mass transfer reaction models, ranged from 0.0047 to 0.039 mmol L-1 yr-1 for groundwater downgradient from the lake.

Simulation of Regional Ground-Water Flow in the Suwannee River Basin, Northern Florida and Southern Georgia

Science.gov (United States)

Planert, Michael

2007-01-01

The Suwannee River Basin covers a total of nearly 9,950 square miles in north-central Florida and southern Georgia. In Florida, the Suwannee River Basin accounts for 4,250 square miles of north-central Florida. Evaluating the impacts of increased development in the Suwannee River Basin requires a quantitative understanding of the boundary conditions, hydrogeologic framework and hydraulic properties of the Floridan aquifer system, and the dynamics of water exchanges between the Suwannee River and its tributaries and the Floridan aquifer system. Major rivers within the Suwannee River Basin are the Suwannee, Santa Fe, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee. Four rivers west of the Suwannee River are the Aucilla, the Econfina, the Fenholloway, and the Steinhatchee; all drain to the Gulf of Mexico. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the surface-water hydrology of the study area is that large areas east of the Suwannee River are devoid of channelized, surface drainage; consequently, most of the drainage occurs through the subsurface. The ground-water flow system underlying the study area plays a critical role in the overall hydrology of this region of Florida because of the dominance of subsurface drain-age, and because ground-water flow sustains the flow of the rivers and springs. Three principal hydrogeologic units are present in the study area: the surficial aquifer system, the intermediate aquifer system, and the Floridan aquifer system. The surficial aquifer system principally consists of unconsoli-dated to poorly indurated siliciclastic deposits. The intermediate aquifer system, which contains the intermediate confining unit, lies below the surficial aquifer system (where present), and generally consists of fine-grained, uncon-solidated deposits of quartz sand, silt, and clay with interbedded limestone of Miocene age. Regionally, the intermediate aquifer system and intermediate con-fining unit act as a confining unit that restricts the exchange of water between the over

A Multi-Tracer Approach to Characterize Sources and Transport of Nitrate in Groundwater in Mantled Karst, Northern Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, B. G.; Bohlke, J.; Hornsby, D.

2001-05-01

Nitrate is readily transported from agricultural activities at the surface to the Upper Floridan aquifer in northern Florida due to karst features mantled by highly permeable sands and a high recharge rate (50 cm/yr). In Suwannee and Lafayette Counties, nitrate contamination of groundwater is widespread due to the 10-30 kg/ha nitrogen (N) applied annually for the past few decades as synthetic fertilizers (the dominant source of N). Water samples were collected from 12 springs during baseflow conditions (1997-99) and monthly from 14 wells (1998-99). Springwaters were analyzed for various chemical (N species, dissolved gases, CFCs) and isotopic tracers (15N, 3H/3He, 18O, D, 13C). Water from wells was analyzed monthly for N species, and during low-flow and high-flow conditions for 15N, 18O, D, and 13C. As a result of oxic conditions in the aquifer, nitrate was the dominant N species in water samples. Large monthly fluctuations of groundwater nitrate concentrations were observed at most wells. Relatively high nitrate concentrations in groundwater from 7 wells likely resulted from seasonal agricultural practices including fertilizer applications and manure spreading on cropland. Relatively low nitrate concentrations in groundwater from two wells during high-flow conditions were related to mixing with river water. Groundwater samples had N-isotope values (3.8-11.7 per mil) that indicated varying mixtures of inorganic and organic N sources, which corresponded in part to varying proportions of synthetic fertilizers and manure applied to fields. In springwaters from Suwannee County, nitrate trends and N-isotope data (2.7-6.2 per mil) were consistent with a peak in fertilizer N input in the late 1970's and a relatively high overall ratio of artificial fertilizer/manure. In contrast, springwater nitrate trends and N-isotope data (4.5-9.1 per mil) in Lafayette County were consistent with a more monotonic increase in fertilizer N input and relatively low overall ratio of

Benthic Habitats of Estero Bay Area, Florida 1999 Geodatabase

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data produced for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) in partnership with the South Florida Water...

Benthic Habitats of Estero Bay Area, Florida 1999 Biotic

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data produced for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) in partnership with the South Florida Water...

Benthic Habitats of Estero Bay Area, Florida 1999 Geoform

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data produced for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI) in partnership with the South Florida Water...

77 FR 74923 - Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Estuaries, Coastal Waters, and South Florida...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-18

... proposing numeric water quality criteria to protect ecological systems, aquatic life, and human health from... III surface waters share water quality criteria established to protect fish consumption, recreation... Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Estuaries, Coastal Waters, and South Florida Inland...

NASA Hydrogen Research at Florida Universities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David L Block; Ali T-Raissi

2006-01-01

This paper presents a summary of the activities and results from 36 hydrogen research projects being conducted over a four-year period by Florida universities for the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The program entitled 'NASA Hydrogen Research at Florida Universities' is managed by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC). FSEC has 22 years of experience in conducting research in areas related to hydrogen technologies and fuel cells. The R and D activities under this program cover technology areas related to production, cryogenics, sensors, storage, separation processes, fuel cells, resource assessments and education. (authors)

History and Status of Eucalyptus Improvement in Florida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donald L. Rockwood

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The first organized Eucalyptus research in Florida was begun by the Florida Forests Foundation in 1959 in southern Florida. This research was absorbed by the USDA Forest Service and the Florida Division of Forestry in 1968. In the early 1970s, the Eucalyptus Research Cooperative formed to provide additional support emphasized E. grandis, E. robusta, E. camaldulensis, and E. tereticornis and developed cultural practices for commercial plantations in southern Florida. In 1978, this cooperative united with the Hardwood Research Cooperative at North Carolina State University until 1985 when the 14-year effort ended after three severe freezes from 1983 to 1985. Eucalyptus planting and research were continued with a Florida-wide focus by the University of Florida and collaborators starting in 1980. The collective accomplishments in terms of genetic resources and commercial planting are summarized. For example, fast-growing, freeze-resilient E. grandis seedlings are produced by advanced generation seed orchards, five E. grandis cultivars are commercially available, as are E. amplifolia and Corymbia torelliana seeds. Genetic improvement of these and other species is ongoing due to beneficial collaborations. Short Rotation Woody Crop systems are promising for increasing productivity and extending uses beyond conventional pulpwood to applications such as windbreaks, dendroremediation, and energy wood.

Cyanobacterial crusts linked to soil productivity under different grazing management practices in Northern Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Alchin, Bruce; Williams, Wendy

2015-04-01

In arid and semi-arid Australia, the central role of healthy soil ecosystems in broad-acre grazing lands may be attributed to the widespread presence of cyanobacterial crusts. In terms of soil nutrient cycling and stability their role is particularly crucial in a climate dominated by annual dry seasons and variable wet seasons. In this study, we aimed to measure the contribution of cyanobacteria to soil nutrient cycling under contrasting levels of disturbance associated with grazing management. Field sampling was carried out on six paired sites (twelve properties) located across an east-west 3,000 km transect that covered different rangeland types on grazing properties in northern Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia). At each location paired sites were established and two different management systems were assessed, cell-paddock rotations (25-400 ha) and continuous grazing (200-2,000 ha). Cyanobacterial soil crusts were recorded from all of the twelve sites and cyanobacteria with the capacity to fix nitrogen were found at ten of the twelve sites. The overall diversity of cyanobacteria varied from three to ten species under any type of grazing system. As field work was conducted in the dry season, it is likely that the diversity may be greater in the wet season than the initial data may indicate. The average cyanobacterial soil crust cover across soil surfaces, between grass tussocks, during the dry season was estimated to be 50.9% and, 42.6% in the early wet season. This reflected longer established crust cover (dry season) versus newly established crusts. There was a high level of variability in the biomass of cyanobacteria however; the grazing system did not have any marked effect on the biomass for any one rangeland type. The grazing system differences did not appear to significantly influence the diversity at any location except on a floodplain in the Pilbara (WA). Biological nitrogen fixation by cyanobacteria was recorded at all

Empirically derived climate predictability over the extratropical northern hemisphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. B. Elsner

1994-01-01

Full Text Available A novel application of a technique developed from chaos theory is used in describing seasonal to interannual climate predictability over the Northern Hemisphere (NH. The technique is based on an empirical forecast scheme - local approximation in a reconstructed phase space - for time-series data. Data are monthly 500 hPa heights on a latitude-longitude grid covering the NH from 20° N to the equator. Predictability is estimated based on the linear correlation between actual and predicted heights averaged over a forecast range of one- to twelve.month lead. The method is capable of extracting the major climate signals on this time scale including ENSO and the North Atlantic Oscillation.

Bacteriological And Clinical Evaluation Of Twelve Cases Of Post ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bacteriological And Clinical Evaluation Of Twelve Cases Of Post-Surgical Sepsis Of Odontogenic Tumours At A ... East African Medical Journal ... Intervention: Adequate review of patient\\'s medical history, bacteriological investigations and

Vegetative propagation of twelve fodder tree species indigenous to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Vegetative propagation of twelve fodder tree species indigenous to the Sahel, West Africa. Catherine Ky-Dembele, Jules Bayala, Antoine Kalinganire, Fatoumata Tata Traoré, Bréhima Koné, Alain Olivier ...

Education and Development: Twelve Considerations for Transformative Practice

Science.gov (United States)

VanBalkom, W. Duffie; Eastham, Sarada

2011-01-01

Twelve factors that are essential to consider when embarking on the process of transformative development are examined in the context of international development programming in education and training. Each factor raises a number of questions for the deliberations of policy makers, development practitioners, scholars, international educators,…

Impact of elevated CO2 on a Florida Scrub-oak Ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drake, Bert G

2013-01-01

Since May of 1996, we have conducted an experiment in Florida Scrub Oak to determine the impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 and climate change on carbon, water, and nutrient cycling in this important terrestrial ecosystem. Florida scrub oak is the name for a collective of species occupying much of the Florida peninsula. The dominant tree species are oaks and the dwarf structure of this community makes it an excellent system in which to test hypotheses regarding the potential capacity of woody ecosystems to assimilate and sequester anthropogenic carbon. Scrub oak is fire dependent with a return cycle of 10-15 years, a time which would permit an experiment to follow the entire cycle. Our site is located on Cape Canaveral at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. After burning in 1995, we built 16 open top chambers, half of which have been fumigated with pure CO2 sufficient to raise the concentration around the plants to 350 ppm above ambient. In the intervening 10 years we have non destructively measured biomass of shoots and roots, ecosystem gas exchange using chambers and eddy flux, leaf photosynthesis and respiration, soil respiration, and relevant environmental factors such as soil water availability, temperature, light, etc. The overwhelming result from analysis of our extensive data base is that elevated CO2 has had a profound impact on this ecosystem that, overall, has resulted in increased carbon accumulation in plant shoots, roots and litter. Our measurements of net ecosystem gas exchange also indicate that the ecosystem has accumulated carbon much in excess of the increased biomass or soil carbon suggesting a substantial export of carbon through the porous, sandy soil into the water table several meters below the surface. A major discovery is the powerful interaction between the stimulation of growth, photosynthesis, and respiration by elevated CO2 and other environmental factors particularly precipitation and nitrogen. Our measurements focused attention on

Rocky Mountain spotted fever acquired in Florida, 1973-83.

Science.gov (United States)

Sacks, J J; Janowski, H T

1985-01-01

From 1973 to 1983, 49 Florida residents were reported with confirmed Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF), 25 of whom were considered to have had Florida-acquired disease. Although there was no history of tick exposure for six of these 25 persons, all had contact with dogs or outdoor activities during the incubation period. The tick vectors of RMSF are widely distributed throughout Florida. We conclude that RMSF, although rare in Florida, can be acquired in the state. PMID:4061716

Richard Florida : loovsektor on majanduskasvu mootor / Richard Florida ; interv. Argo Ideon

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Florida, Richard

2008-01-01

USA majandus- ja ühiskonnateadlane Richard Florida loovklassi teooriast, selle osast majanduskasvu tagamisel, seosest ühiskonna tolerantsuse ja ühiskonna majandusliku edukuse vahel, sotsiaalse sidususe takistavast rollist loovuse motiveerimisel

The January 2014 Northern Cuba Earthquake Sequence - Unusual Location and Unexpected Source Mechanism Variability

Science.gov (United States)

Braunmiller, J.; Thompson, G.; McNutt, S. R.

2017-12-01

On 9 January 2014, a magnitude Mw=5.1 earthquake occurred along the Bahamas-Cuba suture at the northern coast of Cuba revealing a surprising seismic hazard source for both Cuba and southern Florida where it was widely felt. Due to its location, the event and its aftershocks (M>3.5) were recorded only at far distances (300+ km) resulting in high-detection thresholds, low location accuracy, and limited source parameter resolution. We use three-component regional seismic data to study the sequence. High-pass filtered seismograms at the closest site in southern Florida are similar in character suggesting a relatively tight event cluster and revealing additional, smaller aftershocks not included in the ANSS or ISC catalogs. Aligning on the P arrival and low-pass filtering (T>10 s) uncovers a surprise polarity flip of the large amplitude surface waves on vertical seismograms for some aftershocks relative to the main shock. We performed regional moment tensor inversions of the main shock and its largest aftershocks using complete three-component seismograms from stations distributed throughout the region to confirm the mechanism changes. Consistent with the GCMT solution, we find an E-W trending normal faulting mechanism for the main event and for one immediate aftershock. Two aftershocks indicate E-W trending reverse faulting with essentially flipped P- and T-axes relative to the normal faulting events (and the same B-axes). Within uncertainties, depths of the two event families are indistinguishable and indicate shallow faulting (<10 km). One intriguing possible interpretation is that both families ruptured the same fault with reverse mechanisms compensating for overshooting. However, activity could also be spatially separated either vertically (with reverse mechanisms possibly below extension) or laterally. The shallow source depth and the 200-km long uplifted chain of islands indicate that larger, shallow and thus potentially tsunamigenic earthquakes could occur just

Spaceport Florida Authority: Business Plan

Science.gov (United States)

1996-01-01

The Spaceport Florida Authority (SFA) was established under Florida Statute by the Governor and Legislature to assist the development of our nation's space transportation industry and to generate new space-related jobs, investment and opportunities statewide. Included in the Authorities' business plan is the statement of work and list of team members involved in creating the report, SFA's current operating concept, market analysis, assessment of accomplishments, a sample operating concept and a "roadmap to success".

Secondary Textbook Review: English, Grades Nine through Twelve.

Science.gov (United States)

California State Dept. of Education, Sacramento.

This book is intended as a resource for teachers and curriculum developers who select textbooks for secondary English courses. It includes a compilation of 32 factual textbook reviews obtained from the application of a review instrument, which was based on the California "Model Curriculum Standards: Grades Nine through Twelve, English…

Florida public transportation anti-terrorism resource guide

Science.gov (United States)

2001-10-01

The Center for Urban Transportation (CUTR) at the University of South Florida (USF) assembled this guide to provide public transit agencies in Florida with information on current resources available to assist them with improving system security and g...

ASK Florida; a climate change education professional development program for middle school teachers in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Weihs, R. R.

2012-12-01

A series of professional development workshops covering the fundamentals of climate change have been developed and facilitated for two groups of middle school science teachers in three Florida counties. The NASA-supported joint venture between Florida State University's Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies (COAPS) and the University of South Florida's (USF's) Coalition for Science Literacy, ASK Florida, focuses on expanding and deepening teachers' content knowledge of a wide range of climate change topics, connecting local and regional changes to the global picture, and supporting classroom implementation and effective teaching practices. Education experts from USF, climate scientists from COAPS, and Hillsborough county teachers and science coaches coordinated and developed the workshop content, which is based on Florida's Next Generation Sunshine State Standards in science, science curriculum guides for 6th grade, and teacher interest. Several scientists have facilitated activities during the workshop, including professors in meteorology and climatology, research scientists in the field, a NOAA program manager, the state climatologists for Florida, and others. Having these climate scientists present during the workshop provides teachers an opportunity to interact directly with the scientists and gain insight into the climatology field. Additionally, we host an open-forum discussion panel during which teachers can ask the experts about any topics of interest. Activities are designed to enhance the scientific skill level of the teachers. Introductory activities reinforce teachers' abilities to distinguish facts from opinions and to evaluate sources. Other activities provide hands-on experience using actual scientific data from NASA and other agencies. For example, teachers analyze precipitation data to create distributions of Florida rainfall, examine sea level trends at various locations, identify Atlantic hurricane frequencies during the phases of ENSO

Revisiting the Decision of Death in Hurst v. Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooke, Brian K; Ginory, Almari; Zedalis, Jennifer

2016-12-01

The United States Supreme Court has considered the question of whether a judge or a jury must make the findings necessary to support imposition of the death penalty in several notable cases, including Spaziano v. Florida (1984), Hildwin v. Florida (1989), and Ring v. Arizona (2002). In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court revisited the subject in Hurst v. Florida Florida Statute § 921.141 allows the judge, after weighing aggravating and mitigating circumstances, to enter a sentence of life imprisonment or death. Before Hurst, Florida's bifurcated sentencing proceedings included an advisory sentence from jurors and a separate judicial hearing without juror involvement. In Hurst, the Court revisited the question of whether Florida's capital sentencing scheme violates the Sixth Amendment, which requires a jury, not a judge, to find each fact necessary to impose a sentence of death in light of Ring In an eight-to-one decision, the Court reversed the judgment of the Florida Supreme Court, holding that the Sixth Amendment requires a jury to find the aggravating factors necessary for imposing the death penalty. The role of Florida juries in capital sentencing proceedings was thereby elevated from advisory to determinative. We examine the Court's decision and offer commentary regarding this shift from judge to jury in the final imposition of the death penalty and the overall effect of this landmark case. © 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Aquatic vegetation were photographed from aircraft from Florida Bay, Indian River (Florida), and the Coast of Massachusetts (NODC Accession 0000411)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Aerial photographs were taken of the aquatic vegetation of Florida Bay, Indian River (Florida), and the Coast of Massachusetts. Photographs were scanned and...

Sexual Harassment Policies in Florida School Districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Rienzo, Barbara A.; Moore, Michele Johnson

1998-01-01

Investigated the extent to which Florida's school districts complied with the Florida Department of Education's (FDOE) recommendations for addressing sexual harassment in schools. Surveys of district equity coordinators and analysis of policies indicated that most districts approved sexual harassment policies incorporating many FDOE…

Safety of superconducting fusion magnets: twelve problem areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, L.R.

1979-01-01

Twelve problem areas of superconducting magnets for fusion reaction are described. These are: quench detection and energy dump, stationary normal region of conductor, current leads, electrical arcing, electrical shorts, conductor joints, forces from unequal currents, eddy current effects, cryostat rupture, vacuum failure, fringing field and instrumentation for safety. Priorities among these areas are suggested

Safety of superconducting fusion magnets: twelve problem areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, L.R.

1979-01-01

Twelve problem areas of superconducting magnets for fusion reaction are described. These are: Quench Detection and Energy Dump, Stationary Normal Region of Conductor, Current Leads, Electrical Arcing, Electrical Shorts, Conductor Joints, Forces from Unequal Currents, Eddy Current Effects, Cryostat Rupture, Vacuum Failure, Fringing Field and Instrumentation for Safety. Priorities among these areas are suggested

2007 Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Lidar Project: Southwest Florida

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) LAS dataset is a topographic survey conducted for a coalition of GIS practitioners, including the Florida Division of...

Northeast Florida Regional Sediment Management: Implementation Strategies and Recommendations for Nassau County and Duval County, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

management strategies and alternatives are actively coordinated. DISCLAIMER: The contents of this report are not to be used for advertising , publication... Strategies and Recommendations for Nassau County and Duval County, Florida Co as ta l a nd H yd ra ul ic s La bo ra to ry Kevin C. Hodgens, Michael...Sediment Management Implementation Strategies and Recommendations for Nassau County and Duval County, Florida Kevin C. Hodgens and Michael P

7 CFR 1006.2 - Florida marketing area.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 9 2010-01-01 2009-01-01 true Florida marketing area. 1006.2 Section 1006.2 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Marketing Agreements and Orders; Milk), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MILK IN THE FLORIDA MARKETING AREA Order Regulating...

Millennial, centennial and decadal sea- level change in Florida, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, A.; Hawkes, A. D.; Donnelly, J. P.; Horton, B. P.

2012-12-01

Reconstructions of relative sea-level changes on millennial timescales provide data against which to test and calibrate Earth-Ice models. On the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast they constrain the geometry of the Laurentide Ice Sheet's collapsing forebulge. Sea -level data from southeastern Atlantic coast additionally constrain ice-equivalent meltwater input. Here we produce the first Holocene sea-level curve for Florida and Georgia from the St. Mary's River using agglutinated foraminifera preserved in radiocarbon-dated brackish and salt-marsh sediment. The use of foraminfera as sea-level indicators was underpinned by local and regional datasets describing the modern distribution of assemblages that are analogues for those preserved in buried sediment. This approach produced 25 index points that record 5.2 m of relative sea level rise over the last 8000 years with no evidence of a mid Holocene high stand. These reconstructions indicate that existing GIA models do not replicate proxy reconstructions and that northern Florida is subsiding in response to ongoing forebulge collapse at an estimated rate of approximately 0.3 mm/yr. Over multi decadal time scales, detailed sea level reconstructions provide an appropriate geological context for modern rates of sea-level rise. Reconstructions spanning the last 2000 years of known climate variability are important for developing models with predictive capacity that link climate and sea level changes. A reconstruction of sea-level changes since 2000 years BP was developed using a core of brackish marsh sediment from the Nassau River in Florida. Foraminifera estimated the elevation of former sea level with an uncertainty of ± 10 cm. Consistent downcore assemblages indicate that the marsh maintained its tidal elevation for 2000 years. An age depth model was developed for the core results from radiocarbon dating, 210Pb and 137Cs. The resulting relative sea level record was adjusted for the contribution made by glacio

Economic analysis of biomass crop production in Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahmani, M.; Hodges, A.W.; Stricker, J.A.; Kiker, C.F. [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

1997-07-01

Favorable soil and climate conditions for production of biomass crops in Florida, and a market for their use, provide the essentials for developing a biomass energy system in the State. Recent surveys showed that there is low opportunity cost land available and several high yield herbaceous and woody crops have potential as biomass crops. Comparison of biomass crop yields, farmgate costs, and costs of final products in Florida and other states show that Florida can be considered as one of the best areas for development of biomass energy systems in the United States. This paper presents facts and figures on biomass production and conversion in Florida and addresses issues of concern to the economics of biomass energy in the State. (author)

Economic analysis of biomass crop production in Florida

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahmani, M.; Hodges, A.W.; Stricker, J.A.; Kiker, C.F.

1997-01-01

Favorable soil and climate conditions for production of biomass crops in Florida, and a market for their use, provide the essentials for developing a biomass energy system in the State. Recent surveys showed that there is low opportunity cost land available and several high yield herbaceous and woody crops have potential as biomass crops. Comparison of biomass crop yields, farmgate costs, and costs of final products in Florida and other states show that Florida can be considered as one of the best areas for development of biomass energy systems in the United States. This paper presents facts and figures on biomass production and conversion in Florida and addresses issues of concern to the economics of biomass energy in the State. (author)

Virginia Tech Wildlife Professor Helping To Save Florida Panther

OpenAIRE

Davis, Lynn

2003-01-01

With few Florida panthers now in existence, Mike Vaughan, Virginia Tech professor of wildlife and sciences in the College of Natural Resources, has been appointed to serve on the Florida Panther Scientific Review Team (SRT). Vaughan and other SRT members have made several trips to Naples, Fla., to interview state and federal biologists directly involved with the recovery of the Florida panther.

Hurricanes accelerated the Florida-Bahamas lionfish invasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Matthew W; Purkis, Sam J

2015-06-01

In this study, we demonstrate how perturbations to the Florida Current caused by hurricanes are relevant to the spread of invasive lionfish from Florida to the Bahamas. Without such perturbations, this current represents a potential barrier to the transport of planktonic lionfish eggs and larvae across the Straits of Florida. We further show that once lionfish became established in the Bahamas, hurricanes significantly hastened their spread through the island chain. We gain these insights through: (1) an analysis of the direction and velocity of simulated ocean currents during the passage of hurricanes through the Florida Straits and (2) the development of a biophysical model that incorporates the tolerances of lionfish to ocean climate, their reproductive strategy, and duration that the larvae remain viable in the water column. On the basis of this work, we identify 23 occasions between the years 1992 and 2006 in which lionfish were provided the opportunity to breach the Florida Current. We also find that hurricanes during this period increased the rate of spread of lionfish through the Bahamas by more than 45% and magnified its population by at least 15%. Beyond invasive lionfish, we suggest that extreme weather events such as hurricanes likely help to homogenize the gene pool for all Caribbean marine species susceptible to transport. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

South Florida embraces waste-to-energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lueck, G.W.

1991-01-01

This paper reports that some regions have prepared for these days of disposal shortage with comprehensive waste plans that include a strong WTE presence. Witness Broward County, Florida's program, 12 years in planning by public and private entities, Broward is the second most populated county in the state, with 1.3 million residents and a heavy tourist population, which, together, produce 1.6 million tons of waste annually. The disposal program includes Waste Management, Inc.'s expansion of a 400-acre Central Disposal Sanitary Landfill, the county's new 588-acre landfill, composting, and curbside pickup for recyclables. And, this south Florida plan would not be complete without the two brand new combustion plants. Clean Air and Water Acts notwithstanding, the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation can induce standards stricter than the federal government's due to the sensitive South Florida ecology. Wheelabrator was prepared for all eventualities with its design which uses state-of-the-art scrubbers, bag houses, and monitoring to track and capture the trace amounts of lead, cadmium, and mercury, which end up in the ash. In fact, tests at other Wheelabrator facilities using similar technology showed that heavy metals in leachate from the residue showed up in concentrations as much as 200 times lower than the EPA criteria for toxicity

Landscape Analysis of Adult Florida Panther Habitat.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert A Frakes

Full Text Available Historically occurring throughout the southeastern United States, the Florida panther is now restricted to less than 5% of its historic range in one breeding population located in southern Florida. Using radio-telemetry data from 87 prime-aged (≥3 years old adult panthers (35 males and 52 females during the period 2004 through 2013 (28,720 radio-locations, we analyzed the characteristics of the occupied area and used those attributes in a random forest model to develop a predictive distribution map for resident breeding panthers in southern Florida. Using 10-fold cross validation, the model was 87.5 % accurate in predicting presence or absence of panthers in the 16,678 km2 study area. Analysis of variable importance indicated that the amount of forests and forest edge, hydrology, and human population density were the most important factors determining presence or absence of panthers. Sensitivity analysis showed that the presence of human populations, roads, and agriculture (other than pasture had strong negative effects on the probability of panther presence. Forest cover and forest edge had strong positive effects. The median model-predicted probability of presence for panther home ranges was 0.81 (0.82 for females and 0.74 for males. The model identified 5579 km2 of suitable breeding habitat remaining in southern Florida; 1399 km2 (25% of this habitat is in non-protected private ownership. Because there is less panther habitat remaining than previously thought, we recommend that all remaining breeding habitat in south Florida should be maintained, and the current panther range should be expanded into south-central Florida. This model should be useful for evaluating the impacts of future development projects, in prioritizing areas for panther conservation, and in evaluating the potential impacts of sea-level rise and changes in hydrology.

Landscape Analysis of Adult Florida Panther Habitat.

Science.gov (United States)

Frakes, Robert A; Belden, Robert C; Wood, Barry E; James, Frederick E

2015-01-01

Historically occurring throughout the southeastern United States, the Florida panther is now restricted to less than 5% of its historic range in one breeding population located in southern Florida. Using radio-telemetry data from 87 prime-aged (≥3 years old) adult panthers (35 males and 52 females) during the period 2004 through 2013 (28,720 radio-locations), we analyzed the characteristics of the occupied area and used those attributes in a random forest model to develop a predictive distribution map for resident breeding panthers in southern Florida. Using 10-fold cross validation, the model was 87.5 % accurate in predicting presence or absence of panthers in the 16,678 km2 study area. Analysis of variable importance indicated that the amount of forests and forest edge, hydrology, and human population density were the most important factors determining presence or absence of panthers. Sensitivity analysis showed that the presence of human populations, roads, and agriculture (other than pasture) had strong negative effects on the probability of panther presence. Forest cover and forest edge had strong positive effects. The median model-predicted probability of presence for panther home ranges was 0.81 (0.82 for females and 0.74 for males). The model identified 5579 km2 of suitable breeding habitat remaining in southern Florida; 1399 km2 (25%) of this habitat is in non-protected private ownership. Because there is less panther habitat remaining than previously thought, we recommend that all remaining breeding habitat in south Florida should be maintained, and the current panther range should be expanded into south-central Florida. This model should be useful for evaluating the impacts of future development projects, in prioritizing areas for panther conservation, and in evaluating the potential impacts of sea-level rise and changes in hydrology.

New philometrids (Nematoda, Philometridae) from head tissues of two serranid fishes (Epinephelus morio and Mycteroperca microlepis) off Florida, northern Gulf of Mexico

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Moravec, František; Bakenhaster, M.; Fajer-Avila, E.

2010-01-01

Roč. 55, č. 4 (2010), s. 359-368 ISSN 1230-2821 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC522 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60220518 Keywords : Parasitic nematode * Philometra * marine fish * Epinephelus * Mycteroperca * Gulf of Mexico * Florida Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 1.144, year: 2010

Florida Public Health Training Center: Evidence-Based Online Mentor Program

Science.gov (United States)

Frahm, Kathryn A.; Alsac-Seitz, Biray; Mescia, Nadine; Brown, Lisa M.; Hyer, Kathy; Liburd, Desiree; Rogoff, David P.; Troutman, Adewale

2013-01-01

This article describes an Online Mentor Program (OMP) designed to support and facilitate mentorships among and between Florida Department of Health (FDOH) employees and USF College of Public Health students using a Web-based portal. The Florida Public Health Training Center (FPHTC) at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Public Health…

Location and description of transects for ecological studies in floodplain forests of the lower Suwannee River, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, L.J.; Light, H.M.; Darst, M.R.

2001-01-01

Twelve transects were established in floodplain forests along the lower Suwannee River, Florida, as the principal data collection sites for a comprehensive study conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Suwannee River Water Management District from 1996 to 2001. Data collected along the 12 transects included hydrologic conditions, land-surface elevations, soils, and vegetation of floodplain forests in relation to river flow. Transect locations are marked in the field with permanent markers at approximately 30 meter intervals. Detailed descriptions of the 12 transects and their locations are provided so that they can be used for future ecological studies. Descriptions of the transects include contact information necessary for access to the property on which the transects are located, maps showing transect locations and routes from the nearest city or major road, small scale maps of each transect showing marker locations, latitude and longitude of each marker, compass bearings of each transect line and graphs showing land-surface elevations of the transect with marker locations.

CHARACTERISTICS OF FLORIDA FILL MATERIALS AND SOILS 1990

Science.gov (United States)

The report gives results of laboratory work by the University of Florida in support of the Foundation Fill Data Base project of the Foundation Fill Materials Specifications Task Area of the Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP). Work included determination of radon concentrations...

Studies on the Asian sawflies of Formosempria Takeuchi (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae, with notes on the suitability of F. varipes Takeuchi as a biological control agent for skunk vine, Paederia foetida L. (Rubiaceae in Florida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Smith

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Formosempria Takeuchi, 1929, is distributed in southeastern Asia from Taiwan and China to Vietnam, Myanmar, and possibly northern India. Three species are included: F. crassicornis Wei & Nie, 2002, F. shanensis Malaise, 1961, and F. varipes Takeuchi, 1929 (= F. annamensis Malaise, 1961, syn. n.; = F. metallica Wei, 2003, syn. n.. Formosempria varipes was reared from larvae feeding on Paederia foetida L. (Rubiaceae in Hong Kong and was a potential biological agent for the invasive P. foetida in Florida. Larval feeding tests indicate more than one species of Paederia are suitable hosts for F. varipes and further study for use as a biological control agent in Florida is unwarranted. Descriptions and illustration of the species are given, and life history notes on F. varipes are presented.

Lower survival probabilities for adult Florida manatees in years with intense coastal storms

Science.gov (United States)

Langtimm, C.A.; Beck, C.A.

2003-01-01

The endangered Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) inhabits the subtropical waters of the southeastern United States, where hurricanes are a regular occurrence. Using mark-resighting statistical models, we analyzed 19 years of photo-identification data and detected significant annual variation in adult survival for a subpopulation in northwest Florida where human impact is low. That variation coincided with years when intense hurricanes (Category 3 or greater on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale) and a major winter storm occurred in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Mean survival probability during years with no or low intensity storms was 0.972 (approximate 95% confidence interval = 0.961-0.980) but dropped to 0.936 (0.864-0.971) in 1985 with Hurricanes Elena, Kate, and Juan; to 0.909 (0.837-0.951) in 1993 with the March "Storm of the Century"; and to 0.817 (0.735-0.878) in 1995 with Hurricanes Opal, Erin, and Allison. These drops in survival probability were not catastrophic in magnitude and were detected because of the use of state-of-the-art statistical techniques and the quality of the data. Because individuals of this small population range extensively along the north Gulf coast of Florida, it was possible to resolve storm effects on a regional scale rather than the site-specific local scale common to studies of more sedentary species. This is the first empirical evidence in support of storm effects on manatee survival and suggests a cause-effect relationship. The decreases in survival could be due to direct mortality, indirect mortality, and/or emigration from the region as a consequence of storms. Future impacts to the population by a single catastrophic hurricane, or series of smaller hurricanes, could increase the probability of extinction. With the advent in 1995 of a new 25- to 50-yr cycle of greater hurricane activity, and longer term change possible with global climate change, it becomes all the more important to reduce mortality and injury

Paleoecological Evidence for Late Holocene Range Shifting of Acropora palmata and Orbicella annularis on the Nearshore Southeast Florida Reef Tract

Science.gov (United States)

Modys, A. B.; Zuccarelli, C. L.; Oleinik, A. E.

2016-02-01

Climate fluctuations on the southeast Florida reef tract have been linked to long-term geographic distribution shifts in framework-building coral species Acropora palmata and Orbicella annularis. Previous data suggest that the boundary for active reef accretion driven by these corals contracted southward to its current position at Biscayne Bay throughout the early to middle Holocene ( 8500-5500 cal BP). However, recent observations have shown that while A. palmata and O. annularis are still functionally absent north of this boundary, they are well represented within late Holocene sub-fossil death assemblages found at 3-4 m depths on the nearshore ridge complex (NRC). To assess this disparity, we performed a systematic comparison of taxonomic composition and diversity of living and dead coral assemblages at two locations on the northern NRC. We also determined an estimated age range for the death assemblages from 2 samples of A. palmata and 1 sample of O. annularis using high-resolution AMS radiocarbon dating. Our results show a clear transition from a late Holocene reef assemblage dominated by A. palmata and O. annularis to a modern reef assemblage dominated by less sensitive Porites astreoides. Sub-fossil A. palmata samples dated to 2950-3140 cal BP and 1820-1960 cal BP (2σ), and the sub-fossil O. annularis sample dated to 2290-2420 cal BP (2σ), indicating a total growth period of at least 1000 years. Our findings provide new evidence for a distinct late Holocene range shift in A. palmata and O. annularis on the northern shallow-water ridge complex of the southeast Florida reef tract system.

Satellite-Observed Black Water Events off Southwest Florida: Implications for Coral Reef Health in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brian Lapointe

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A “black water” event, as observed from satellites, occurred off southwest Florida in 2012. Satellite observations suggested that the event started in early January and ended in mid-April 2012. The black water patch formed off central west Florida and advected southward towards Florida Bay and the Florida Keys with the shelf circulation, which was confirmed by satellite-tracked surface drifter trajectories. Compared with a previous black water event in 2002, the 2012 event was weaker in terms of spatial and temporal coverage. An in situ survey indicated that the 2012 black water patch contained toxic K. brevis and had relatively low CDOM (colored dissolved organic matter and turbidity but high chlorophyll-a concentrations, while salinity was somewhat high compared with historical values. Further analysis revealed that the 2012 black water was formed by the K. brevis bloom initiated off central west Florida in late September 2011, while river runoff, Trichodesmium and possibly submarine groundwater discharge also played important roles in its formation. Black water patches can affect benthic coral reef communities by decreasing light availability at the bottom, and enhanced nutrient concentrations from black water patches support massive macroalgae growth that can overgrow coral reefs. It is thus important to continue the integrated observations where satellites provide synoptic and repeated observations of such adverse water quality events.

Avocado pests in Florida: Not what you expected

Science.gov (United States)

Avocado, Persea americana Mill., is Florida's second most important fruit crop after citrus. Until recently, the complex of spider mite and insect pests that affected avocado in south Florida was under a 20 year Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. The recent invasion of avocado orchards by a...

Seagrass status and trends in the northern Gulf of Mexico: 1940-2002

Science.gov (United States)

Handley, L.; Altsman, D.; DeMay, R.

2007-01-01

Over the past century, seagrass habitats from the bays of Texas to the gulf shores of Florida have decreased. Seagrass beds, which are highly dependent on water quality and clarity for survival, are home to a multitude of aquatic plants and animals and a source of economic activity through commercial and recreational fishing and ecotourism. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Program (GMP) and its partners have made a commitment to restore, enhance, and protect this important ecosystem. As seagrass habitats decrease, the need for information on the causes and effects of seagrass loss, current mapping information, and education on the importance of seagrassess becomes greater. This report is the initial effort of the GMP’s research and restoration plan for seagrasses. The purpose of this report is to provide scientists, managers, and citizens with valuable baseline information on the status and trends of seagrasses in coastal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Within the northern Gulf of Mexico region, 14 individual estuarine systems where seagrasses occur, as well as statewide summaries for Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, are examined in this study. Each estuarine system is detailed in vignettes that address current and historical extent and quality of seagrasses, seagrass mapping and monitoring, causes of status change, restoration and enhancement activities, background information for the entire study area as well as the subareas for study, and the methodology employed to analyze and document the historical trends and current status of seagrasses. The systems, moving from west to east, include the Laguna Madre, Texas Coastal Bend region, and Galveston Bay in Texas; the Chandeleur Islands in Louisiana; the Mississippi Sound; and Perdido Bay, Pensacola/Escambia Bay, Choctawhatchee Bay, St. Andrew Bay, Florida’s Big Bend region, Tampa Bay/St. Joseph Sound, Sarasota Bay, Greater Charlotte Harbor, and Florida Bay in Florida

First report of a Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Alvarez-Aleman, Anmari; Beck, Cathy A.; Powell, James A.

2010-01-01

Manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) in Florida utilize intake and effluent canals of power plants as resting and thermoregulatory habitat. We report the use of a power plant canal in Cuba by a known Florida manatee, the first documented case of movement by a manatee between Florida and Cuba. In January, February, and April 2007, two manatees (mother and calf) were reported entering a power plant canal in north Havana, Cuba. The larger manatee had several distinctive scars which were photographed. Digital images were matched to a previously known Florida manatee (CR131) with a sighting history dating from December 1979 to July 2006. Exchanges of individuals between Florida and Cuba may have important genetic implications, particularly since there appears to be little genetic exchange between the Florida manatee subspecies with populations of the Antillean manatee subspecies (T. m. manatus) in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Accelerated sea level rise and Florida Current transport

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Park

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The Florida Current is the headwater of the Gulf Stream and is a component of the North Atlantic western boundary current from which a geostrophic balance between sea surface height and mass transport directly influence coastal sea levels along the Florida Straits. A linear regression of daily Florida Current transport estimates does not find a significant change in transport over the last decade; however, a nonlinear trend extracted from empirical mode decomposition (EMD suggests a 3 Sv decline in mean transport. This decline is consistent with observed tide gauge records in Florida Bay and the straits exhibiting an acceleration of mean sea level (MSL rise over the decade. It is not known whether this recent change represents natural variability or the onset of the anticipated secular decline in Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC; nonetheless, such changes have direct impacts on the sensitive ecological systems of the Everglades as well as the climate of western Europe and eastern North America.

Potential feedstock sources for ethanol production in Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rahmani, Mohammad [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States); Hodges, Alan [Univ. of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

2015-10-01

This study presents information on the potential feedstock sources that may be used for ethanol production in Florida. Several potential feedstocks for fuel ethanol production in Florida are discussed, such as, sugarcane, corn, citrus byproducts and sweet sorghum. Other probable impacts need to be analyzed for sugarcane to ethanol production as alternative uses of sugarcane may affect the quantity of sugar production in Florida. While citrus molasses is converted to ethanol as an established process, the cost of ethanol is higher, and the total amount of citrus molasses per year is insignificant. Sorghum cultivars have the potential for ethanol production. However, the agricultural practices for growing sweet sorghum for ethanol have not been established, and the conversion process must be tested and developed at a more expanded level. So far, only corn shipped from other states to Florida has been considered for ethanol production on a commercial scale. The economic feasibility of each of these crops requires further data and technical analysis.

Florida statewide radiation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagda, N.L.; Koontz, M.D.; Fortmann, R.C.; Schoenborn, W.A.; Mehegan, L.L.

1987-01-01

Florida phosphate deposits contain higher levels of uranium than most other soils and rocks, thus exposing the population to higher-than-desirable levels of radon and its short-lived daughters. The Florida Legislature ordered a survey of significant land areas where an environmental radiation standard should be applied. Among other things, the study assessed indoor radon in 6,000 homes, soil radon at 3,000 residences, and all data existing prior to the study. The report explains the purpose of the study, how it was designed and conducted, and its results. It concludes with a discussion of radon/radon decay product equilibrium factor, correlation between indoor and soil radon, and preliminary attempts to develop a safe threshold for soil radon below which few elevated indoor levels would be anticipated

Florida Progress Corporation 1991 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

Florida Progress Corporation is a utility holding company with assets of 5 billion dollars. Its principal subsidiary is the Florida Power Corporation; others are the Electric Fuels Corporation, the Mid-Continent Life Assurance Company, the Talquin Corporation, the Progress Credit Corporation and Advanced Separation Technologies Incorporated. The annual report describes achievements during the year. To meet growing energy demand Florida Power is building new peaking and base-load generating units, purchasing power from neighbouring utilities and cogenerators, and building more bulk power transmission line capacity in the state. Emphasis has been placed on meeting load growth by demand-site management. Attention is given to balancing energy needs with concerns for the environment, and there is an award-winning recycling program. The Electric Fuels Corporation major area of business is coal mining and transportation services. Advanced Separation Technologies has sold several of its patented ion separation machines. The report includes consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 1991

Broward County Florida thermographic data collected at twelve locations along four eastward lines that cross three offshore reef Tracks during the time period July 2000 to the present using self-recording temperature gauges (NODC Accession 0000829)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Broward County Florida has responsibility for the resource management of coral reefs in marine waters adjacent to Broward County. The Department of Planning and...

Twelve years of fireworks market surveillance in France

OpenAIRE

Branka , Ruddy

2012-01-01

International audience; In the view of market surveillance, more than 4400 fireworks have been taken on the spot by sworn people or bought on the market in France since 1999 for inspection purposes. This paper presents the market surveillance sampling evolution during twelve years, carried out by the PYRO unit of the Accidental Risks Division of INERIS as testing body ; the related measures implemented : additional audits in importer plants, interlaboratory tests for guarantying the reliabili...

Twelve Theses on Reactive Rules for the Web

OpenAIRE

Bry, François; Eckert, Michael

2006-01-01

Reactivity, the ability to detect and react to events, is an essential functionality in many information systems. In particular, Web systems such as online marketplaces, adaptive (e.g., recommender) sys- tems, and Web services, react to events such as Web page updates or data posted to a server. This article investigates issues of relevance in designing high-level programming languages dedicated to reactivity on the Web. It presents twelve theses on features desira...

Characteristic community structure of Florida's subtropical wetlands: the Florida wetland condition index

Science.gov (United States)

Depending upon the classification scheme applied, there are between 10 and 45 different wetland types in Florida. Land use and land cover change has a marked effect on wetland condition, and different wetland types are affected differentially depending on many abiotic and biotic ...

Molecular detection of bacteria in the families Rickettsiaceae and Anaplasmataceae in northern crested caracaras (Caracara cheriway)

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, John A.; Fitak, Robert R.; Dwyer, James F.; Morrison, Joan L.; Culver, Melanie

2016-01-01

Bacterial pathogens of the families Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae are often spread to humans or other animals from bites from infected arthropod hosts. Recently, an increasing number of studies have implicated migratory birds in the circulation of these pathogens through the spread of arthropod vectors. However, few studies have examined the potential for resident bird populations to serve as reservoirs for these zoonoses. In this study, we used nested PCRs of the GroESL and 17 kDa genes to screen for Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae, respectively, in a resident population of the northern crested caracara (Caracara cheriway) from Florida (n = 55). Additionally, a small number (n = 6) of captive individuals from Texas were included. We identified one individual (1.64%) positive for Rickettsia felis and one (1.64%) positive for Ehrlichia chaffeensis; both these individuals were from Florida. Presence of these pathogens demonstrates that these birds are potential hosts; however, the low prevalence of infections suggests that these populations likely do not function as an ecological reservoir.

Economic vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Thatcher, Cindy A.; Brock, John C.; Pendleton, Elizabeth A.

2013-01-01

The northern Gulf of Mexico coast of the United States has been identified as highly vulnerable to sea-level rise, based on a combination of physical and societal factors. Vulnerability of human populations and infrastructure to projected increases in sea level is a critical area of uncertainty for communities in the extremely low-lying and flat northern gulf coastal zone. A rapidly growing population along some parts of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline is further increasing the potential societal and economic impacts of projected sea-level rise in the region, where observed relative rise rates range from 0.75 to 9.95 mm per year on the Gulf coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. A 1-m elevation threshold was chosen as an inclusive designation of the coastal zone vulnerable to relative sea-level rise, because of uncertainty associated with sea-level rise projections. This study applies a Coastal Economic Vulnerability Index (CEVI) to the northern Gulf of Mexico region, which includes both physical and economic factors that contribute to societal risk of impacts from rising sea level. The economic variables incorporated in the CEVI include human population, urban land cover, economic value of key types of infrastructure, and residential and commercial building values. The variables are standardized and combined to produce a quantitative index value for each 1-km coastal segment, highlighting areas where human populations and the built environment are most at risk. This information can be used by coastal managers as they allocate limited resources for ecosystem restoration, beach nourishment, and coastal-protection infrastructure. The study indicates a large amount of variability in index values along the northern Gulf of Mexico coastline, and highlights areas where long-term planning to enhance resiliency is particularly needed.

40 CFR 81.95 - Central Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Quality Control Regions § 81.95 Central Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Central Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area encompassed by the boundaries of the... 40 Protection of Environment 17 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Central Florida Intrastate Air Quality...

Southward flow on the western flank of the Florida Current

Science.gov (United States)

Soloviev, Alexander V.; Hirons, Amy; Maingot, Christopher; Dean, Cayla W.; Dodge, Richard E.; Yankovsky, Alexander E.; Wood, Jon; Weisberg, Robert H.; Luther, Mark E.; McCreary, Julian P.

2017-07-01

A suite of long-term in situ measurements in the Straits of Florida, including the ADCP bottom moorings at an 11-m isobath and 244-m isobath (Miami Terrace) and several ADCP ship transects, have revealed a remarkable feature of the ocean circulation - southward flow on the western, coastal flank of the Florida Current. We have observed three forms of the southward flow - a seasonally varying coastal countercurrent, an undercurrent jet attached to the Florida shelf, and an intermittent undercurrent on the Miami Terrace. According to a 13-year monthly climatology obtained from the near-shore mooring, the coastal countercurrent is a persistent feature from October through January. The southward flow in the form of an undercurrent jet attached to the continental slope was observed during five ship transects from April through September but was not observed during three transects in February, March, and November. This undercurrent jet is well mixed due to strong shear at its top associated with the northward direction of the surface flow (Florida Current) and friction at the bottom. At the same time, no statistically significant seasonal cycle has been observed in the undercurrent flow on the Miami Terrace. Theoretical considerations suggest that several processes could drive the southward current, including interaction between the Florida Current and the shelf, as well as forcing that is independent of the Florida Current. The exact nature of the southward flow on the western flank of the Florida Current is, however, unknown.

Development of a Florida Seafood Program Using a Multi-Disciplinary Team

Science.gov (United States)

Abeels, Holly; Fluech, Bryan; Krimsky, Lisa; Saari, Brooke; Shephard, Elizabeth; Zamojski, Kendra

2015-01-01

The seafood industry in Florida is complex, with more than 80 varieties of Florida seafood commodities and an increasing number of imported products. This variety increases consumer confusion, especially with the growing concern about the origin, sustainability, and safety of seafood products. The objective of the Florida Seafood At Your…

Clusters of Adolescent and Young Adult Thyroid Cancer in Florida Counties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raid Amin

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Thyroid cancer is a common cancer in adolescents and young adults ranking 4th in frequency. Thyroid cancer has captured the interest of epidemiologists because of its strong association to environmental factors. The goal of this study is to identify thyroid cancer clusters in Florida for the period 2000–2008. This will guide further discovery of potential risk factors within areas of the cluster compared to areas not in cluster. Methods. Thyroid cancer cases for ages 15–39 were obtained from the Florida Cancer Data System. Next, using the purely spatial Poisson analysis function in SaTScan, the geographic distribution of thyroid cancer cases by county was assessed for clusters. The reference population was obtained from the Census Bureau 2010, which enabled controlling for population age, sex, and race. Results. Two statistically significant clusters of thyroid cancer clusters were found in Florida: one in southern Florida (SF (relative risk of 1.26; P value of <0.001 and the other in northwestern Florida (NWF (relative risk of 1.71; P value of 0.012. These clusters persisted after controlling for demographics including sex, age, race. Conclusion. In summary, we found evidence of thyroid cancer clustering in South Florida and North West Florida for adolescents and young adult.

Florida's Mandated Educational Leadership Program Redesign: The William Cecil Golden Touch

Science.gov (United States)

Mountford, Meredith; Acker-Hocevar, Michele A.

2013-01-01

In 2007, educational leadership programs in Florida were notified by Florida's Department of Education of a law requiring all programs to align with new legislation, State Rule 6A-5.081. Previously, most state-approved preparation programs were based on Florida's Leadership Preparation Standards, a version of the 1996 Interstate School Leadership…

Development of the Future Physicists of Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, A.; Weatherford, C.; Cottle, P.; Fannin, S.; Roberts, W.; Fauerbach, M.; Ponti, L.; Sear, J.

2013-03-01

We present the development of the ``Future Physicists of Florida'' (FPF) comprised of Florida university physics professors, middle and high school science teachers, and backed by the Florida Legislature. Our purpose is to address the lack of incoming college freshmen ready and willing to become physics majors. We will discuss the building of FPF and the development of a pipeline for middle and high school students predicted to produce the optimal number of bachelor's degrees in STEM. We will also discuss our use of community-building activities to educate the students, and their parents and teachers about the educational value of taking physics before going to college and potential careers in physics, to entertain them with fun physics related activities in order to peak their interest in physics, and to ultimately inspire the students to become physicists.

Twelve years at DESY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

As reported in our previous issue (page 27), on 28 February Volker Soergel stepped down after serving as Chairman of the Board of the DESY Laboratory in Hamburg since January 1981, when the previous chairman, Herwig Schopper, moved to become Director General of CERN. DESY is now headed by Bjorn Wiik. During the twelve years of Soergel's mandate, DESY substantially evolved and progressed. Dominating the landscape was the big HERA electron-proton collider - the world's first - proposed, approved, constructed and commissioned under Soergel's leadership. As well as pioneering electron-proton collisions, HERA also broke new ground in international collaboration. At the approval of the project by the German government, it had already been made clear that both the machine and its experiments had to be built with full international cooperation, using material contributions from foreign institutes. With the difficult task of transforming these requirements into hard reality, Volker Soergel succeeded brilliantly. The 'HERA model', with interested countries pledging contributions in equipment and/or manpower, established a new route to major project involvement. For HERA, the substantial Italian contribution, organized by Antonino Zichichi, was vital to the success of the project

Florida's forests-2005 update

Science.gov (United States)

Mark J. Brown

2007-01-01

This bulletin highlights principal findings of an annual inventory of Florida's forests. Data summaries are based on measurements of 60 percent of the plots in the State. Additional data summaries and bulletins will be published as the remaining plots are measured.

Consequences of dramatic reductions in state tobacco control funds: Florida, 1998-2000.

Science.gov (United States)

Niederdeppe, J; Farrelly, M C; Hersey, J C; Davis, K C

2008-06-01

This study assessed whether dramatic funding reductions to the Florida Tobacco Control Program (FTCP) influenced trends in recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking media campaign, anti-industry attitudes and non-smoking intentions among Florida teens. We used an interrupted time series technique to test for differences in the rates of change in Florida "truth" recall, anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions before and after the FTCP budget cuts using the Florida Anti-tobacco Media Evaluation (FAME) survey, a repeated cross-sectional telephone survey of Florida teens. Recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking campaign, anti-industry attitudes, and non-smoking intentions increased dramatically between April 1998 and May 1999. Florida "truth" recall declined after FTCP budget cuts in June 1999. Anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions plateaued or began to decline after the budget cuts. The launch of the national "truth" campaign in February 2000 may have offset otherwise deleterious effects of the budget cuts on anti-industry beliefs, but not smoking intentions. Reductions in tobacco control funding have immediate effects on programme exposure and cognitive precursors to smoking initiation. There is a critical need to maintain and enhance funding for state tobacco control programmes to continue nationwide progress in preventing youth from initiating cigarette smoking.

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes in Florida Phase II. Shallow Plus Retrofits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sutherland, K. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Parker, D. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Martin, E. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Chasar, D. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Amos, B. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States)

2016-02-01

The BAPIRC team and Florida Power and Light (FPL) electric utility pursued a pilot phased energy-efficiency retrofit program in Florida by creating detailed data on the energy and economic performance of two levels of retrofit - simple and deep. For this Phased Deep Retrofit (PDR) project, a total of 56 homes spread across the utility partner's territory in east central Florida, southeast Florida, and southwest Florida were instrumented between August 2012 and January 2013, and received simple pass-through retrofit measures during the period of March 2013 - June 2013. Ten of these homes received a deeper package of retrofits during August 2013 - December 2013.

Florida's model of nursing home Medicaid reimbursement for disaster-related expenses.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas, Kali S; Hyer, Kathryn; Brown, Lisa M; Polivka-West, LuMarie; Branch, Laurence G

2010-04-01

This study describes Florida's model of Medicaid nursing home (NH) reimbursement to compensate NHs for disaster-related expenses incurred as a result of 8 hurricanes within a 2-year period. This Florida model can serve as a demonstration for a national model for disaster-related reimbursement. Florida reimburses NHs for approved disaster-related costs through hurricane interim rate requests (IRRs). The state developed its unique Medicaid per diem rate temporary add-on by adapting its standard rate-setting reimbursement methodology. To understand the payment mechanisms and the costs that facilities incurred as a result of natural disasters, we examined the IRRs and cost reports for facilities requesting and receiving reimbursement. Cost reports and IRR applications indicated that Florida Medicaid spent close to $16 million to pay for hurricane-related costs to NHs. Without Florida's Hurricane IRR program, many facilities would have not been reimbursed for their hurricane-related costs. Florida's model is one that Medicare and other states should consider adopting to ensure that NHs receive adequate reimbursement for disaster-related expenses, including tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, blizzards, and other catastrophic events.

Water resources of southeastern Florida, with special reference to geology and ground water of the Miami area

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Garald G.; Ferguson, G.E.; Love, S.K.

1955-01-01

partly occupied by fresh-water lakes and marshes. Elsewhere in southern Florida the deposits are mainly limestone and sandy terrace deposits. The Pliocene surface upon which there Pleistocene sediments were deposited was highest to the north and west of the present Everglades and Kissimmee River basin, and it sloped gently to the south, southeast, and east. On this slightly sloping floor, alternately submerged and emerged, the later materials were built; these materials, modified by wind, rain, and surface and ground waters. Have largely determined the present topographic and ecologic character of southern Florida. The most important aquifer in southern Florida, and the one in which most of the wells are developed, is the Biscayne aquifer. It is composed of parts of the Tamiami formation (Miocene), Caloosahatchee marl (Pliocene), fort Thompson formation, Anastasia formation, Key Largo limestone, Miami oolite, and Pamlico sand (Pleistoncene). In some parts of southern Florida, the Pamlico sand and the Anastasia formation are not a part of the Biscayne aquifer; however, they are utilized in the development of small water supplies. Most of the Calossahatchee marl and the Fort Thompson formation in the Lake Okeechobeee area is of very low permeability. In the northern Everglades their less permeable parts contain highly mineralized waters, which appear to have been trapped since the invasions by the Pleistocene seas. These waters have been modified by dilution with fresh ground water and by chemical reactions with surrounding materials. Sea-level fluctuations, starting at the close of the Pliocene with highest levels and progressing toward the Recent with successively lower levels. Have built a series of nearly flat marine terraces abutting against one another much like a series of broad stairsteps. Erosion and solution have deface and, in places, have obliterated the original surficial forms of these old sea bottoms, shores, and shoreline feathers,

75 FR 15603 - Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Florida Avocado Crop Insurance Provisions

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-30

... to: (1) Theft; or (2) Inability to market the avocados for any reason other than actual physical... Crop Insurance Regulations; Florida Avocado Crop Insurance Provisions AGENCY: Federal Crop Insurance... Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Florida Avocado Crop Insurance Provisions to convert the Florida...

Recurrence of Seagrass Mortality in Florida Bay: The Role of Climate Change and Implications for Carbon Sequestration

Science.gov (United States)

Yarbro, L.; Carlson, P. R., Jr.

2016-02-01

Catastrophic mortality of seagrass in Florida Bay (USA) from 1987 to 1991 resulted in the complete loss of thousands of hectares of dense Thalassia testudinum beds. At that time, acutely toxic levels of dissolved sulfide in sediments were determined to be the proximal cause of seagrass mortality, but the mechanisms responsible for sulfide accumulation in sediments were not demonstrated. With the recurrence of seagrass mortality in Florida Bay in summer 2015, we show that several processes create the conditions that lead to sulfide toxicity and catastrophic mortality of Thalassia. Regional drought and elevated water temperature lead to hypersalinity, particularly in the northern Bay. In addition, evaporation of seawater on mudbanks and microtidal flow patterns create stratified brine layers in basins adjacent to mudbanks. Because of very high seagrass shoot densities and limited tidal exchange, brine layers limit oxygen diffusion and prevent oxidation of sulfide in sediments and bottom water, exposing roots, rhizomes and lateral meristems of Thalassia to acutely toxic levels of sulfide, causing extensive mortality. Dead belowground tissues provide labile carbon sources to sulfate-reducing bacteria enhancing sulfide production and creating a positive feedback loop of increasing sulfide toxicity leading to further seagrass death. The carbon sequestration capacity of these dense seagrass communities is diminished three ways: 1) export of dead seagrass shoots and leaves as floating wrack, 2) in situ decomposition of roots, rhizomes, and some leaf material, and 3) reduced areal productivity of surviving seagrasses. Climate analyses show that, in the short term ( 50 years), higher water temperatures and evaporation rates might result in recurring seagrass mortality events. However, in the long term, sea level rise will increase tidal exchange and flushing in Florida Bay reducing the likelihood of seagrass mortality.

Multibeam Mapping of the West Florida Shelf-The Edges, Gulf of Mexico, Appalachicola, Florida.

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — XYZ ASCII format high-resolution bathymetry data generated from the 2010 multibeam sonar survey of the West Florida Shelf-The Edges, Gulf of Mexico, Appalachicola,...

The Cost of Employment Discrimination against Transgender Residents of Florida

OpenAIRE

Brown, Taylor NT; Herman, Jody L

2015-01-01

The State of Florida spends more than a half million dollars each year as the result of employment discrimination against transgender residents. Currently, 10 counties and 14 cities in Florida have ordinances prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity in public and private sector employment, but nearly 22,000 transgender adult residents are not covered by these laws. Employment discrimination against transgender adults in Florida costs the state an estimated $570,000 annually in stat...

An Analysis of Total Lightning Flash Rates Over Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzetti, Thomas O.; Fuelberg, Henry E.

2017-12-01

Although Florida is known as the "Sunshine State", it also contains the greatest lightning flash densities in the United States. Flash density has received considerable attention in the literature, but lightning flash rate has received much less attention. We use data from the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) to produce a 5 year (2010-2014) set of statistics regarding total flash rates over Florida and adjacent regions. Instead of tracking individual storms, we superimpose a 0.2° × 0.2° grid over the study region and count both cloud-to-ground (CG) and in-cloud (IC) flashes over 5 min intervals. Results show that the distribution of total flash rates is highly skewed toward small values, whereas the greatest rate is 185 flashes min-1. Greatest average annual flash rates ( 3 flashes min-1) are located near Orlando. The southernmost peninsula, North Florida, and the Florida Panhandle exhibit smaller average annual flash rates ( 1.5 flashes min-1). Large flash rates > 100 flashes min-1 can occur during any season, at any time during the 24 h period, and at any location within the domain. However, they are most likely during the afternoon and early evening in East Central Florida during the spring and summer months.

Biodiversity in a Florida Sandhill Ecosystem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha Robertson

2009-01-01

Full Text Available This project compares two transects of land in the University of South Florida's Botanical Gardens for their biodiversity. The transects were chosen to represent a Florida sandhill ecosystem and the individual Longleaf Pine, Saw Palmetto, Turkey Oak, Laurel Oak and Live Oak specimens were counted. All other species above waist height were counted as "other"?. Once the individuals were counted, the Simpson's and Shannon-Wiener indices were calculated. Since the Shannon-Wiener index incorporates several diversity characteristics, it is typically more reliable than Simpson's. However, both biodiversity indices agreed that transect B was more diverse than transect A.

Helicopter electromagnetic survey of the Model Land Area, Southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Fitterman, David V.; Deszcz-Pan, Maria; Prinos, Scott T.

2012-01-01

This report describes a helicopter electromagnetic survey flown over the Model Land Area in southeastern Miami-Dade County, Florida, to map saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer. The survey, which is located south and east of Florida City, Florida, covers an area of 115 square kilometers with a flight-line spacing of 400 meters. A five-frequency, horizontal, coplanar bird with frequencies ranging from 400 to 100,000 Hertz was used. The data were interpreted using differential resistivity analysis and inversion to produce cross sections and resistivity depth-slice maps. The depth of investigation is as deep as 100 meters in freshwater-saturated portions of the Biscayne aquifer and the depth diminishes to about 50 meters in areas that are intruded by saltwater. The results compare favorably with ground-based, time-domain electromagnetic soundings and induction logs from observation wells in the area. The base of a high-resistivity, freshwater-saturated zone mapped in the northern 2 kilometers of the survey area corresponds quite well with the base of the surficial aquifer that has been determined by drilling. In general, saltwater in the survey area extends 9 to 12 kilometers inland from the coast; however, there is a long nose of saltwater centered along the Card Sound Road Canal that extends 15 kilometers inland. The cause of this preferential intrusion is likely due to uncontrolled surface flow along the canal and subsequent leakage of saltwater into the aquifer. Saltwater also extends farther inland in the area between U.S. Highway 1 and Card Sound Road than it does to the west of this area. Until 1944, a railroad grade occupied the current location of U.S. Highway 1. Borrow ditches associated with the railroad grade connected to Barnes Sound and allowed saltwater to flow during droughts and storm surges to within a few kilometers of Florida City. Relicts of this saltwater that settled to the bottom of the Biscayne aquifer can be seen in the helicopter

Peucedanum ostruthium (L. Koch: Morphological and phytochemical variability of twelve accessions from the Swiss alpine region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

McCardell, Jessica Heather

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Ostruthin, a natural bioactive compound mainly occurring in the roots of Peucedanum ostruthium, is the focus of this study. P. ostruthium was collected from twelve locations in the Swiss alpine region and reared in an experimental field, subdivided into twelve lots over two years. In the spring and fall, a portion of each of the twelve accessions was harvested and separated into above and below ground plant parts. The dried plants were then extracted with 60 % ethanol using accelerated solvent extraction (ASE and analyzed using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC.The above and below ground plant parts were then analyzed concerning their dry matter yield (DMY, their ostruthin concentration and their ostruthin yield. Focusing on ostruthin, it was found that the below ground plant parts harvested in the fall rendered the highest ostruthin yield. Furthermore, a variability concerning ostruthin among the twelve accessions was found. This variability among the accessions is of interest with regards to a breeding program used to develop a cultivar with a high ostruthin yield.

Competency-Based Materials for the Florida Automotive Mechanics Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Goodson, Ludy; And Others

1978-01-01

Describes Florida's new automotive mechanics curriculum, an individualized, self-paced learning sequence that combines text material, review exercises and actual work activities. Development of the materials, including incorporation of Florida's V-TECS catalog of performance objectives in auto mechanics, is described. A field-test experience of a…

Financial Management: Cash Management Practices in Florida Community Colleges.

Science.gov (United States)

Spiwak, Rand S.

A study was conducted to identify those variables appearing to affect cash management practices in Florida community colleges, and recommend prescriptive measures concerning these practices. The study methodology included informal discussions with the chief fiscal officers of each Florida community college and appropriate state board staff,…

Coexistence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Peninsular Florida Two Decades After Competitive Displacements.

Science.gov (United States)

Lounibos, L Philip; Bargielowski, Irka; Carrasquilla, María Cristina; Nishimura, Naoya

2016-11-01

The spread of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) eastward in the mid-1980s from its initial establishment in Houston, TX, was associated with rapid declines and local disappearances of Aedes aegypti (L.) in Gulf Coast states and Florida where annual larval surveillance during the early 1990s described temporal and spatial patterns of competitive displacements in cemeteries and tire shops. Approximately 20 yr later in 2013-2014, we re-visited former collection sites and sampled aquatic immatures of these two species from tire shops in 10 cities on State Route 441 and from 9 cemeteries from Lakeland to Miami in southwest Florida. In the recent samples Ae. aegypti was recovered from three central Florida cities where it had not been detected in 1994, but its northern limit on Rte. 441, Apopka, did not change. Other evidence, such as trends at a few cemeteries, suggested a moderate resurgence of this species since 1994. Cage experiments that exposed female progeny of Ae. aegypti from recent Florida collection sites to interspecific mating by Ae. albopictus males showed that females from coexistence sites had evolved resistance to cross-mating, but Ae. aegypti from sites with no Ae. albopictus were relatively susceptible to satyrization. Habitat classifications of collection sites were reduced by principal component (PC) analysis to four variables that accounted for > 99% of variances; PCs with strong positive loadings for tree cover and ground vegetation were associated with collection sites yielding only Ae. albopictus Within the coexistence range of the two species, the numbers of Ae. aegypti among total Aedes collected were strongly correlated in stepwise logistic regression models with two habitat-derived PCs, distance from the coast, and annual rainfall and mean maximum temperatures at the nearest weather station. Subtle increases in the range of Ae. aegypti since its previous displacements are interpreted in the context of the evolution of resistance to mating

USGS Field Activities 11CEV01 and 11CEV02 on the West Florida Shelf, Gulf of Mexico, in January and February 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Lisa L.; Knorr, Paul O.; Daly, Kendra L.; Taylor, Carl A.

2014-01-01

During January and February 2011 the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the University of South Florida (USF), conducted geochemical surveys on the west Florida Shelf. Data collected will allow USGS and USF scientists to investigate the effects of climate change on ocean acidification within the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically, the effect of ocean acidification on marine organisms and habitats. This work is part of a larger USGS study on Climate and Environmental Variability (CEV). The first cruise was conducted from January 3 – 7 (11CEV01) and the second from February 17 - 27 (11CEV02). To view each cruise's survey lines, please see the Trackline page. Both cruises took place aboard the R/V Weatherbird II, a ship of opportunity led by Dr. Kendra Daly (USF), which departed and returned from Saint Petersburg, Florida. Data collection included sampling of the surface and water column (referred to as station samples) with lab analysis of pH, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and total alkalinity. Augmenting the lab analysis was a continuous flow-through system with a Conductivity-Temperature-Depth (CTD) sensor, which also recorded salinity, and pH. Corroborating the USGS data are the vertical CTD profiles collected by USF. The CTD casts measured continuous vertical profiles of oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence, optical backscatter, and transmissometer. Discrete samples for nutrients, chlorophyll, and particulate organic carbon/nitrogen were also collected during the CTD casts.

Impacts of dialysis transportation on Florida's coordinated public transportation programs.

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

The National Center for Transit Research (NCTR) at the University of South Florida (USF) collected quantitative and qualitative data from Community Transportation Coordinators (CTCs) throughout Florida. An online survey and a series of personal inter...

Factors That Influence the Transmission of West Nile Virus in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Jonathan F; Tabachnick, Walter J; Smartt, Chelsea T

2015-09-01

West Nile virus (WNV) was first detected in North America in New York City during the late summer of 1999 and was first detected in Florida in 2001. Although WNV has been responsible for widespread and extensive epidemics in human populations and epizootics in domestic animals and wildlife throughout North America, comparable epidemics have never materialized in Florida. Here, we review some of the reasons why WNV has yet to cause an extensive outbreak in Florida. The primary vector of mosquito-borne encephalitis virus in Florida is Culex nigripalpus Theobald. Rainfall, drought, and temperature are the primary factors that regulate annual populations of this species. Cx. nigripalpus is a competent vector of WNV, St. Louis encephalitis virus, and eastern equine encephalitis virus in Florida, and populations of this species can support focal amplification and transmission of these arboviruses. We propose that a combination of environmental factors influencing Cx. nigripalpus oviposition, blood-feeding behavior, and vector competence have limited WNV transmission in Florida to relatively small focal outbreaks and kept the state free of a major epidemic. Florida must remain vigilant to the danger from WNV, because a change in these environmental factors could easily result in a substantial WNV epidemic rivaling those seen elsewhere in the United States. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Estimated discharge of treated wastewater in Florida, 1990

Science.gov (United States)

Marella, R.L.

1994-01-01

According to the Florida Department of Environ- mental Protection, 5,100 wastewater treatment systems were in operation during 1990. Of this total, 72 percent were domestic wastewater facilities and 28 percent were industrial waste- water facilities. The number of wastewater systems inventoried for 1990 was 1,062 (systems that treated and discharged more than 0.01 Mgal/d or had a plant capacity of greater than 0.04 Mgal/d. Based on this inventory, the estimated discharge of treated wastewater in Florida during 1990 totaled 1,638 million gallons per day. Approxi- mately 65 percent of this water was discharged to surface water during 1990 and the remaining 35 percent was discharged to ground water. Discharge to surface water includes effluent outfalls into the Atlantic Ocean (32 percent), while the re- maining (68 percent) is discharged into the Gulf of Mexico, bays, rivers, wetlands, and other surface water bodies throughout Florida. Discharge to ground-water includes treated effluent outfalls to land application systems (reuse systems and spray fields), drain fields, percolation ponds (51 percent), and to injection wells (49 percent). An estimated 322 million gallons per day of the treated domestic and industrial wastewater was reused during 1990. Discharge of treated domestic wastewater from the 994 systems inventoried in Florida during 1990 totaled 1,353 million gallons per day and served an estimated 8.58 million people (66 percent of the population of Florida in 1990). The remaining 34 percent of the popu- lation (4.36 million) are served by the 2,700 smaller domestic wastewater systems or have individual septic tanks. In 1990, there were 1.56 million septic tanks in Florida. Discharge of industrial wastewater was inventoried for 68 systems in 1990 and totaled 285 million gallons per day. Discharge of domestic wastewater in- creased more than 20 percent and industrial wastewater discharge increased 5 percent from 1985 to 1990. (USGS)

2005 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Lidar: Manatee District

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) LAS dataset is a survey of select areas within Southwest Florida. These data were produced for the Southwest Florida Water...

Environmental Nitrogen Losses from Commercial Crop Production Systems in the Suwannee River Basin of Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Prasad, Rishi; Hochmuth, George J

2016-01-01

The springs and the Suwannee river of northern Florida in Middle Suwanee River Basin (MSRB) are among several examples in this planet that have shown a temporal trend of increasing nitrate concentration primarily due to the impacts of non-point sources such as agriculture. The rate of nitrate increase in the river as documented by Ham and Hatzell (1996) was 0.02 mg N L-1 y-1. Best management practices (BMPs) for nutrients were adopted by the commercial farms in the MSRB region to reduce the amounts of pollutants entering the water bodies, however the effectiveness of BMPs remains a topic of interest and discussion among the researchers, environmental administrators and policy makers about the loads of nitrogen entering into groundwater and river systems. Through this study, an initiative was taken to estimate nitrogen losses into the environment from commercial production systems of row and vegetable crops that had adopted BMPs and were under a presumption of compliance with state water quality standards. Nitrogen mass budget was constructed by quantifying the N sources and sinks for three crops (potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), sweet corn (Zea mays L.) and silage corn (Zea mays L.)) over a four year period (2010-2013) on a large representative commercial farm in northern Florida. Fertilizer N was found to be the primary N input and represented 98.0 ± 1.4, 91.0 ± 13.9, 78.0 ± 17.3% of the total N input for potato, sweet corn, and silage corn, respectively. Average crop N uptake represented 55.5%, 60.5%, and 65.2% of the mean total input N whereas average mineral N left in top 0.3 m soil layer at harvest represented 9.1%, 4.5%, and 2.6% of the mean total input N. Mean environmental N losses represented 35.3%, 34.3%, and 32.7% of the mean total input N for potato, sweet corn, and silage corn, respectively. Nitrogen losses showed a linear trend with increase in N inputs. Although, there is no quick fix for controlling N losses from crop production in MSRB, the

Genetic introgression and the survival of Florida panther kittens

Science.gov (United States)

Hostetler, Jeffrey A.; Onorato, David P.; Nichols, James D.; Johnson, Warren E.; Roelke, Melody E.; O'Brien, Stephen J.; Jansen, Deborah; Oli, Madan K.

2010-01-01

Estimates of survival for the young of a species are critical for population models. These models can often be improved by determining the effects of management actions and population abundance on this demographic parameter. We used multiple sources of data collected during 1982–2008 and a live-recapture dead-recovery modeling framework to estimate and model survival of Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) kittens (age 0–1 year). Overall, annual survival of Florida panther kittens was 0.323 ± 0.071 (SE), which was lower than estimates used in previous population models. In 1995, female pumas from Texas (P. c. stanleyana) were released into occupied panther range as part of an intentional introgression program to restore genetic variability. We found that kitten survival generally increased with degree of admixture: F1 admixed and backcrossed to Texas kittens survived better than canonical Florida panther and backcrossed to canonical kittens. Average heterozygosity positively influenced kitten and older panther survival, whereas index of panther abundance negatively influenced kitten survival. Our results provide strong evidence for the positive population-level impact of genetic introgression on Florida panthers. Our approach to integrate data from multiple sources was effective at improving robustness as well as precision of estimates of Florida panther kitten survival, and can be useful in estimating vital rates for other elusive species with sparse data.

Hidden twelve-dimensional super Poincare symmetry in eleven dimensions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bars, Itzhak; Deliduman, Cemsinan; Pasqua, Andrea; Zumino, Bruno

2004-01-01

First, we review a result in our previous paper, of how a ten-dimensional superparticle, taken off-shell, has a hidden eleven-dimensional super Poincare symmetry. Then, we show that the physical sector is defined by three first-class constraints which preserve the full eleven-dimensional symmetry. Applying the same concepts to the eleven-dimensional superparticle, taken off-shell, we discover a hidden twelve-dimensional super Poincare symmetry that governs the theory

Mapping of Florida's Coastal and Marine Resources: Setting Priorities Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Lisa; Wolfe, Steven; Raabe, Ellen

2008-01-01

The importance of mapping habitats and bioregions as a means to improve resource management has become increasingly clear. Large areas of the waters surrounding Florida are unmapped or incompletely mapped, possibly hindering proper management and good decisionmaking. Mapping of these ecosystems is among the top priorities identified by the Florida Oceans and Coastal Council in their Annual Science Research Plan. However, lack of prioritization among the coastal and marine areas and lack of coordination of agency efforts impede efficient, cost-effective mapping. A workshop on Mapping of Florida's Coastal and Marine Resources was sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and Southeastern Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS). The workshop was held at the USGS Florida Integrated Science Center (FISC) in St. Petersburg, FL, on February 7-8, 2007. The workshop was designed to provide State, Federal, university, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) the opportunity to discuss their existing data coverage and create a prioritization of areas for new mapping data in Florida. Specific goals of the workshop were multifold, including to: * provide information to agencies on state-of-the-art technology for collecting data; * inform participants of the ongoing mapping programs in waters off Florida; * present the mapping needs and priorities of the State and Federal agencies and entities operating in Florida; * work with State of Florida agencies to establish an overall priority for areas needing mapping; * initiate discussion of a unified classification of habitat and bioregions; * discuss and examine the need to standardize terminology and data collection/storage so that data, in particular habitat data, can be shared; 9 identify opportunities for partnering and leveraging mapping efforts among agencies and entities; * identify impediments and organizational gaps that hinder collection

Spatial epidemiology of eastern equine encephalitis in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Vander Kelen, Patrick T; Downs, Joni A; Stark, Lillian M; Loraamm, Rebecca W; Anderson, James H; Unnasch, Thomas R

2012-11-05

Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV) is an alphavirus with high pathogenicity in both humans and horses. Florida continues to have the highest occurrence of human cases in the USA, with four fatalities recorded in 2010. Unlike other states, Florida supports year-round EEEV transmission. This research uses GIS to examine spatial patterns of documented horse cases during 2005-2010 in order to understand the relationships between habitat and transmission intensity of EEEV in Florida. Cumulative incidence rates of EEE in horses were calculated for each county. Two cluster analyses were performed using density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN). The first analysis was based on regional clustering while the second focused on local clustering. Ecological associations of EEEV were examined using compositional analysis and Euclidean distance analysis to determine if the proportion or proximity of certain habitats played a role in transmission. The DBSCAN algorithm identified five distinct regional spatial clusters that contained 360 of the 438 horse cases. The local clustering resulted in 18 separate clusters containing 105 of the 438 cases. Both the compositional analysis and Euclidean distance analysis indicated that the top five habitats positively associated with horse cases were rural residential areas, crop and pastureland, upland hardwood forests, vegetated non-forested wetlands, and tree plantations. This study demonstrates that in Florida tree plantations are a focus for epizootic transmission of EEEV. It appears both the abundance and proximity of tree plantations are factors associated with increased risk of EEE in horses and therefore humans. This association helps to explain why there is are spatially distinct differences in the amount of EEE horse cases across Florida.

Genetic diversity and connectivity in the threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis in Florida.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth M Hemond

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Over the past three decades, populations of the dominant shallow water Caribbean corals, Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, have been devastated by white-band disease (WBD, resulting in the listing of both species as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A key to conserving these threatened corals is understanding how their populations are genetically interconnected throughout the greater Caribbean. Genetic research has demonstrated that gene flow is regionally restricted across the Caribbean in both species. Yet, despite being an important site of coral reef research, little genetic data has been available for the Florida Acropora, especially for the staghorn coral, A. cervicornis. In this study, we present new mitochondrial DNA sequence data from 52 A. cervicornis individuals from 22 sites spread across the upper and lower Florida Keys, which suggest that Florida's A. cervicornis populations are highly genetically interconnected (F(ST = -0.081. Comparison between Florida and existing mtDNA data from six regional Caribbean populations indicates that Florida possesses high levels of standing genetic diversity (h = 0.824 relative to the rest of the greater Caribbean (h = 0.701+/-0.043. We find that the contemporary level of gene flow across the greater Caribbean, including Florida, is restricted (Phi(CT = 0.117, but evidence from shared haplotypes suggests the Western Caribbean has historically been a source of genetic variation for Florida. Despite the current patchiness of A. cervicornis in Florida, the relatively high genetic diversity and connectivity within Florida suggest that this population may have sufficient genetic variation to be viable and resilient to environmental perturbation and disease. Limited genetic exchange across regional populations of the greater Caribbean, including Florida, indicates that conservation efforts for A. cervicornis should focus on maintaining and managing populations locally rather than

Genetic diversity and connectivity in the threatened staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Hemond, Elizabeth M; Vollmer, Steven V

2010-01-11

Over the past three decades, populations of the dominant shallow water Caribbean corals, Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, have been devastated by white-band disease (WBD), resulting in the listing of both species as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A key to conserving these threatened corals is understanding how their populations are genetically interconnected throughout the greater Caribbean. Genetic research has demonstrated that gene flow is regionally restricted across the Caribbean in both species. Yet, despite being an important site of coral reef research, little genetic data has been available for the Florida Acropora, especially for the staghorn coral, A. cervicornis. In this study, we present new mitochondrial DNA sequence data from 52 A. cervicornis individuals from 22 sites spread across the upper and lower Florida Keys, which suggest that Florida's A. cervicornis populations are highly genetically interconnected (F(ST) = -0.081). Comparison between Florida and existing mtDNA data from six regional Caribbean populations indicates that Florida possesses high levels of standing genetic diversity (h = 0.824) relative to the rest of the greater Caribbean (h = 0.701+/-0.043). We find that the contemporary level of gene flow across the greater Caribbean, including Florida, is restricted (Phi(CT) = 0.117), but evidence from shared haplotypes suggests the Western Caribbean has historically been a source of genetic variation for Florida. Despite the current patchiness of A. cervicornis in Florida, the relatively high genetic diversity and connectivity within Florida suggest that this population may have sufficient genetic variation to be viable and resilient to environmental perturbation and disease. Limited genetic exchange across regional populations of the greater Caribbean, including Florida, indicates that conservation efforts for A. cervicornis should focus on maintaining and managing populations locally rather than relying on larval

Origin of invasive Florida frogs traced to Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Heinicke, Matthew P.; Diaz, Luis M.; Hedges, S. Blair

2011-01-01

Two of the earliest examples of successful invasive amphibians are the greenhouse frog (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) and the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis) in Florida. Although both are generally assumed to be recent introductions, they are widespread on Caribbean islands and also have been proposed as natural colonizers. We obtained nucleotide sequence data for both species and their closest relatives in their native and introduced ranges. Phylogenetic analyses trace the origin of E. planirostris to a small area in western Cuba, while O. septentrionalis is derived from at least two Cuban sources, one probably a remote peninsula in western Cuba. The tropical-to-temperate invasion began with colonization of the Florida Keys followed by human-mediated dispersal within peninsular Florida. The subtropical Keys may have served as an adaptive stepping stone for the successful invasion of the North American continent. PMID:21270024

Florida State Briefing Book for low-level radioactive-waste management

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1981-06-01

The Florida State Briefing Book is one of a series of state briefing books on low-level radioactive waste management practices. It has been prepared to assist state and federal agency officials in planning for safe low-level radioactive waste disposal. The report contains a profile of low-level radioactive waste generators in Florida. The profile is the result of a survey of NRC licensees in Florida. The briefing book also contains a comprehensive assessment of low-level radioactive waste management issues and concerns as defined by all major interested parties including industry, government, the media, and interest groups. The assessment was developed through personal communications with representatives of interested parties, and through a review of media sources. Lastly, the briefing book provides demographic and socioeconomic data and a discussion of relevant government agencies and activities, all of which may impact waste management practices in Florida.

Florida State Briefing Book for low-level radioactive waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-06-01

The Florida State Briefing Book is one of a series of State briefing books on low-level radioactive waste management practices. It has been prepared to assist State and Federal agency officials in planning for safe low-level radioactive waste disposal. The report contains a profile of low-level radioactive waste generators in Florida. The profile is the result of a survey of NRC licensees in Florida. The briefing book also contains a comprehensive assessment of low-level radioactive waste management issues and concerns as defined by all major interested parties including industry, government, the media, and interest groups. The assessment was developed through personal communications with representatives of interested parties, and through a review of media sources. Lastly, the briefing book provides demographic and socioeconomic data and a discussion of relevant government agencies and activities, all of which may impact waste management practices in Florida

Florida State Briefing Book for low-level radioactive-waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-06-01

The Florida State Briefing Book is one of a series of state briefing books on low-level radioactive waste management practices. It has been prepared to assist state and federal agency officials in planning for safe low-level radioactive waste disposal. The report contains a profile of low-level radioactive waste generators in Florida. The profile is the result of a survey of NRC licensees in Florida. The briefing book also contains a comprehensive assessment of low-level radioactive waste management issues and concerns as defined by all major interested parties including industry, government, the media, and interest groups. The assessment was developed through personal communications with representatives of interested parties, and through a review of media sources. Lastly, the briefing book provides demographic and socioeconomic data and a discussion of relevant government agencies and activities, all of which may impact waste management practices in Florida

Conservation: saving Florida's manatees

Science.gov (United States)

Bonde, Robert K.

2008-01-01

Robert K. Bonde of the U.S. Geological Survey writes about the protected population of manatees in Crystal River, Florida, including information about the threats they face as they migrate in and out of protected waters. Photographer Carol Grant shares images of "Angel," a newborn manatee she photographed early one winter morning.

Water Withdrawals, Use, and Trends in Florida, 2005

Science.gov (United States)

Marella, Richard L.

2009-01-01

In 2005, the total amount of water withdrawals in Florida was estimated at 18,359 million gallons per day (Mgal/d). Saline water accounted for 11,486 Mgal/d (63 percent), and freshwater accounted for 6,873 Mgal/d (37 percent). Groundwater accounted for 4,247 Mgal/d (62 percent) of freshwater withdrawals, and surface water accounted for the remaining 2,626 Mgal/d (38 percent). Surface water accounted for nearly all (99.9 percent) saline-water withdrawals. An additional 660 Mgal/d of reclaimed wastewater was used in Florida during 2005. The largest amount of freshwater was withdrawn from Palm Beach County, and the largest amount of saline water was withdrawn from Pasco County. Fresh groundwater provided drinking water (public supplied and self-supplied) for 16.19 million people (90 percent of Florida's population), and fresh surface water provided drinking water for 1.73 million people (10 percent). The majority of groundwater withdrawals (nearly 60 percent) in 2005 was obtained from the Floridan aquifer system which is present throughout the entire State. The majority of fresh surface-water withdrawals (59 percent) came from the southern Florida hydrologic unit subregion and is associated with Lake Okeechobee and the canals in the Everglades Agricultural Area of Glades, Hendry, and Palm Beach Counties, as well as the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries in the agricultural areas of Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties. Overall, agricultural irrigation accounted for 40 percent of the total freshwater withdrawals (ground and surface), followed by public supply with 37 percent. Public supply accounted for 52 percent of groundwater withdrawals, followed by agricultural self-supplied (31 percent), ommercial-industrial-mining self-supplied (8.5 percent), recreational irrigation and domestic self-supplied (4 percent each), and power generation (0.5 percent). Agricultural self-supplied accounted for 56 percent of fresh surface-water withdrawals, followed by power

Residential Energy Efficiency Potential: Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilson, Eric J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-11-16

Energy used by Florida single-family homes that can be saved through cost-effective improvements. Prepared by Eric Wilson and Noel Merket, NREL, and Erin Boyd, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis.

Premarital sex in the last twelve months and its predictors among ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Premarital sex increases the risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections including HIV if unprotected and contraception is not used. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess premarital sex in the last twelve months and its predictors among regular undergraduate students of Wollega ...

Santa Rosa Island Final Range Environmental Assessment, Revision 1. Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-01

west coast; 3) Dry Tortugas , Florida, Subpopulation; 4) Florida Panhandle Subpopulation occurring at Eglin AFB and the beaches near Panama City; and... Tortugas , florida, Subpopulation, (4) Northwest florida Subpopulation occurring at Eglin Ai r Force Base and the beaches near Panama City; and (5...annually from 1995 and 2005 (FWC/FWRI sea turtle nesting database and unpublished data). A nearly complete census of the Dry Tortugas Subpopulation

Predictors of Sunburn Risk Among Florida Residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Arutyunyan, Sergey; Alfonso, Sarah V; Hernandez, Nilda; Favreau, Tracy; Fernández, M Isabel

2017-03-01

The incidence of skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the United States, is increasing. Sunburn is a major modifiable risk factor for skin cancer, and its prevalence among the US population is high. To identify predictors of having had a red or painful sunburn in the past 12 months among people living in Florida. Florida residents were recruited from public places and online. They were asked to complete an anonymous cross-sectional survey that assessed demographic information, dermatologic history, as well as knowledge, attitude, and behavior factors associated with sunburn. A total of 437 participants whose data were complete for all variables were included in the multivariate analysis. In multivariate logistic regression, younger age (18-29 years) was the most significant predictor of sunburn (OR, 15.26; 95% CI, 5.97-38.98; PSunburn prevention programs that osteopathic physicians can readily implement in clinical practice are urgently needed, particularly for young adult patients. This study identified 7 predictors of sunburn in Florida residents. With additional research findings, promoting attitude change toward sun protection may be a viable strategy.

FLORIDA TOWER FOOTPRINT EXPERIMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WATSON,T.B.; DIETZ, R.N.; WILKE, R.; HENDREY, G.; LEWIN, K.; NAGY, J.; LECLERC, M.

2007-01-01

The Florida Footprint experiments were a series of field programs in which perfluorocarbon tracers were released in different configurations centered on a flux tower to generate a data set that can be used to test transport and dispersion models. These models are used to determine the sources of the CO{sub 2} that cause the fluxes measured at eddy covariance towers. Experiments were conducted in a managed slash pine forest, 10 km northeast of Gainesville, Florida, in 2002, 2004, and 2006 and in atmospheric conditions that ranged from well mixed, to very stable, including the transition period between convective conditions at midday to stable conditions after sun set. There were a total of 15 experiments. The characteristics of the PFTs, details of sampling and analysis methods, quality control measures, and analytical statistics including confidence limits are presented. Details of the field programs including tracer release rates, tracer source configurations, and configuration of the samplers are discussed. The result of this experiment is a high quality, well documented tracer and meteorological data set that can be used to improve and validate canopy dispersion models.

Evolutionary and functional mitogenomics associated with the genetic restoration of the Florida panther

Science.gov (United States)

Ochoa, Alexander; Onorato, David P.; Fitak, Robert R.; Roelke-Parker, Melody; Culver, Melanie

2017-01-01

Florida panthers are endangered pumas that currently persist in reduced patches of habitat in South Florida, USA. We performed mitogenome reference-based assemblies for most parental lines of the admixed Florida panthers that resulted from the introduction of female Texas pumas into South Florida in 1995. With the addition of 2 puma mitogenomes, we characterized 174 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) across 12 individuals. We defined 5 haplotypes (Pco1–Pco5), one of which (Pco1) had a geographic origin exclusive to Costa Rica and Panama and was possibly introduced into the Everglades National Park, Florida, prior to 1995. Haplotype Pco2 was native to Florida. Haplotypes Pco3 and Pco4 were exclusive to Texas, whereas haplotype Pco5 had an undetermined geographic origin. Phylogenetic inference suggests that haplotypes Pco1–Pco4 diverged ~202000 (95% HPDI = 83000–345000) years ago and that haplotypes Pco2–Pco4 diverged ~61000 (95% HPDI = 9000–127000) years ago. These results are congruent with a south-to-north continental expansion and with a recent North American colonization by pumas. Furthermore, pumas may have migrated from Texas to Florida no earlier than ~44000 (95% HPDI = 2000–98000) years ago. Synonymous mutations presented a greater mean substitution rate than other mitochondrial functional regions: nonsynonymous mutations, tRNAs, rRNAs, and control region. Similarly, all protein-coding genes were under predominant negative selection constraints. We directly and indirectly assessed the presence of potential deleterious SNPs in the ND2 and ND5 genes in Florida panthers prior to and as a consequence of the introduction of Texas pumas. Screenings for such variants are recommended in extant Florida panthers.

Florida's salt-marsh management issues: 1991-98.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, D B; O'Bryan, P D; Rey, J R

1999-06-01

During the 1990s, Florida has continued to make important strides in managing salt marshes for both mosquito control and natural resource enhancement. The political mechanism for this progress continues to be interagency cooperation through the Florida Coordinating Council on Mosquito Control and its Subcommittee on Managed Marshes (SOMM). Continuing management experience and research has helped refine the most environmentally acceptable source reduction methods, which typically are Rotational Impoundment Management or Open Marsh Water Management. The development of regional marsh management plans for salt marshes within the Indian River Lagoon by the SOMM has helped direct the implementation of the best management practices for these marshes. Controversy occasionally occurs concerning what management technique is most appropriate for individual marshes. The most common disagreement is over the benefits of maintaining an impoundment in an "open" vs. "closed" condition, with the "closed" condition, allowing for summer mosquito control flooding or winter waterfowl management. New federal initiatives influencing salt-marsh management have included the Indian River Lagoon-National Estuary Program and the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program. A new Florida initiative is the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Eco-system Management Program with continuing involvement by the Surface Water Improvement and Management program. A developing mitigation banking program has the potential to benefit marsh management but mosquito control interests may suffer if not handled properly. Larvicides remain as an important salt-marsh integrated pest management tool with the greatest acreage being treated with temephos, followed by Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and methoprene. However, over the past 14 years, use of biorational larvicides has increased greatly.

Safety of superconducting fusion magnets: twelve problem areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turner, L.R.

1979-05-01

Twelve problem areas of superconducting magnets for fusion reaction are described. These are: Quench Detection and Energy Dump, Stationary Normal Region of Conductor, Current Leads, Electrical Arcing, Electrical Shorts, Conductor Joints, Forces from Unequal Currents, Eddy Current Effects, Cryostat Rupture, Vacuum Failure, Fringing Field and Instrumentation for Safety. Each is described under the five categories: Identification and Definition, Possible Safety Effects, Current Practice, Adequacy of Current Practice for Fusion Magnets and Areas Requiring Further Analytical and Experimental Study. Priorities among these areas are suggested; application is made to the Large Coil Project at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Twelve tips for creating an academic teaching portfolio.

Science.gov (United States)

Little-Wienert, Kim; Mazziotti, Mark

2018-01-01

An academic teaching portfolio is not only a requirement at many academic teaching institutions, but it is also important in a medical educator's growth and development through documentation, reflection, evaluation, and change. Creating an academic portfolio may appear daunting at first but with careful advanced preparation, organized evidence collection of your educational work, proof of scholarship, and thorough documentation of self-reflection and change, you can produce a successful product that accurately represents your educational beliefs, accomplishments, and growth throughout your career. This article provides medical educators with twelve steps for creating a successful academic teaching portfolio.

Spatial epidemiology of eastern equine encephalitis in Florida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vander Kelen Patrick T

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV is an alphavirus with high pathogenicity in both humans and horses. Florida continues to have the highest occurrence of human cases in the USA, with four fatalities recorded in 2010. Unlike other states, Florida supports year-round EEEV transmission. This research uses GIS to examine spatial patterns of documented horse cases during 2005–2010 in order to understand the relationships between habitat and transmission intensity of EEEV in Florida. Methods Cumulative incidence rates of EEE in horses were calculated for each county. Two cluster analyses were performed using density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN. The first analysis was based on regional clustering while the second focused on local clustering. Ecological associations of EEEV were examined using compositional analysis and Euclidean distance analysis to determine if the proportion or proximity of certain habitats played a role in transmission. Results The DBSCAN algorithm identified five distinct regional spatial clusters that contained 360 of the 438 horse cases. The local clustering resulted in 18 separate clusters containing 105 of the 438 cases. Both the compositional analysis and Euclidean distance analysis indicated that the top five habitats positively associated with horse cases were rural residential areas, crop and pastureland, upland hardwood forests, vegetated non-forested wetlands, and tree plantations. Conclusions This study demonstrates that in Florida tree plantations are a focus for epizootic transmission of EEEV. It appears both the abundance and proximity of tree plantations are factors associated with increased risk of EEE in horses and therefore humans. This association helps to explain why there is are spatially distinct differences in the amount of EEE horse cases across Florida.

Citrus leprosis and its status in Florida and Texas: past and present.

Science.gov (United States)

Childers, C C; Rodrigues, J C V; Derrick, K S; Achor, D S; French, J V; Welbourn, W C; Ochoa, R; Kitajima, E W

2003-01-01

According to published reports from 1906 to 1968, leprosis nearly destroyed the Florida citrus industry prior to 1925. This was supported with photographs showing typical leprosis symptoms on citrus leaves, fruit, and twigs. Support for the past occurrence of citrus leprosis in Florida includes: (1) presence of twig lesions in affected orange blocks in addition to lesions on fruits and leaves and corresponding absence of similar lesions on grapefruit; (2) yield reduction and die-back on infected trees; and (3) spread of the disease between 1906 and 1925. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) examination of tissue samples from leprosis-like injuries to orange and grapefruit leaves from Florida in 1997, and fruits from grapefruit and sweet orange varieties from Texas in 1999 and 2000 did not contain leprosis-like viral particles or viroplasm inclusions. In contrast, leprosis viroplasm inclusions were readily identified by TEM within green non-senescent tissues surrounding leprosis lesions in two of every three orange leaf samples and half of the fruit samples obtained from Piracicaba, Brazil. Symptoms of leprosis were not seen in any of the 24,555 orange trees examined across Florida during 2001 and 2002. The authors conclude that citrus leprosis no longer exists in Florida nor occurs in Texas citrus based on: (1) lack of leprosis symptoms on leaves, fruit, and twigs of sweet orange citrus varieties surveyed in Florida: (2) failure to find virus particles or viroplasm inclusion bodies in suspect samples from both Florida and Texas examined by TEM; (3) absence of documented reports by others on the presence of characteristic leprosis symptoms in Florida; (4) lack of its documented occurrence in dooryard trees or abandoned or minimal pesticide citrus orchard sites in Florida. In view of the serious threat to citrus in the U.S., every effort must be taken to quarantine the importation of both citrus and woody ornamental plants that serve as hosts for Brevipalpus

A habitat assessment for Florida panther population expansion into central Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Thatcher, C.A.; Van Manen, F.T.; Clark, J.D.

2009-01-01

One of the goals of the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) recovery plan is to expand panther range north of the Caloosahatchee River in central Florida. Our objective was to evaluate the potential of that region to support panthers. We used a geographic information system and the Mahalanobis distance statistic to develop a habitat model based on landscape characteristics associated with panther home ranges. We used cross-validation and an independent telemetry data set to test the habitat model. We also conducted a least-cost path analysis to identify potential habitat linkages and to provide a relative measure of connectivity among habitat patches. Variables in our model were paved road density, major highways, human population density, percentage of the area permanently or semipermanently flooded, and percentage of the area in natural land cover. Our model clearly identified habitat typical of that found within panther home ranges based on model testing with recent telemetry data. We identified 4 potential translocation sites that may support a total of approximately 36 panthers. Although we identified potential habitat linkages, our least-cost path analyses highlighted the extreme isolation of panther habitat in portions of the study area. Human intervention will likely be required if the goal is to establish female panthers north of the Caloosahatchee in the near term.

California avocados in Florida? Finding the perfect avocado for production in East-Central Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is a high-value fruit where most U.S. consumption is supplied using imported product. Cultivars with good fruit quality and horticultural traits may provide a useful alternative crop in east-central Florida and possibly in other locations throughout the state. A port...

2005 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Lidar: Little Manatee District

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) LAS dataset is a survey of select areas within Southwest Florida. These data were produced for the Southwest Florida Water...

Polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

Science.gov (United States)

Pause, K.C.; Nourisson, C.; Clark, A.; Kellogg, M.E.; Bonde, R.K.; McGuire, P.M.

2007-01-01

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are marine mammals that inhabit the coastal waters and rivers of the southeastern USA, primarily Florida. Previous studies have shown that Florida manatees have low mitochondrial DNA variability, suggesting that nuclear DNA loci are necessary for discriminatory analyses. Here we report 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci with an average of 4.2 alleles per locus, and average heterozygosity of 50.1%. These loci have been developed for use in population studies, parentage assignment, and individual identification. ?? 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Remote Sensing Applications to Water Quality Management in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Lehrter, J. C.; Schaeffer, B. A.; Hagy, J.; Spiering, B.; Barnes, B.; Hu, C.; Le, C.; McEachron, L.; Underwood, L. W.; Ellis, C.; Fisher, B.

2013-12-01

Optical datasets from estuarine and coastal systems are increasingly available for remote sensing algorithm development, validation, and application. With validated algorithms, the data streams from satellite sensors can provide unprecedented spatial and temporal data for local and regional coastal water quality management. Our presentation will highlight two recent applications of optical data and remote sensing to water quality decision-making in coastal regions of the state of Florida; (1) informing the development of estuarine and coastal nutrient criteria for the state of Florida and (2) informing the rezoning of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. These efforts involved building up the underlying science to demonstrate the applicability of satellite data as well as an outreach component to educate decision-makers about the use, utility, and uncertainties of remote sensing data products. Scientific developments included testing existing algorithms and generating new algorithms for water clarity and chlorophylla in case II (CDOM or turbidity dominated) estuarine and coastal waters and demonstrating the accuracy of remote sensing data products in comparison to traditional field based measurements. Including members from decision-making organizations on the research team and interacting with decision-makers early and often in the process were key factors for the success of the outreach efforts and the eventual adoption of satellite data into the data records and analyses used in decision-making. Florida coastal water bodies (black boxes) for which remote sensing imagery were applied to derive numeric nutrient criteria and in situ observations (black dots) used to validate imagery. Florida ocean color applied to development of numeric nutrient criteria

Who should do what in environmental management? Twelve principles for allocating responsibilities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mostert, E.

2015-01-01

In environmental management there is often discussion on the allocation of responsibilities. Such discussions can continue for a long time and can form an obstacle for effective action. In this article twelve normative principles for the allocation of responsibilities are identified, coming from

President Ilves külas Tampa, Floridas / Jüri Linask

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Linask, Jüri

2008-01-01

President Toomas Hendrik Ilvese esinemisest Lõuna-Florida Tampa ülikoolis (University of South Florida School of Business). Riigipea rääkis Eesti majandustõusust ja tehnoloogilisest arengust, NATO küberkaitsekeskuse asutamisest Tallinnas ning vastas kuulajate küsimustele. Vabariigi President töövisiidil Ameerika Ühendriikides 17.-23.04.2008

Twelve fundamental life histories evolving through allocation-dependent fecundity and survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Johansson, Jacob; Brännström, Åke; Metz, Johan A J; Dieckmann, Ulf

2018-03-01

An organism's life history is closely interlinked with its allocation of energy between growth and reproduction at different life stages. Theoretical models have established that diminishing returns from reproductive investment promote strategies with simultaneous investment into growth and reproduction (indeterminate growth) over strategies with distinct phases of growth and reproduction (determinate growth). We extend this traditional, binary classification by showing that allocation-dependent fecundity and mortality rates allow for a large diversity of optimal allocation schedules. By analyzing a model of organisms that allocate energy between growth and reproduction, we find twelve types of optimal allocation schedules, differing qualitatively in how reproductive allocation increases with body mass. These twelve optimal allocation schedules include types with different combinations of continuous and discontinuous increase in reproduction allocation, in which phases of continuous increase can be decelerating or accelerating. We furthermore investigate how this variation influences growth curves and the expected maximum life span and body size. Our study thus reveals new links between eco-physiological constraints and life-history evolution and underscores how allocation-dependent fitness components may underlie biological diversity.

Fishery gear interactions from stranded bottlenose dolphins, Florida manatees and sea turtles in Florida, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Adimey, Nicole M; Hudak, Christine A; Powell, Jessica R; Bassos-Hull, Kim; Foley, Allen; Farmer, Nicholas A; White, Linda; Minch, Karrie

2014-04-15

Documenting the extent of fishery gear interactions is critical to wildlife conservation efforts, especially for reducing entanglements and ingestion. This study summarizes fishery gear interactions involving common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus truncatus), Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) and sea turtles: loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), and olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) stranding in Florida waters during 1997-2009. Fishery gear interactions for all species combined were 75.3% hook and line, 18.2% trap pot gear, 4.8% fishing nets, and 1.7% in multiple gears. Total reported fishery gear cases increased over time for dolphins (pgear interaction hotspots were identified and generalized linear regression modeling was conducted. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Population genetics meets ecological genomics and community ecology in Cornus Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Understanding evolutionary/ecological consequences of alien pests on native forests is important to conservation. Cornus florida L. subsp. florida is an ecologically important understory tree in forests of the eastern United States but faces heavy mortality from dogwood anthracnose. Understanding ge...

Mid- to late-Holocene coastal environmental changes in southwest Florida, USA

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soelen, E.E. van; Brooks, G.R.; Larson, R.A.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Reichart, G.-J.

2012-01-01

During the Holocene, Florida experienced major changes in precipitation and runoff. To better understand these processes, shallow marine sediment cores from Charlotte Harbor (southwest Florida) were studied, covering approximately the past 9000 years. Whole core XRF scanning was applied to

Management of Florida Scrub for Threatened and Endangered Species

Science.gov (United States)

1998-12-01

for Florida scrub: 1. The exotic species, cogon grass ( Imperata cylindrica), may become common in degraded scrubs. This is an aggressive, invasive...34Cogongrass, Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.: A good grass gone bad!" Botany Circular No. 28, Florida Dept. Agric. & Consumer Services, Division of Plant...Industry, Gainesville, FL. Colvin, D.L., Gaffney, J., and Shilling, D. G. 1994. "Cogongrass ( Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv.) Biology, ecology and

Key lessons: Twelve factors critical to the success of WDM at the ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

English · Français ... Key lessons: Twelve factors critical to the success of WDM at the policy and at the operational levels ... from slums in central New Delhi to the city's desolate periphery face daily indignities and danger as they collect water o.

Biscayne Bay Florida Bottlenose Dolphin Studies

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — These data sets include a compilation of small vessel based studies of bottlenose dolphins that reside within Biscayne Bay, Florida, adjacent estuaries and nearshore...

IKONOS Imagery for southern Florida used to map shallow-water seafloor habitats

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This project is a cooperative effort between the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, National Park...

The black cloud over the Sunshine State: health disparities in south Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyer, Janyce G

2003-01-01

Florida, the "Sunshine State", is paradise for international tourists and has been adopted as seasonal or permanent home by many wealthy individuals and celebrities. However, Florida is not paradise for the growing number of residents who suffer from poverty, health problems, and a lack of access to health care and social services. The purpose of this paper is to present data on health care problems and disparities throughout the state of Florida and in select south Florida counties. Flaskerud and Winslow (1998) have provided a framework which can be used to analyze disparities in resource availability, relative risk, and health status indicators and suggests areas in which nursing and other health professionals can ethically intervene through research, practice, and political action.

78 FR 13339 - Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Site; Davie, Broward County, FL; Notice of Settlement

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-27

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL 9785-7; CERCLA-04-2013-3755] Florida Petroleum Reprocessors... settlement with 2238 NW. 86th Street Inc. concerning the Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Site located in Davie... by Site name Florida Petroleum Reprocesssors Site by one of the following methods: www.epa.gov...

Growing the IBCLC Workforce: A Florida Needs Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Eden, Aimee R; Anstey, Erica H; Orriola, Deidre

2018-02-01

Florida has fewer International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs) per 1,000 live births than the national average. An important strategy to support breastfeeding entails creating opportunities to prepare and train IBCLCs from underrepresented groups. However, it can be difficult for individuals to access lactation education and gain clinical experience necessary to become an IBCLC. Research aim: The Building a Better Breastfeeding Network project was a needs assessment designed to assess the interest in an IBCLC training program in Florida and perceived barriers and facilitators to completing such a program. An online survey was distributed via email to non-IBCLC students and maternal and child healthcare workers in Florida. Microsoft Excel was used to complete descriptive analyses. Surveys were initiated by 1,939 eligible individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds across the state, 86% of whom responded that they would be possibly to very interested in an IBCLC training program. For those interested, cost was perceived as a potential barrier to enrolling in a program, but flexible course schedules and scholarship or financial aid availability would further attract participants. More than half were interested in working with underserved populations or in low-resource settings, but Black and Hispanic participants were significantly more likely to express interest in working in those settings. Due to the high level of interest in an IBCLC training program in Florida, a formal lactation training program may be successful in attracting diverse students, particularly if funding and program flexibility needs are met.

Southwest Florida Shelf Ecosystems Analysis Study

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Southwest Florida Shelf Ecosystems Analysis Study produced grain size analyses in the historic 073 format for 299 sea floor samples collected from October 25,...

Composition of methane-oxidizing bacterial communities as a function of nutrient loading in the Florida everglades.

Science.gov (United States)

Chauhan, Ashvini; Pathak, Ashish; Ogram, Andrew

2012-10-01

Agricultural runoff of phosphorus (P) in the northern Florida Everglades has resulted in several ecosystem level changes, including shifts in the microbial ecology of carbon cycling, with significantly higher methane being produced in the nutrient-enriched soils. Little is, however, known of the structure and activities of methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) in these environments. To address this, 0 to 10 cm plant-associated soil cores were collected from nutrient-impacted (F1), transition (F4), and unimpacted (U3) areas, sectioned in 2-cm increments, and methane oxidation rates were measured. F1 soils consumed approximately two-fold higher methane than U3 soils; additionally, most probable numbers of methanotrophs were 4-log higher in F1 than U3 soils. Metabolically active MOB containing pmoA sequences were characterized by stable-isotope probing using 10 % (v/v) (13)CH(4). pmoA sequences, encoding the alpha subunit of methane monooxygenase and related to type I methanotrophs, were identified from both impacted and unimpacted soils. Additionally, impacted soils also harbored type II methanotrophs, which have been shown to exhibit preferences for high methane concentrations. Additionally, across all soils, novel pmoA-type sequences were also detected, indicating presence of MOB specific to the Everglades. Multivariate statistical analyses confirmed that eutrophic soils consisted of metabolically distinct MOB community that is likely driven by nutrient enrichment. This study enhances our understanding on the biological fate of methane being produced in productive wetland soils of the Florida Everglades and how nutrient-enrichment affects the composition of methanotroph bacterial communities.

Evaluating Emergency Department Asthma Management Practices in Florida Hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Nowakowski, Alexandra C H; Carretta, Henry J; Dudley, Julie K; Forrest, Jamie R; Folsom, Abbey N

2016-01-01

To assess gaps in emergency department (ED) asthma management at Florida hospitals. Survey instrument with open- and closed-ended questions. Topics included availability of specific asthma management modalities, compliance with national guidelines, employment of specialized asthma care personnel, and efforts toward performance improvement. Emergency departments at 10 large hospitals in the state of Florida. Clinical care providers and health administrators from participating hospitals. Compliance with national asthma care guideline standards, provision of specific recommended treatment modalities and resources, employment of specialized asthma care personnel, and engagement in performance improvement efforts. Our results suggest inconsistency among sampled Florida hospitals' adherence to national standards for treatment of asthma in EDs. Several hospitals were refining their emergency care protocols to incorporate guideline recommendations. Despite a lack of formal ED protocols in some hospitals, adherence to national guidelines for emergency care nonetheless remained robust for patient education and medication prescribing, but it was weaker for formal care planning and medical follow-up. Identified deficiencies in emergency asthma care present a number of opportunities for strategic mitigation of identified gaps. We conclude with suggestions to help Florida hospitals achieve success with ED asthma care reform. Team-based learning activities may offer an optimal strategy for sharing and implementing best practices.

Magnitude and Distribution of Flows into Northeastern Florida Bay

Science.gov (United States)

Patino, Eduardo; Hittle, Clinton D.

2000-01-01

Changes in water-management practices have been made to accommodate a large and rapidly growing urban population along the Atlantic Coast and to meet the demand for intensive agricultural activities. These changes have resulted in a highly managed hydrologic system consisting of numerous canals, levees, control structures, and pumping stations that have altered the hydrology of the Everglades and Florida Bay ecosystems. Over the past decade, Florida Bay has experienced sea-grass die-off and algal blooms, which are indicators of ecological change attributed primarily to the increase in salinity and nutrient content of bay waters. Because plans are to restore sheetflow in the Everglades wetlands to its natural state, water managers anticipate a change in the magnitude and timing of freshwater exiting the mainland through the creeks that cut through the embankment or as sheetflow into Florida Bay.

Floral fragrance analysis of Prosthechea cochleata (Orchidaceae), an endangered native, epiphytic orchid, in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

South Florida is home to a number of native species of orchids. The Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge has 27 known species, including Prosthechea cochleata, the clamshell orchid, which is listed as endangered on Florida's Regulated Plant Index. In a prior study done on this species in Mexico,...

Baseline coastal oblique aerial photographs collected from Key Largo, Florida, to the Florida/Georgia border, September 5-6, 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Karen L. M.

2015-09-14

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts baseline and storm response photography missions to document and understand the changes in vulnerability of the Nation's coasts to extreme storms (Morgan, 2009). On September 5-6, 2014, the USGS conducted an oblique aerial photographic survey from Key Largo, Florida, to the Florida/Georgia border (Figure 1), aboard a Cessna 182 at an altitude of 500 feet (ft) and approximately 1,200 ft offshore (Figure 2). This mission was flown to collect baseline data for assessing incremental changes since the last survey, flown October 1998, and the data can be used in the assessment of future coastal change.

40 CFR 81.49 - Southeast Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Quality Control Region. 81.49 Section 81.49 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.49 Southeast Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Southeast Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region is redesignated to consist of the territorial area...

40 CFR 81.97 - Southwest Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Quality Control Region. 81.97 Section 81.97 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.97 Southwest Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Southwest Florida Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area encompassed by the...

76 FR 7095 - Avocados Grown in South Florida; Increased Assessment Rate

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-09

... FIR] Avocados Grown in South Florida; Increased Assessment Rate AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service... established for the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee), for the 2010-11 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.27 to $0.37 per 55-pound bushel container of Florida avocados handled. The Committee...

Supplying Community College Needs in Basic Speech Courses at Florida Junior College at Jacksonville, Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Griggs, Dorothy Feldbinder; Shannon, Mary Louise

At Florida Junior College at Jacksonville, public speaking instructors employ Jerome S. Bruner's four factors of learning--predisposition to learn, structure of knowledge, sequence, and reinforcement--to plan an effective learning program for students with diverse academic backgrounds and goals. Specifically, six learning units, tailored to both…

Flexible public transportation services in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-01

This synthesis research provides an overview of the current use of flexible transportation services in Florida through administration of a survey and subsequent identification and examination of case study locations. The research included a literatur...

A Hidden Twelve-Dimensional SuperPoincare Symmetry In Eleven Dimensions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bars, Itzhak; Deliduman, Cemsinan; Pasqua, Andrea; Zumino, Bruno

2003-12-13

First, we review a result in our previous paper, of how a ten-dimensional superparticle, taken off-shell, has a hidden eleven-dimensional superPoincare symmetry. Then, we show that the physical sector is defined by three first-class constraints which preserve the full eleven-dimensional symmetry. Applying the same concepts to the eleven dimensional superparticle, taken off-shell, we discover a hidden twelve dimensional superPoincare symmetry that governs the theory.

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, September 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, A.G.

2007-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing freshwater are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2006. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 46.06 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2005 through September 2006) was 6.91 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.97 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2006). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, September 2007

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, A.G.

2008-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2007. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 39.50 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2006 through September 2007) was 13.42 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.92 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2007). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each

Potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer, west-central Florida, September 2005

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, A.G.

2006-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing freshwater are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public-supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish-water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000).This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in September 2005. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface, connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the wet season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual high and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are low. The cumulative average rainfall of 55.19 inches for west-central Florida (from October 2004 through September 2005) was 2.00 inches above the historical cumulative average of 53.19 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2005). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, May 2007

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, A.G.

2008-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2007. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 41.21 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2006 through May 2007) was 11.63 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.84 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2007). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to show the

77 FR 71688 - Avocados Grown in South Florida; Decreased Assessment Rate

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-04

...; FV12-915-1 FIR] Avocados Grown in South Florida; Decreased Assessment Rate AGENCY: Agricultural... rate established for the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee) for the 2012-13 and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.37 to $0.25 per 55-pound bushel container of Florida avocados handled. The...

Tupinambis merianae as nest predators of crocodilians and turtles in Florida, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Mazzotti, Frank J.; McEachern, Michelle A.; Rochford, Michael; Reed, Robert; Ketterlin Eckles, Jennifer; Vinci, Joy; Edwards, Jake; Wasilewki, Joseph

2015-01-01

Tupinambis merianae, is a large, omnivorous tegu lizard native to South America. Two populations of tegus are established in the state of Florida, USA, but impacts to native species are poorly documented. During summer 2013, we placed automated cameras overlooking one American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) nest, which also contained a clutch of Florida red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni) eggs, and one American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) nest at a site in southeastern Florida where tegus are established. We documented tegu activity and predation on alligator and turtle eggs at the alligator nest, and tegu activity at the crocodile nest. Our finding that one of the first two crocodilian nests to be monitored was depredated by tegus suggests that tegus should be further evaluated as a threat to nesting reptiles in Florida.

Building America Case Study: Effect of Ducted HPWH on Space Conditioning and Water Heating Energy Use - Central Florida Lab Home, Cocoa, Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

C. Colon, E. Martin, and D. Parker

2017-04-01

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of ducted heat pump water heaters (HPWH's) on space conditioning and water heating energy use in residential applications. Two identical HPWH's, each of 60 gallon capacity were tested side by side at the Flexible Residential Test facility (FRTF) laboratories of the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) campus in Cocoa, Florida. The water heating experiments were run in each test house from July 2014 until February 2015.

2008 Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) LiDAR: Inland Okaloosa County

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) LAS dataset is a survey of inland Okaloosa County, Florida not covered in the 2008 Florida Department of Emergency...

Ecology of Florida black bears in the Okefenokee-Osceola ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Dobey, S.; Masters, D.V.; Scheick, B.K.; Clark, J.D.; Pelton, M.R.; Sunquist, M.E.

2005-01-01

The population status of the Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) is problematic within many portions of its range and its potential listing as a federally threatened species has been the subject of legal debate. We studied Florida black bears in 2 areas in the Okefenokee-Osceola ecosystem in southeast Georgia (i.e.,Okefenokee) and north Florida (i.e., Osceola) from 1995 to 1999 to evaluate relationships between population characteristics, habitat conditions, and human activities. Bears in Okefenokee were hunted and those in Osceola were not. We captured 205 different black bears (124M:81F) 345 times from June 1995 to September  1998. We obtained 13,573 radiolocations from 87 (16M:71F) individual bears during the study.

Development of Statewide Guidelines for Implementing Leading Pedestrian Intervals in Florida [Summary

Science.gov (United States)

2018-02-01

Pedestrian safety is always a high priority for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), especially as FDOT moves Florida toward a truly multimodal transportation system. Intersections are where vehicles and pedestrians are most likely to int...

Integrating Science & Management: Florida Scrub-Jay Conservation along the Central Florida's Atlantic Coast

Science.gov (United States)

Breininger, David R.

2018-01-01

Florida scrub-jays are a species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The NASA Ecology program has been a partner for conservation, recovery, and translocation across the species range. The objectives of this talk are to update members of the Archie Carr Working Group recovery, conservation, and translocation activities and describe how the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge and nearby conservation lands relate to species recovery actions.

78 FR 57099 - Avocados Grown in South Florida; Increased Assessment Rate

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-17

... Service 7 CFR Part 915 [Doc. No. AMS-FV-13-0054; FV13-915-2 PR] Avocados Grown in South Florida; Increased... rule would increase the assessment rate established for the Avocado Administrative Committee (Committee... Florida avocados handled. The Committee locally administers the marketing order, which regulates the...

2006 Volusia County Florida LiDAR

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset is the lidar data for Volusia County, Florida, approximately 1,432 square miles, acquired in early March of 2006. A total of 143 flight lines of Lidar...

Monitoring Multitemporal Soil Moisture, Rainfall, and ET in Lake Manatee Watershed, South Florida under Global Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, N.

2009-12-01

Ni-Bin Chang1, Ammarin Daranpob 1, and Y. Jeffrey Yang2 1Civil, Environmental, and Construction Engineering Department, University of Central Florida, Orlando FL, USA 2Water Supply and Water Resources Division, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, U.S. EPA, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA ASBTRACT: Global climate change and its related impacts on water supply are universally recognized. The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), which is based on long term changes in the temperature of the surface of the North Atlantic Ocean, is a source of changes in river flow patterns in Florida. The AMO has a multi-decadal frequency. Under its impact, several distinct types of river patterns were identified within Florida, including a Southern River Pattern (SRP), a Northern River Pattern (NRP), a Bimodal River Pattern (BRP), etc. (Kelley and Gore, 2008). Some SRPs are present in the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). Changes in river flows occur because significant sea surface temperature (SST) changes affect continental rainfall patterns. It had been observed that, between AMO warm (i.e., from 1939 to 1968) and cold phases (i.e., from 1969 to 1993), the average daily inflow to Lake Okeechobee varies by 40% in the transition from the warm to cold phases in South Florida. The Manatee County is located in the Southern Water Use Caution Area (SWUCA) due to the depletion of the Upper Floridian Aquifer and its entire western portion of the County is designated as part of the Most Impacted Area (MIA) within the Eastern Tampa Bay Water Use Caution Area relative to the SWUCA. Major source of Manatee County’s water is an 332 Km2 (82,000-acre) watershed (i.e., Lake Manatee Watershed) that drains into the man-made Lake Manatee Reservoir. The lake has a total volume of 0.21 billion m3 (7.5 billion gallons) and will cover 7.3 Km2 (1,800 acres) when full. The proper use of remote sensing images and sensor network technologies can provide information on both spatial and

77 FR 16548 - Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Superfund Site; Davie, Broward County, FL; Notice of Settlements

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-21

...-2012- 3766; CERCLA-04-2012-3765] Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Superfund Site; Davie, Broward County... costs concerning the Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Superfund Site located in Davie, Broward County.... Painter. Submit your comments by Site name Florida Petroleum Reprocessors by one of the following methods...

Ecosystem history of South Florida; Biscayne Bay sediment core descriptions

Science.gov (United States)

Ishman, S.E.

1997-01-01

The 'Ecosystem History of Biscayne Bay and the southeast Coast' project of the U.S. Geological Survey is part of a multi-disciplinary effort that includes Florida Bay and the Everglades to provide paleoecologic reconstructions for the south Florida region. Reconstructions of past salinity, nutrients, substrate, and water quality are needed to determine ecosystem variability due to both natural and human-induced causes. Our understanding of the relations between the south Florida ecosystem and introduced forces will allow managers to make informed decisions regarding the south Florida ecosystem restoration and monitoring. The record of past ecosystem conditions can be found in shallow sediment cores. This U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report describes six shallow sediment cores collected from Biscayne Bay. The cores described herein are being processed for a variety of analytical procedures, and this provides the descriptive framework for future analyses of the included cores. This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Motivating Factors of Florida Community and State College Information Technology Faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, Wendy Louise

2013-01-01

In this study the core job characteristics that contribute to the internal motivational factors and job satisfaction of information technology faculty members working at a community or state college in Florida were investigated. Fifty-four information technology faculty members working at a community or state college in Florida completed the Job…

Northern employment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zavitz, J.

1997-01-01

Hiring practices and policies and employment opportunities that were available in the Beaufort Sea and MacKenzie Delta project for local residents and for people from southern Canada were dealt with in this chapter. Depending on the source, Northern hiring was a mere token, or a genuine and successful effort on the part of the companies to involve the native population and to share with them the benefits of the project. The fact remains that opening up job opportunities for Northerners was not easily attained, and would never have been realized without the involvement of government and community organizations. Government also played a major role in developing policies and training regimes. By the end of exploration operations, the hiring of Northern residents in the oil and gas industry had become a requirement of drilling applications. Training programs were also created to ensure that Northern residents received the means necessary to take advantage of Northern employment opportunities

Florida Agriculture - Utilizing TRMM to Analyze Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Patterns During El Nino Southern Oscillations and Their Effects Upon Available Fresh Water for South Florida Agricultural Planning and Management

Science.gov (United States)

Billiot, Amanda; Lee, Lucas; McKee, Jake; Cooley, Zachary Clayton; Mitchell, Brandie

2010-01-01

This project utilizes Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Landsat satellite data to assess the impact of sea breeze precipitation upon areas of agricultural land use in southern Florida. Water is a critical resource to agriculture, and the availability of water for agricultural use in Florida continues to remain a key issue. Recent projections of statewide water use by 2020 estimate that 9.3 billion gallons of water per day will be demanded, and agriculture represents 47% of this demand (Bronson 2003). Farmers have fewer options for water supplies than public users and are often limited to using available supplies from surface and ground water sources which depend in part upon variable weather patterns. Sea breeze thunderstorms are responsible for much of the rainfall delivered to Florida during the wet season (May-October) and have been recognized as an important overall contributor of rainfall in southern Florida (Almeida 2003). TRMM satellite data was used to analyze how sea breeze-induced thunderstorms during El Nino and La Nina affected interannual patterns of precipitation in southern Florida from 1998-2009. TRMM's Precipitation Radar and Microwave Imager provide data to quantify water vapor in the atmosphere, precipitation rates and intensity, and the distribution of precipitation. Rainfall accumulation data derived from TRMM and other microwave sensors were used to analyze the temporal and spatial variations of rainfall during each phase of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Through the use of TRMM and Landsat, slight variations were observed, but it was determined that neither sea breeze nor total rainfall patterns in South Florida were strongly affected by ENSO during the study period. However, more research is needed to characterize the influence of ENSO on summer weather patterns in South Florida. This research will provide the basis for continued observations and study with the Global Precipitation Measurement Mission.

Characterization Of Dissolved Organic Mattter In The Florida Keys Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, D. G.; Shank, G. C.

2009-12-01

Over the past few decades, Scleractinian coral populations in the Florida Keys have increasingly experienced mortality due to bleaching events as well as microbial mediated illnesses such as black band and white band disease. Such pathologies seem to be most correlated with elevated sea surface temperatures, increased UV exposures, and shifts in the microbial community living on the coral itself. Recent studies indicate that corals’ exposure to UV in the Florida Keys is primarily controlled by the concentration of CDOM (Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter) in the water column. Further, microbial community alterations may be linked to changes in concentration and chemical composition of the larger DOM (Dissolved Organic Matter) pool. Our research characterized the spatial and temporal properties of DOM in Florida Bay and along the Keys ecosystems using DOC analyses, in-situ water column optical measurements, and spectral analyses including absorbance and fluorescence measurements. We analyzed DOM characteristics along transects running from the mouth of the Shark River at the southwest base of the Everglades, through Florida Bay, and along near-shore Keys coastal waters. Two 12 hour time-series samplings were also performed at the Seven-Mile Bridge, the primary Florida Bay discharge channel to the lower Keys region. Photo-bleaching experiments showed that the chemical characteristics of the DOM pool are altered by exposure to solar radiation. Results also show that DOC (~0.8-5.8 mg C/L) and CDOM (~0.5-16.5 absorbance coefficient at 305nm) concentrations exhibit seasonal fluctuations in our study region. EEM analyses suggest seasonal transitions between primarily marine (summer) and terrestrial (winter) sources along the Keys. We are currently combining EEM-PARAFAC analysis with in-situ optical measurements to model changes in the spectral properties of DOM in the water column. Additionally, we are using stable δ13C isotopic analysis to further characterize DOM

Extraction of basic roadway information for non-state roads in Florida : [summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2015-07-01

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) maintains a map of all the roads in Florida, : containing over one and a half million road links. For planning purposes, a wide variety : of information, such as stop lights, signage, lane number, and s...

Mist Interval and Hormone Concentration Influence Rooting of Florida and Piedmont Azalea

Science.gov (United States)

Native azalea (Rhododendron spp.) vegetative propagation information is limited. The objective of this experiment is to determine optimal levels of K-IBA and mist intervals for propagation of Florida azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) and Piedmont azalea (Rhododendron canescens). Florida azalea roote...

RECOMMENDED FOUNDATION FILL MATERIALS CONSTRUCTION STANDARD OF THE FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM

Science.gov (United States)

The report summarizes the technical basis for a recommended foundation fill materials standard for new construction houses in Florida. he radon-control construction standard was developed by the Florida Radon Research Program (FRRP). ill material standards are formulated for: (1)...

Collaborative Measurement of Performance of Jointly Managed Protected Areas in Northern Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasha Stacey

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Responsibility for the management of many protected areas in the Northern Territory, Australia, is shared between the management agency and the aboriginal owners of that land. We describe (1 the creation and types of indicators developed by partners in a participatory process to measure management effectiveness, (2 the assessment method used to monitor progress, and (3 the results of the first cycle of evaluations in four jointly managed parks. Although each pilot park area has distinctive features, we were able to identify a set of twelve common indicators that were applied across the four park areas. The agreed indicators, which were scored using a color scale to indicate level of achievement, were primarily concerned with process rather than outcome, with particular emphasis on the strength of social relationships. Thus, there were indicators that assessed performance in governance and decision making, application and interpretation of cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge, expansion of social capital, human and financial resources, and visitors, with little emphasis on the biophysical outcomes of the management. The emphasis on the quality of the process of joint management was thought to indicate that the relationship between the joint management partners was relatively new, with trust only starting to develop. We discuss opportunities and difficulties for replication and adaptation of indicators to all jointly managed parks in the Northern Territory.

Water withdrawals, use, and trends in Florida, 2010

Science.gov (United States)

Marella, Richard L.

2014-01-01

In 2010, the total amount of water withdrawn in Florida was estimated to be 14,988 million gallons per day (Mgal/d). Saline water accounted for 8,589 Mgal/d (57 percent) and freshwater accounted for 6,399 Mgal/d (43 percent). Groundwater accounted for 4,166 Mgal/d (65 percent) of freshwater withdrawals, and surface water accounted for the remaining 2,233 Mgal/d (35 percent). Surface water accounted for nearly all (99.9 percent) saline-water withdrawals. An additional 659 Mgal/d of reclaimed wastewater was used in Florida during 2010. Freshwater withdrawals were greatest in Palm Beach County (707 Mgal/d), and saline-water withdrawals were greatest in Hillsborough County (1,715 Mgal/d). Fresh groundwater provided drinking water (public supplied and self-supplied) for 17.33 million people (92 percent of Florida’s population), and fresh surface water provided drinking water for 1.47 million people (8 percent). The statewide public-supply gross per capita use for 2010 was 134 gallons per day, whereas the statewide public-supply domestic per capita use was 85 gallons per day. The majority of groundwater withdrawals (almost 62 percent) in 2010 were obtained from the Floridan aquifer system, which is present throughout most of the State. The majority of fresh surface-water withdrawals (56 percent) came from the southern Florida hydrologic unit subregion and is associated with Lake Okeechobee and the canals in the Everglades Agricultural Area of Glades, Hendry, and Palm Beach Counties, as well as the Caloosahatchee River and its tributaries in the agricultural areas of Collier, Glades, Hendry, and Lee Counties. Overall, agricultural irrigation accounted for 40 percent of the total freshwater withdrawals (ground and surface), followed by public supply with 35 percent. Public supply accounted for 48 percent of groundwater withdrawals, followed by agricultural self-supplied (34 percent), commercial-industrial-mining self-supplied (7 percent), recreational

Isolation and characterization of twelve microsatellite loci for the Japanese Devilray (Mobula japanica)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poortvliet, Marloes; Galvan-Magana, Felipe; Bernardi, Giacomo; Croll, Donald A.; Olsen, Jeanine L.

2011-01-01

Twelve polymorphic microsatellites loci were characterized for Mobula japanica (Japanese Devilray) using an enrichment protocol. All but two loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with no evidence of linkage disequilibrium or null-alleles for a sample of 40 individuals from two populations. The

A data-based conservation planning tool for Florida panthers

Science.gov (United States)

Murrow, Jennifer L.; Thatcher, Cindy A.; Van Manen, Frank T.; Clark, Joseph D.

2013-01-01

Habitat loss and fragmentation are the greatest threats to the endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). We developed a data-based habitat model and user-friendly interface so that land managers can objectively evaluate Florida panther habitat. We used a geographic information system (GIS) and the Mahalanobis distance statistic (D2) to develop a model based on broad-scale landscape characteristics associated with panther home ranges. Variables in our model were Euclidean distance to natural land cover, road density, distance to major roads, human density, amount of natural land cover, amount of semi-natural land cover, amount of permanent or semi-permanent flooded area–open water, and a cost–distance variable. We then developed a Florida Panther Habitat Estimator tool, which automates and replicates the GIS processes used to apply the statistical habitat model. The estimator can be used by persons with moderate GIS skills to quantify effects of land-use changes on panther habitat at local and landscape scales. Example applications of the tool are presented.

The Stocker AstroScience Center at Florida International University

Science.gov (United States)

Webb, James R.

2014-01-01

The new Stocker AstroScience Center located on the MMC campus at Florida International University in Miami Florida represents a unique facility for STEM education that arose from a combination of private, State and university funding. The building, completed in the fall of 2013, contains some unique spaces designed not only to educate, but also to inspire students interested in science and space exploration. The observatory consists of a 4-story building (3 floors) with a 24” ACE automated telescope in an Ash dome, and an observing platform above surrounding buildings. Some of the unique features of the observatory include an entrance/exhibition hall with a 6-ft glass tile floor mural linking the Florida climate to space travel, a state-of-the art telescope control that looks like a starship bridge, and displays such as “Music from the universe”. The observatory will also be the focus of our extensive public outreach program that is entering its 20 year.

Genetic characterization of feline leukemia virus from Florida panthers.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Meredith A; Cunningham, Mark W; Roca, Alfred L; Troyer, Jennifer L; Johnson, Warren E; O'Brien, Stephen J

2008-02-01

From 2002 through 2005, an outbreak of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) occurred in Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi). Clinical signs included lymphadenopathy, anemia, septicemia, and weight loss; 5 panthers died. Not associated with FeLV outcome were the genetic heritage of the panthers (pure Florida vs. Texas/Florida crosses) and co-infection with feline immunodeficiency virus. Genetic analysis of panther FeLV, designated FeLV-Pco, determined that the outbreak likely came from 1 cross-species transmission from a domestic cat. The FeLV-Pco virus was closely related to the domestic cat exogenous FeLV-A subgroup in lacking recombinant segments derived from endogenous FeLV. FeLV-Pco sequences were most similar to the well-characterized FeLV-945 strain, which is highly virulent and strongly pathogenic in domestic cats because of unique long terminal repeat and envelope sequences. These unique features may also account for the severity of the outbreak after cross-species transmission to the panther.

Trade-offs between Biofuels Energy Production, Land Use and Water Use in Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fidler, Michal [Intelligentsia International Inc., LaBelle, FL (United States); Capece, John [Intelligentsia International Inc., LaBelle, FL (United States); Hanlon, Edward [Univ. of Florida, Immokalee, FL (United States); Alsharif, Kamal [Univ. of South Florida, Tampa, FL (United States)

2014-02-11

Objective of the presentation is to document land use and water use implications of biomass production to demonstrate the overall resources implications associated with bioethanol production for Florida’s transportation sector needs. Rationale for using biofuels (BF) is explained, so are advantages & challenges of BF production and use. Land use changes (LUC) in Florida are presented and consequences outlined. It is documented that Florida’s agricultural land is a very limited resource, with only 0.43 ac/person comparing to the global average of 1.71 ac/person. The direct relation of increased biofuels production causing increased water use is explained. Favorable climate, water resources, advanced research, traditional leading agricultural role, minor oil reserves, no refineries and increasing energy demands are the main reasons why Florida considers pursuing BF production in large scale. Eight various bioethanol crops produced in Florida were considered in this study (Miscanthus, Switchgrass, Sweet Sorghum, Corn, Elephantgrass, Sugarcane, Energycane, Eucalyptus). Biomass yield and bioethanol yield of these crops are documented. Bioethanol needs of Florida are estimated and related land requirements for the needed bioethanol production calculated. Projections for various bioethanol blends (E15 to E85) are then presented. Finally, water demand for biofuels production is quantified. It is concluded that land use requirement for production of all ethanol in E85 fuel blend in Florida is roughly the same as the total available ag land in Florida for the best yielding biofuels crops (energycane, eucalyptus). Water demand for production of all ethanol needed for E100 would increase current overall water consumption in Florida between 65% and 100% for the most common biofuels crops. Vehicular energy is only 33% of Floridians energy consumption, so even all Florida’s agricultural land was given up for biofuels, it would still produce only 33% of Florida’s total

The structure and composition of Holocene coral reefs in the Middle Florida Keys

Science.gov (United States)

Toth, Lauren T.; Stathakopoulos, Anastasios; Kuffner, Ilsa B.

2016-07-21

The Florida Keys reef tract (FKRT) is the largest coral-reef ecosystem in the continental United States. The modern FKRT extends for 362 kilometers along the coast of South Florida from Dry Tortugas National Park in the southwest, through the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), to Fowey Rocks reef in Biscayne National Park in the northeast. Most reefs along the FKRT are sheltered by the exposed islands of the Florida Keys; however, large channels are located between the islands of the Middle Keys. These openings allow for tidal transport of water from Florida Bay onto reefs in the area. The characteristics of the water masses coming from Florida Bay, which can experience broad swings in temperature, salinity, nutrients, and turbidity over short periods of time, are generally unfavorable or “inimical” to coral growth and reef development.Although reef habitats are ubiquitous throughout most of the Upper and Lower Keys, relatively few modern reefs exist in the Middle Keys most likely because of the impacts of inimical waters from Florida Bay. The reefs that are present in the Middle Keys generally are poorly developed compared with reefs elsewhere in the region. For example, Acropora palmata has been the dominant coral on shallow-water reefs in the Caribbean over the last 1.5 million years until populations of the coral declined throughout the region in recent decades. Although A. palmata was historically abundant in the Florida Keys, it was conspicuously absent from reefs in the Middle Keys. Instead, contemporary reefs in the Middle Keys have been dominated by occasional massive (that is, boulder or head) corals and, more often, small, non-reef-building corals.Holocene reef cores have been collected from many locations along the FKRT; however, despite the potential importance of the history of reefs in the Middle Florida Keys to our understanding of the environmental controls on reef development throughout the FKRT, there are currently no published

75 FR 53694 - Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Superfund Site; Davie, Broward County, FL; Notice of Settlement

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-01

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [Docket EPA-RO4-SFUND-2010-0729, FRL-9196-1] Florida Petroleum... entered into a settlement for reimbursement of past response costs concerning the Florida Petroleum... No. EPA-RO4- SFUND-2010-0729 or Site name Florida Petroleum Reprocessors Superfund Site by one of the...

Application of a hydrodynamic and sediment transport model for guidance of response efforts related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Northern Gulf of Mexico along the coast of Alabama and Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Plant, Nathaniel G.; Long, Joseph W.; Dalyander, P. Soupy; Thompson, David M.; Raabe, Ellen A.

2013-01-01

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists have provided a model-based assessment of transport and deposition of residual Deepwater Horizon oil along the shoreline within the northern Gulf of Mexico in the form of mixtures of sand and weathered oil, known as surface residual balls (SRBs). The results of this USGS research, in combination with results from other components of the overall study, will inform operational decisionmaking. The results will provide guidance for response activities and data collection needs during future oil spills. In May 2012 the U.S. Coast Guard, acting as the Deepwater Horizon Federal on-scene coordinator, chartered an operational science advisory team to provide a science-based review of data collected and to conduct additional directed studies and sampling. The goal was to characterize typical shoreline profiles and morphology in the northern Gulf of Mexico to identify likely sources of residual oil and to evaluate mechanisms whereby reoiling phenomena may be occurring (for example, burial and exhumation and alongshore transport). A steering committee cochaired by British Petroleum Corporation (BP) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is overseeing the project and includes State on-scene coordinators from four States (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi), trustees of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), and representatives from the U.S. Coast Guard. This report presents the results of hydrodynamic and sediment transport models and developed techniques for analyzing potential SRB movement and burial and exhumation along the coastline of Alabama and Florida. Results from these modeling efforts are being used to explain the complexity of reoiling in the nearshore environment and to broaden consideration of the different scenarios and difficulties that are being faced in identifying and removing residual oil. For instance, modeling results suggest that larger SRBs are not, under the most commonly

Definition of a Twelve-Point Polygonal SAA Boundary for the GLAST Mission

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djomehri, Sabra I.; UC, Santa Cruz; SLAC

2007-01-01

The Gamma-Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), set to launch in early 2008, detects gamma rays within a huge energy range of 100 MeV - 300 GeV. Background cosmic radiation interferes with such detection resulting in confusion over distinguishing cosmic from gamma rays encountered. This quandary is resolved by encasing GLAST's Large Area Telescope (LAT) with an Anti-Coincidence Detector (ACD), a device which identifies and vetoes charged particles. The ACD accomplishes this through plastic scintillator tiles; when cosmic rays strike, photons produced induce currents in Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs) attached to these tiles. However, as GLAST orbits Earth at altitudes ∼550km and latitudes between -26 degree and 26 degree, it will confront the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), a region of high particle flux caused by trapped radiation in the geomagnetic field. Since the SAA flux would degrade the sensitivity of the ACD's PMTs over time, a determined boundary enclosing this region need be attained, signaling when to lower the voltage on the PMTs as a protective measure. The operational constraints on such a boundary require a convex SAA polygon with twelve edges, whose area is minimal ensuring GLAST has maximum observation time. The AP8 and PSB97 models describing the behavior of trapped radiation were used in analyzing the SAA and defining a convex SAA boundary of twelve sides. The smallest possible boundary was found to cover 14.58% of GLAST's observation time. Further analysis of defining a boundary safety margin to account for inaccuracies in the models reveals if the total SAA hull area is increased by ∼20%, the loss of total observational area is < 5%. These twelve coordinates defining the SAA flux region are ready for implementation by the GLAST satellite

Miami, Florida: The Magic City

Science.gov (United States)

McIntosh, Phyllis

2008-01-01

With its subtropical climate and intimate ties to Latin America, Miami is like no other city in the United States. More than 65 percent of its population is Hispanic, and Spanish is the most commonly heard language. Situated at the southern tip of the 500-mile-long Florida peninsula, Miami is the largest urban area in the southeastern United…

77 FR 35862 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; State of Florida: New Source; Review...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-15

...: Final rule. SUMMARY: EPA is taking final action to approve changes to the Florida State Implementation... taking final action to approve changes to the Florida SIP such that it is consistent with federal.... EPA notes that Florida's October 19, 2007, SIP submission makes clarifying changes to rule 62-212.400...

Genetic structure of Florida green turtle rookeries as indicated by mitochondrial DNA control region sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Shamblin, Brian M.; Bagley, Dean A.; Ehrhart, Llewellyn M.; Desjardin, Nicole A.; Martin, R. Erik; Hart, Kristen M.; Naro-Maciel, Eugenia; Rusenko, Kirt; Stiner, John C.; Sobel, Debra; Johnson, Chris; Wilmers, Thomas; Wright, Laura J.; Nairn, Campbell J.

2014-01-01

Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting has increased dramatically in Florida over the past two decades, ranking the Florida nesting aggregation among the largest in the Greater Caribbean region. Individual beaches that comprise several hundred kilometers of Florida’s east coast and Keys support tens to thousands of nests annually. These beaches encompass natural to highly developed habitats, and the degree of demographic partitioning among rookeries was previously unresolved. We characterized the genetic structure of ten Florida rookeries from Cape Canaveral to the Dry Tortugas through analysis of 817 base pair mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences from 485 nesting turtles. Two common haplotypes, CM-A1.1 and CM-A3.1, accounted for 87 % of samples, and the haplotype frequencies were strongly partitioned by latitude along Florida’s Atlantic coast. Most genetic structure occurred between rookeries on either side of an apparent genetic break in the vicinity of the St. Lucie Inlet that separates Hutchinson Island and Jupiter Island, representing the finest scale at which mtDNA structure has been documented in marine turtle rookeries. Florida and Caribbean scale analyses of population structure support recognition of at least two management units: central eastern Florida and southern Florida. More thorough sampling and deeper sequencing are necessary to better characterize connectivity among Florida green turtle rookeries as well as between the Florida nesting aggregation and others in the Greater Caribbean region.

Proceedings fo the Seventeenth Annual Sea Turtle Symposium, 4-8 March 1997, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

OpenAIRE

Epperly, Sheryan P.; Braun, Joanne

1998-01-01

The 17th Annual Sea Turtle Symposium was held at the Delta Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida U.S.A. from March 4-8, 1997. The symposium was hosted by Florida Atlantic University, Mote Marine Laboratory, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic University and the Comité Nacional para la Conservación y Protección de las Totugas Marinas. The 17th was the largest symposium to date. A total of 720 participants registered, including sea turtle biologists, stu...

Economic contribution of recreating visitors to the Florida Keys/Key West

Science.gov (United States)

Donald B.K. English; Warren Kriesel; Vernon R Leeworthy; Peter C. Wiley

1996-01-01

This report provides estimates of the economic impact that visitors to the Florida Keys have on both the Monroe County and larger South Florida regional economies. Estimates are made for output/sales, income, and employment and include both direct and secondary economic impacts. This report provides the basis for demonstrating the income-producing asset value of the...

Florida Rising: An Assessment of Public Universities in the Sunshine State

Science.gov (United States)

Poliakoff, Michael; Alacbay, Armand

2013-01-01

The State University System of Florida has in recent years faced major budgetary challenges, remarkable for the size of its reductions in state funding, even when compared to the large cuts seen in so many states struck by the recession of 2008. What is more surprising in the world of higher education, however, is the progress that Florida's…

Broader Impact Guidance for Florida Ocean Scientists: Process, Products and Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, S.

2016-02-01

In response to the 2011 National Science Board report National Science Foundation's Merit Review Criteria: Review and Revision, in 2012 significant changes were made to the portions of the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) Grant Proposal Guide that describe the Foundation's expectations with respect to the Broader Impacts (BI) criterion and what reviewers should look for in assessing the quality of the required BI components of proposals. Over the past 5 years, COSEE Florida (the Florida Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence) has provided individualized content and editorial `coaching' on Broader Impacts for Florida scientists and educators submitting proposals to NSF. As of September 2015, 32% of the plans prepared with our guidance have been associated with projects that have received support. This presentation will review 1) the current BI guidance provided by NSF in the 2012 and subsequent editions of the Grant Proposal Guide, 2) the administrative process used by COSEE Florida to identify and assist scientists in understanding these changes and preparing fundable BI plans, 3) the characteristics of submitted plans in terms of type of plan, PI career stage and demographics 4) `lessons learned' about plan strengths and weaknesses and 5) the products developed (or currently under development) as COSEE Florida legacy documents to guide current and future scientists in addressing the Broader Impacts criterion. Resources developed by other Centers in the national COSEE network and the new National Alliance for Broader Impacts (NABI) will also be described.

NASA Applied Sciences' DEVELOP National Program: Summer 2010 Florida Agriculture

Science.gov (United States)

Cooley, Zachary C.; Billiot, Amanda; Lee, Lucas; McKee, Jake

2010-01-01

The main agricultural areas in South Florida are located within the fertile land surrounding Lake Okeechobee. The Atlantic Watershed monthly rainfall anomalies showed a weak but statistically significant correlation to the Oceanic Nino Index (ONI). No other watershed s anomalies showed significant correlations with ONI or the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). During La Nina months, less sea breeze days and more disturbed days were found to occur compared to El Nino and neutral months. The increase in disturbed days can likely by attributed to the synoptic pattern during La Nina, which is known to be favorable for tropical systems to follow paths that affect South Florida. Overall, neither sea breeze rainfall patterns nor total rainfall patterns in South Florida s main agricultural areas were found to be strongly influenced by the El Nino Southern Oscillation during our study time.

Nuclide migration and the environmental radiochemistry of Florida phosphogypsum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burnett, W.C.; Elzerman, A.W.

2002-01-01

Phosphogypsum, a waste by-product derived from the wet process production of phosphoric acid, represents one of the most serious problems facing the phosphate industry today. This by-product gypsum precipitates during the reaction of sulfuric acid with phosphate rock and is stored at a rate of about 40 million tons per year on several stacks in central and northern Florida. The main problem associated with this material concerns the relatively high levels of natural uranium-series radionuclides and other impurities which could impact the environment and which makes its commercial use impossible. We have studied the potential release of radionuclides from phosphogypsum by: (i) analysis of stack fluids, groundwaters, and soils associated with gypsum stacks; and (ii) geochemical modeling via MINTEQA2. Stack fluids were observed to be very high in dissolved uranium and 210 Pb with only moderate concentrations of 226 Ra. Underlying soils tend to be enriched in U and 210 Pb indicating precipitation when acidic stack fluids enter a buffered environment. Modeling results showed significant increases in radionuclide complexes with sulfate and phosphate, resulting in relatively mobile uncharged or negatively charged solution species within the stacks. On the other hand, precipitation of multicomponent solids would be expected with increasing pH below the stack. Our evidence thus suggests that while phosphogypsum stacks do contain significant quantities of dissolved radionuclides, removal mechanisms appear to prevent large scale migration of radionuclides to the underlying aquifer. (author)

Recreational Swordfish (Xiphias gladius Fishery: Angler Practices in South Florida (USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin Lerner

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The management of highly migratory species (HMS is a complex domestic and international system that was initially established to regulate HMS taken in commercial fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean. For managing HMS taken in recreational fisheries, the authority and the data required is lacking and remains to be stipulated by regulating bodies. In the United States, Florida saltwater anglers target various HMS, but swordfish (Xiphias gladius is a favorite among anglers. The recreational swordfish fishery off the Southeast Florida coast has experienced resurgence in recent years, with directed tournaments resuming in 2001 after being absent almost 20 years. Today, South Florida supports the largest group of recreational swordfish anglers in the world. Despite the increasing popularity and interest, little data is available describing the recreational swordfish fishery and its socio-economic aspects in South Florida. This study aimed to compile, describe, and identify the demographics, fishing tactics, costs, and fishery management perceptions of recreational swordfish anglers in South Florida based on nonprobability purposive sampling organized through the Southeast Swordfish Club (SESC. The sample size (n = 38 represented about 16–38% of the SESC members and between 6% and 8% of the recreational anglers that actively targeted swordfish in South Florida during the time of the survey. We acknowledge the sample size was small (n = 38, but believe the study encompassed the most active swordfish anglers given their knowledge, expertise, and connection with the fishery in terms of participants, fishing effort, and fishing techniques. As such, it is highly probable that a large portion of the recreational swordfish angling population was represented by members of the SESC in terms of swordfishing gear, techniques, and socio-economics, which reduced apparent bias in the study. Overall, the annual income of recreational swordfish anglers in 2007 ranged

Adequacy of environmental information for outer continental shelf oil and gas decisions: Florida and California

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

The environmental impacts of oil and gas production on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS) have been studied and debated for many years. The issues derive from the complexity of coastal and offshore marine processes and ecosystems, human socio-economic systems, and interactions with OCS oil and gas development activities. On Feb. 9, 1989, President Bush announced his decision to postpone leasing for OCS areas off southwestern Florida (sale 116, part 2), northern California (sale 91), and southern California (sale 95). At the same time, the President created a cabinet-level task force to review the environmental concerns for these three OCS areas, and he also requested independent advice from the National Research Council (NRC). The NRC was asked to assess the adequacy of the available scientific and technical information on estimated hydrocarbon resources and potential environmental effects for the three specified areas. The report, by the OCS Committee and its three panels dealing with ecology, physical oceanography, and socioeconomics, reviews the adequacy of information bearing upon the potential environmental impacts of OCS oil and gas activities for the three sale areas

Millipedes (Diplopoda of twelve caves in Western Mecsek, Southwest Hungary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Angyal, D.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Twelve caves of Western Mecsek, Southwest Hungary were examined between September 2010 and April 2013from the millipede (Diplopoda faunistical point of view. Ten species were found in eight caves, which consistedeutroglophile and troglobiont elements as well. The cave with the most diverse fauna was the Törökpince Sinkhole, while thetwo previously also investigated caves, the Abaligeti Cave and the Mánfai-kőlyuk Cave provided less species, which couldbe related to their advanced touristic and industrial utilization.

Morphology of the spermathecae of twelve species of Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) vectors of Chagas disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Nascimento, Juliana Damieli; Ribeiro, Aline Rimoldi; Almeida, Larissa Aguiar; de Oliveira, Jader; Mendonça, Vagner José; Cilense, Mário; da Rosa, João Aristeu

2017-12-01

Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is transmitted by triatomines that have been described in a large number of studies. Most of those studies are related to external morphology and taxonomy, but some biochemical, genetic and physiological studies have also been published. There are a few publications in the literature about the internal organs of Triatominae, for instance the spermathecae, which are responsible for storing and maintaining the viability of the spermatozoids until the fertilization of the oocytes. This work aims to study the spermathecae of twelve species of triatomines obtained from the Triatominae Insectarium of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UNESP, Araraquara, using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The spermathecae of the twelve species studied showed three morphological patterns: a) P. herreri sn, P. lignarius, P. megistus, Triatoma brasiliensis, T. juazeirensis, T. sherlocki and T. tibiamaculata have spermathecae with a thin initial portion and an oval-shaped final portion; b) R. montenegrensis, R. nasutus, R. neglectus, R. pictipes and R. prolixus have tubular and winding spermathecae; c) T. infestans has oval spermathecae. In addition to the three morphological patterns, it was noted that each of the twelve species has particular features that differentiate them. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of the Residential Provisions of the 2015 IECC for Florida

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mendon, Vrushali V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Zhao, Mingjie [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Taylor, Zachary T. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Poehlman, Eric A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-02-15

The 2015 IECC provides cost-effective savings for residential buildings in Florida. Moving to the 2015 IECC from the 2012 IECC base code is cost-effective for residential buildings in all climate zones in Florida.

Florida Teachers' Attitudes about Teaching Evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Fowler, Samantha R.; Meisels, Gerry G.

2010-01-01

A survey of Florida teachers reveals many differences in comfort level with teaching evolution according to the state's science teaching standards, general attitudes and beliefs about evolution, and the extent to which teachers are criticized, censured, disparaged, or reprehended for their beliefs about the teaching of evolution.

Recensie "The Great Reset" : Richard Florida

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roy van Dalm

2010-01-01

Like the Great Depression and the Long Depression before it, experts have viewed prolonged economic downturns as crises. In The Great Reset , bestselling author Richard Florida argues that we should instead see the recent recession as an opportunity to create entirely new ways of working and living

78 FR 18314 - Foreign-Trade Zone 169-Manatee County, Florida; Application for Production Authority; ASO, LLC...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-26

... located within Subzone 169A, in Sarasota, Florida. The facility is used for the production of plastic and... County, Florida; Application for Production Authority; ASO, LLC; Subzone 169A (Textile Fabric Adhesive Bandage Coating and Production); Sarasota, Florida An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade...

Potentiometric surface of the upper Floridan aquifer, west-central Florida, May 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Anita G.

2011-01-01

The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing freshwater are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2011. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when groundwater levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 45.74 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2010 through May 2011) was 6.85 inches below the historical cumulative average of 52.59 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2011). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September from 1975 through 2010. Water-level data are collected in May and September each year to

2007 Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) Lidar: Herbert Hoover Dike Project Area (Southeastern Florida, Lake Okeechobee Surrounding Area)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — LiDAR data was collected by Merrick & Company from September through December of 2007 for the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). The project area...

[Twelve years of liver transplantation in Lausanne].

Science.gov (United States)

Mosimann, F; Bettschart, V; Gardaz, J P; Fontolliet, C; Tissot, J D; Meuwly, J Y; Chioléro, R; Gillet, M

2001-02-01

From 1988 to June 2000 138 transplantations were performed in 129 adult patients. Actuarial patient and graft survivals have been 80.7% and 75.4% at one year and 67.8% and 63.5% at 10 years. This compares favourably with the statistics of the European Liver Transplant Registry that collected data from more than 30,000 grafts. Over the twelve years of activity, the indications have become more liberal and the techniques have been simplified. The waiting list has therefore grown and some patients are now unfortunately dying before a graft can be found because the number of brain dead donors remains stable. In order to palliate this shortage, older donors are now being accepted even with co-morbidities and/or moderate alterations of the liver function tests. The use of live donors and the split of the best cadaveric grafts for two recipients will also reduce the gap between the demand and the offer.

USING GENETICS TO STUDY ROAD IMPACTS ON BEARS IN FLORIDA

OpenAIRE

Simek, Stephanie L.; Eason, Thomas

2003-01-01

Funding source: Florida Department of Transportation Total Budget: $407,000 Project Period: April 2001 – April 2004 The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has documented an increase in the number of transportation-related bear deaths (roadkill) since the late 1970’s. In addition to impacts on bear populations, vehicle collisions with bears often are traumatic for the people involved and may cause significant collateral damage and personal injury. For these reasons, and be...

Mercury Poisoning at a Home Day Care Center - Hillsborough County, Florida, 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Tewell, Mackenzie; Spoto, Samantha; Wiese, Michael; Aleguas, Alfred; Peredy, Tamas

2017-05-05

On November 12, 2015, the Florida Poison Information Center Tampa notified the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County of a boy aged 3 years with a urine mercury level of 79 μg/L (normal broken sphygmomanometer (blood pressure monitor) at the home day care center attended by the child.

Review of Florida Red Tide and Human Health Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Fleming, Lora E.; Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Backer, Lorraine C.; Walsh, Cathy J.; Nierenberg, Kate; Clark, John; Reich, Andrew; Hollenbeck, Julie; Benson, Janet; Cheng, Yung Sung; Naar, Jerome; Pierce, Richard; Bourdelais, Andrea J; Abraham, William M.; Kirkpatrick, Gary; Zaias, Julia; Wanner, Adam; Mendes, Eliana; Shalat, Stuart; Hoagland, Porter; Stephan, Wendy; Bean, Judy; Watkins, Sharon; Clarke, Tainya; Byrne, Margaret; Baden, Daniel G.

2010-01-01

This paper reviews the literature describing research performed over the past decade on the known and possible exposures and human health effects associated with Florida red tides. These harmful algal blooms are caused by the dinoflagellate, Karenia brevis, and similar organisms, all of which produce a suite of natural toxins known as brevetoxins. Florida red tide research has benefited from a consistently funded, long term research program, that has allowed an interdisciplinary team of researchers to focus their attention on this specific environmental issue—one that is critically important to Gulf of Mexico and other coastal communities. This long-term interdisciplinary approach has allowed the team to engage the local community, identify measures to protect public health, take emerging technologies into the field, forge advances in natural products chemistry, and develop a valuable pharmaceutical product. The Review includes a brief discussion of the Florida red tide organisms and their toxins, and then focuses on the effects of these toxins on animals and humans, including how these effects predict what we might expect to see in exposed people. PMID:21218152

Florida Reef Fish Visual Census 1999 - Present

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set of Excel files contain data from visual sampling of coral reef fish species in the National Marine Sanctuary along the Florida Keys. The dataset...

AECT Convention, Orlando, Florida 2008 Report

Science.gov (United States)

Vega, Eddie

2009-01-01

This article presents several reports that highlight the events at the 2008 Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Convention in Orlando, Florida. At the annual convention this year, the Multimedia Production Division goal was to continue to share information about the latest tools in multimedia production,…

Phased Retrofits in Existing Homes in Florida Phase II: Shallow Plus Retrofits

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sutherland, K. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Parker, D. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Martin, E. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Chasar, D. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States); Amos, B. [Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, Cocoa, FL (United States)

2016-02-03

The BAPIRC team and Florida Power and Light (FPL) electric utility pursued a pilot phased energy-efficiency retrofit program in Florida by creating detailed data on the energy and economic performance of two levels of retrofit - simple and deep. For this Phased Deep Retrofit (PDR) project, a total of 56 homes spread across the utility partner's territory in east central Florida, southeast Florida, and southwest Florida were instrumented between August 2012 and January 2013, and received simple pass-through retrofit measures during the period of March 2013 - June 2013. Ten of these homes received a deeper package of retrofits during August 2013 - December 2013. A full account of Phase I of this project, including detailed home details and characterization, is found in Parker et al, 2015 (currently in draft). Phase II of this project, which is the focus of this report, applied the following additional retrofit measures to select homes that received a shallow retrofit in Phase I: a) Supplemental mini-split heat pump (MSHP) (6 homes); b) Ducted and space coupled Heat Pump Water Heater (8 homes); c) Exterior insulation finish system (EIFS) (1 homes); d) Window retrofit (3 homes); e) Smart thermostat (21 homes: 19 NESTs; 2 Lyrics); f) Heat pump clothes dryer (8 homes); g) Variable speed pool pump (5 homes).

Rural and Urban Differences in Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Erika L; Mahony, Helen; Noble, Charlotte; Wang, Wei; Ziemba, Robert; Malmi, Markku; Maness, Sarah B; Walsh-Buhi, Eric R; Daley, Ellen M

2018-04-01

The national teen birth rate is higher in rural compared to urban areas. While national data suggest rural areas may present higher risk for adverse sexual health outcomes among adolescents, it is unknown whether there are differences within the state of Florida. Overall, Florida has poorer sexual health indicators for adolescents compared to national rates. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in sexual behaviors among Florida adolescents by rural-urban community location. This study includes baseline data from a randomized controlled trial conducted in Florida high schools. Of the 6316 participants, 74% were urban and 26% were rural. Participants responded to questions on sexual behaviors, sexual behavior intentions, and demographics. We estimated the effect of rural-urban status on risk outcomes after controlling for demographic variables using generalized linear mixed models. More teens from rural areas reported ever having sex (24.0%) compared to urban teens (19.7%). No significant differences were observed for most of sexual behaviors assessed. Nonetheless, urban participants were less likely to intend to have sex without a condom in the next year compared to rural participants (aOR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.63-0.92). Overall, there were no major differences in sexual behaviors between rural and urban adolescents in Florida. However, sexual intentions differed between rural and urban adolescents; specifically, rural adolescents were more likely to intend to have sex without a condom in the next year compared to urban adolescents. Understanding the specific disparities can inform contraception and sexual health interventions among rural youth.

Strong tobacco control program requirements and secure funding are not enough: lessons from Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Allison; Sullivan, Sarah; Hendlin, Yogi; Barnes, Richard; Glantz, Stanton

2012-05-01

Florida's Tobacco Pilot Program (TPP; 1998-2003), with its edgy Truth media campaign, achieved unprecedented youth smoking reductions and became a model for tobacco control programming. In 2006, 3 years after the TPP was defunded, public health groups restored funding for tobacco control programming by convincing Florida voters to amend their constitution. Despite the new program's strong legal structure, Governor Charlie Crist's Department of Health implemented a low-impact program. Although they secured the program's strong structure and funding, Florida's nongovernmental public health organizations did not mobilize to demand a high-impact program. Implementation of Florida's Amendment 4 demonstrates that a strong programmatic structure and secure funding are insufficient to ensure a successful public health program, without external pressure from nongovernmental groups.

Puerto Rico and Florida manatees represent genetically distinct groups

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Margaret E.; Mignucci-Giannoni, Antonio A.; Tucker, Kimberly Pause; King, Timothy L.; Bonde, Robert K.; Gray, Brian A.; McGuire, Peter M.

2012-01-01

The West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) populations in Florida (T. m. latirostris) and Puerto Rico (T. m. manatus) are considered distinct subspecies and are listed together as endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. Sustained management and conservation efforts for the Florida subspecies have led to the suggested reclassification of the species to a threatened or delisted status. However, the two populations are geographically distant, morphologically distinct, and habitat degradation and boat strikes continue to threaten the Puerto Rico population. Here, 15 microsatellite markers and mitochondrial control region sequences were used to determine the relatedness of the two populations and investigate the genetic diversity and phylogeographic organization of the Puerto Rico population. Highly divergent allele frequencies were identified between Florida and Puerto Rico using microsatellite (F ST = 0.16; R ST = 0.12 (P ST = 0.66; Φ ST = 0.50 (P E = 0.45; NA = 3.9), were similar, but lower than those previously identified in Florida (HE = 0.48, NA = 4.8). Within Puerto Rico, the mitochondrial genetic diversity values (π = 0.001; h = 0.49) were slightly lower than those previously reported (π = 0.002; h = 0.54) and strong phylogeographic structure was identified (F ST global = 0.82; Φ ST global = 0.78 (P population size (N = 250), and distinct threats and habitat emphasize the need for separate protections in Puerto Rico. Conservation efforts including threat mitigation, migration corridors, and protection of subpopulations could lead to improved genetic variation in the endangered Puerto Rico manatee population.

Tospoviruses and Thrips and Integrated Resistance Management Strategies in Pepper in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Florida ranks second in the production and value of bell pepper in the U.S. In 2015, Florida produced over one-half billion pounds of bell pepper on over 12,000 acres, valued at over 220 million dollars. In recent years, several invasive species of thrips and thrips-vectored tospoviruses have beco...

Far-Field Effects of Large Earthquakes on South Florida's Confined Aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Voss, N. K.; Wdowinski, S.

2012-12-01

The similarity between a seismometer and a well hydraulic head record during the passage of a seismic wave has long been documented. This is true even at large distances from earthquake epicenters. South Florida lacks a dense seismic array but does contain a comparably dense network of monitoring wells. The large spatial distribution of deep monitoring wells in South Florida provides an opportunity to study the variance of aquifer response to the passage of seismic waves. We conducted a preliminary study of hydraulic head data, provided by the South Florida Water Management District, from 9 deep wells in South Florida's confined Floridian Aquifer in response to 27 main shock events (January 2010- April 2012) with magnitude 6.9 or greater. Coseismic hydraulic head response was observed in 7 of the 27 events. In order to determine what governs aquifer response to seismic events, earthquake parameters were compared for the 7 positive events. Seismic energy density (SED), an empirical relationship between distance and magnitude, was also used to compare the relative energy between the events at each well site. SED is commonly used as a parameter for establishing thresholds for hydrologic events in the near and intermediate fields. Our analysis yielded a threshold SED for well response in South Florida as 8 x 10-3 J m-3, which is consistent with other studies. Deep earthquakes, with SED above this threshold, did not appear to trigger hydraulic head oscillations. The amplitude of hydraulic head oscillations had no discernable relationship to SED levels. Preliminary results indicate a need for a modification of the SED equation to better accommodate depth in order to be of use in the study of hydrologic response in the far field. We plan to conduct a more comprehensive study incorporating a larger subset (~60) of wells in South Florida in order to further examine the spatial variance of aquifers to the passing of seismic waves as well as better confine the relationship

The influence of seagrass on shell layers and Florida Bay mudbanks

Science.gov (United States)

Prager, E.J.; Halley, R.B.

1999-01-01

Aerial photography indicates that sometime since the early 1970's, an emergent ridge of shell debris developed on a mudbank north of Calusa Key in Florida Bay. Coarse shell deposits on and within the Bay's shallow mudbanks are believed to be the product of transport during major storm events and subsequent winnowing. However, shell material from the ridge contains nuclear bomb 14C, supporting formation within the past 30 years and the last major hurricanes to influence Florida Bay were Donna and Betsy (1960 and 1965). Results from this study suggest that the Calusa ridge and other coarse shell deposits in Florida Bay can result from, 1) periodic seagrass mortality and wave-induced transport during frequent winter cold fronts and/or 2) mollusc blooms and subsequent burial. A survey of bottom types indicates that dense to intermediate beds of seagrass, mainly Thalassia testudinum (turtle grass), occur within the shallow basins of western Florida Bay and along the margins of Bay mudbanks. Wave measurements and modeling indicate that Thalassia along mudbank margins can reduce incoming wave-energy by over 80%. Seagrass beds also host particularly dense populations of molluscs from periodic 'blooms' and are believed to be the major source of coarse sediments in the Bay. Thus, if bank-edge seagrass dies, sediments, including shell debris, become exposed and subject to greatly increased wave energy. Modeling indicates that winds typical of winter cold fronts in South Florida can produce near-bottom velocities and shear stress at a grass-free bank edge which are sufficient to transport coarse carbonate grains. Shell layers found at depth in mudbank cores can also be explained by previous episodes of sediment accretion over mollusc-rich seagrass beds or grass bed mortality at the edge of a mudbank and shell transport during cold front passage. The latter implies that mortality of marginal seagrass beds has occurred throughout the history of Florida Bay and that the

Community Resources Guide for Central Florida = Una Guia de Recursos en la Comunidad de Florida Central.

Science.gov (United States)

Medina, Linda, Comp.

Designed to orient Hispanic refugees to the services that are available in Central Florida, this bilingual guide consists of a section of general information on living and working in the United States and a section devoted to various public and private agencies. Provided first are addresses and phone numbers of various government agencies:…

Potential ecological impacts of an oil spill in the Florida Keys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, E.A.; Swain, H.M.

1991-01-01

The Florida Keys are a unique ecosystem of natural communities, natural resources, and high biodiversity. The strong emphasis placed on the protection of the environment is reflected in the wide variety of parks and protected areas. The possibility of a major oil spill from extensive tanker and freighter traffic in the Florida Straits is cause for concern since all of the natural communities and associated biota in the coastal and marine environments are vulnerable to oiling. This paper will review and synthesize available information and present new data concerning the potential ecological impacts of a major spill in the Florida Keys. The review will focus on: the distribution of natural communities; the presence of endangered species; the location of parks and protected areas; and the abundance of natural resources

Radium-226 in wetland birds from Florida phosphate mines

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, O.B.; Marion, W.R.; O'Meara, T.E.; Roessler, C.E.

1989-01-01

Radium-226 is a naturally-occurring radionuclide found in enhanced levels at Florida phosphate mines. We inventoried levels of radium-226 in the tissues of 4 wetland bird species from 2 mined and 2 umined areas in Florida. Bone tissues of wood duck (Aix sponsa), mottled duck (Anas fulvigula), common moorhen (Gallinula chloropus), and double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) colleted at phosphate mines contained more radium-226 than tissues from unmined areas. Radium-226 concentrations in these birds were within guidelines inferred from radiological standards designed for human protection and should not adversely affect bird populations

A study of gunshot suicides in Northern Ireland from 1989 to 1993.

Science.gov (United States)

Armour, A

1996-01-01

A study of 104 gunshot suicides, including six women, in Northern Ireland over a 5-year period. Forty-five suicides in the security forces are compared with 59 which took place in the civilian population. The former were commonly associated with marital problems and overwhelmingly occurred in young males under the age of 40, whereas the civilian deaths were predominantly associated with mental ill health, with a wider age range distribution. The security forces used rifled weapons in 44 cases, whereas civilians used shotguns in 46 cases. Twelve out of the 45 were witnessed, compared to one in the civilian population. The security forces favoured the head as site of entry in 40 cases compared to 35 in the civilian population. Alcohol consumption was involved in 23 of the security forces suicides and 18 civilian. Of the 6 women, one was in the security forces and 4 had a history of mental illness.

Environmental Assessment for MILCON Fitness Center and Fitness Training Area, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

Sub-Floridan System S E CTION3 AFFECTED E N VIRONMENT Lithologic Descriptions unconsolidated body of fine to medium gamed , white to gray quartz...the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Florida Wildlife Service, Florida Wildlife Commission list of endangered, tlueatened, and rare...9836 www.dkcweightloss.oom New Salon in Niceville looking lor experienced stylist with clientele, booth ren tal or commission, busy location

Geochemical evidence for African dust inputs to soils of western Atlantic islands: Barbados, the Bahamas, and Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Muhs, D.R.; Budahn, J.R.; Prospero, J.M.; Carey, S.N.

2007-01-01

We studied soils on high-purity limestones of Quaternary age on the western Atlantic Ocean islands of Barbados, the Florida Keys, and the Bahamas. Potential soil parent materials in this region, external to the carbonate substrate, include volcanic ash from the island of St. Vincent (near Barbados), volcanic ash from the islands of Dominica and St. Lucia (somewhat farther from Barbados), the fine-grained component of distal loess from the lower Mississippi River Valley, and wind-transported dust from Africa. These four parent materials can be differentiated using trace elements (Sc, Cr, Th, and Zr) and rare earth elements that have minimal mobility in the soil-forming environment. Barbados soils have compositions that indicate a complex derivation. Volcanic ash from the island of St. Vincent appears to have been the most important influence, but African dust is a significant contributor, and even Mississippi River valley loess may be a very minor contributor to Barbados soils. Soils on the Florida Keys and islands in the Bahamas appear to have developed mostly from African dust, but Mississippi River valley loess may be a significant contributor. Our results indicate that inputs of African dust are more important to the genesis of soils on islands in the western Atlantic Ocean than previously supposed. We hypothesize that African dust may also be a major contributor to soils on other islands of the Caribbean and to soils in northern South America, central America, Mexico, and the southeastern United States. Dust inputs to subtropical and tropical soils in this region increase both nutrient-holding capacity and nutrient status and thus may be critical in sustaining vegetation. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

Florida Tech professor gets three-year grant

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

"Dr. Marc Baarmand, Florida Tech associate professor of physics, has received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Division of High Energy Physics, to conduct research with the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment" (1/3 page).

76 FR 28130 - Coastal Bank, Cocoa Beach, Florida; Notice of Appointment of Receiver

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-13

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Office of Thrift Supervision Coastal Bank, Cocoa Beach, Florida; Notice of Appointment of Receiver Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to the authority contained in... Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as sole Receiver for Coastal Bank, Cocoa Beach, Florida, (OTS No...

The twelve-flavor β-function and dilaton tests of the sextet scalar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fodor Zoltan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available We discuss near-conformal gauge theories beyond the standard model (BSM where interesting results on the twelve-flavor β-function of massless fermions in the fundamental representation of the SU(3 color gauge group and dilaton tests of the light scalar with two massless fermions in the two-index symmetric tensor (sextet representation can be viewed as parts of the same BSM paradigm under investigation. The clear trend in the decreasing size of β-functions at fixed renormalized gauge coupling is interpreted as a first indicator how the conformal window (CW is approached in correlation with emergent near-conformal light scalars. BSM model building close to the CW will be influenced by differing expectations on the properties of the emergent light 0++ scalar either as a σ-particle of chiral symmetry breaking (ΧS B, or as a dilaton of scale symmetry breaking. The twelve-flavor β-function emerges as closest to the CW, perhaps near-conformal, or perhaps with an infrared fixed point (IRFP at some unexplored strong coupling inside the CW. It is premature to speculate on dilaton properties of the twelveflavor model since the near-conformal realization remains an open question. However, it is interesting and important to investigate dilaton tests of the light sextet scalar whose β-function is closest to the CW in the symmetry breaking phase and emerges as the leading candidate for dilaton tests of the light scalar. We report results from high precision analysis of the twelve-flavor β-function [1] refuting its published IRFP [2, 3]. We present our objections to recent claims [4, 5] for non-universal behavior of staggered fermions used in our analysis. We also report our first analysis of dilaton tests of the light 0++ scalar in the sextet model and comment on related post-conference developments. The dilaton test is the main thrust of this conference contribution including presentation #405 on the nf = 12 β-function and presentation #260 on dilaton

Twelve reasons to refuse the nuclear in the MDP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonduelle, A.

2000-01-01

The author presents twelve reasons which show that the nuclear energy has not a place in the MDP Mechanism of Clean Development: a main loophole for the developed countries, the doubtful ''additionality'' of the nuclear, the treaty ratification is more difficult with the nuclear, the domestic energy conservation is more efficient in Europe than the nuclear development, the nuclear white elephants facing the South debts, the technology transfers are doubtful, the developing countries and the sustainable development policies are evicted from the MDP, some options are more powerful in the South, the reactors and transport networks size are unsuited, the absence of democratic control, the nuclear proliferation, the nuclear safety and the wastes. (A.L.B.)

The Relationship between Wildfires and Tourist Behaviors in Florida: An Exploratory Study

Science.gov (United States)

Brijesh Thapa; Stephen M. Holland; James D. Absher

2004-01-01

Introduction Florida is a popular national and international tourist destination with 74.3 million visitors in 2000, and slightly more than half of these visited natural and protected areas (Visit Florida, 2001). However, in recent years, notably in 1998 and 2001, drought conditions have led to wildfires that affected large parts of the state, lead to smoke closure of...

Risk in Daily Newspaper Coverage of Red Tide Blooms in Southwest Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zongchao; Garrison, Bruce; Ullmann, Steven G.; Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Fleming, Lora E.; Hoagland, Porter

2015-01-01

This study investigated newspaper coverage of Florida red tide blooms in four metropolitan areas of Southwest Florida during a 25-year period, 1987-2012. We focused on how journalists framed red tide stories with respect to environmental risk, health risk, and economic risk. We determined risk to be a key factor in this news coverage, being an…

Metazoan parasite fauna of the bigeye flounder, Hippoglossina macrops, from Northern Chile. Influence of host age and sex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

González M Teresa

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The metazoan parasite fauna of Hippoglossina macrops (n = 123 from northern Chile (30°S is quantitatively described for the first time, and the role of host age and sex was evaluated. Twelve parasite species were recovered, including 5 ectoparasites (2 Monogenea, 2 Copepoda and 1 Piscicolidae and 7 endoparasites (1 Digenea, 3 Cestoda, 2 Acanthocephala, and 1 Nematoda. The copepod Holobomolochus chilensis, the monogenean Neoheterobothrium sp., the adult acanthocephalan Floridosentis sp. and the hirudinean, Gliptonobdella sp. are new geographical and host records. The most prevalent ectoparasitic species were the monogenean, Neoheterobothrium sp. and the copepod, H. chilensis. Among endoparasites, the acanthocephalans Floridosentis sp. and Corynosoma australe were most prevalent and abundant. Prevalence and mean intensity of infection for most parasitic species were not affected by host sex, however the prevalence of Floridosentis sp. was significantly greater in males. Intensity of infection was positively correlated with host age for Neoheterobothrium sp., and negatively correlated for Floridosentis sp. and H. chilensis. The helminth species richness of the host H. macrops was lower compared to related flatfishes from the Northern Hemisphere. The relationship of the helminth fauna of H. macrops, its feeding habits and ecological habitats are discussed.

Sensation™ ‘Florida 127’ Strawberry

Science.gov (United States)

‘Florida127’ strawberry originated from a 2009 cross between Winterstar™ ‘FL 05-107’ (female parent) and unreleased selection FL 02-58 (male parent). It is a short-day genotype adapted to an annual plasticulture growing system. The plant is upright with open architecture, allowing air movement and e...

Hazardous waste management programs; Florida: authorization for interim authorization phase I--Environmental Protection Agency. Notice of final determination.

Science.gov (United States)

1982-05-07

The State of Florida has applied for interim Authorization Phase I. EPA has reviewed Florida's application for Phase I and has determined that Florida's hazardous waste program is substantially equivalent to the Federal program covered by Phase I. The State of Florida is, hereby, granted Interim Authorization for Phase I to operate the State 's hazardous waste program, in lieu of the Federal program.

77 FR 74985 - Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Streams and Downstream Protection Values for...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-18

... Water Quality Standards for the State of Florida's Streams and Downstream Protection Values for Lakes... its numeric water quality standards for nutrients in Florida that were promulgated and published on.... Water Quality Criteria D. EPA Determination Regarding Florida and EPA's Rulemaking E. EPA Promulgation...

Occurrence of the saw-whet owl in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Lesser, F.H.; Stickley, A.R.

1967-01-01

On 31 October 1965 at 1000 hours we observed and collected a Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) in adult plumage and in apparently good physical condition at Ponte Vedra, St. Johns County, Florida. The bird flew from beneath a truck to a cross beam in a garage adjoining a large, fresh-water, wooded swamp dominated by cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto). We found a regurgitated pellet and a freshly killed, partially eaten cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus) beneath the truck. The bird was sent to Henry M. Stevenson for deposit in Florida State University Museum, Tallahassee (specimen no. 4092b). Dr. Stevenson found that the skull had been shattered and the gonads destroyed in collecting. Total length (before skinning) was 210 mm.

Two-dimensional liquid chromatography consisting of twelve second-dimension columns for comprehensive analysis of intact proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Jiangtao; Beckner, Matthew A; Lynch, Kyle B; Chen, Huang; Zhu, Zaifang; Yang, Yu; Chen, Apeng; Qiao, Zhenzhen; Liu, Shaorong; Lu, Joann J

2018-05-15

A comprehensive two-dimensional liquid chromatography (LCxLC) system consisting of twelve columns in the second dimension was developed for comprehensive analysis of intact proteins in complex biological samples. The system consisted of an ion-exchange column in the first dimension and the twelve reverse-phase columns in the second dimension; all thirteen columns were monolithic and prepared inside 250 µm i.d. capillaries. These columns were assembled together through the use of three valves and an innovative configuration. The effluent from the first dimension was continuously fractionated and sequentially transferred into the twelve second-dimension columns, while the second-dimension separations were carried out in a series of batches (six columns per batch). This LCxLC system was tested first using standard proteins followed by real-world samples from E. coli. Baseline separation was observed for eleven standard proteins and hundreds of peaks were observed for the real-world sample analysis. Two-dimensional liquid chromatography, often considered as an effective tool for mapping proteins, is seen as laborious and time-consuming when configured offline. Our online LCxLC system with increased second-dimension columns promises to provide a solution to overcome these hindrances. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Land application of domestic wastewater in Florida--statewide assessment of impact on ground-water quality

Science.gov (United States)

Franks, Bernard J.

1981-01-01

In Florida domestic waste water is being applied to the land for disposal and reuse. State and Federal regulations favor land-application methods over other advanced waste water treatment practices. Despite the increasing use of this alternative technology, little is known about localized effects on groundwater quality. This report documents the extent of land-application practices in Florida and summarizes case study information on some of the more adequately monitored site throughout the State. More than 2,500 sites in Florida are permitted by the Department of Environmental Regulation for applying domestic waste water to the land. The majority (more than 1,700 sites), classified as infiltration ponds, are concentrated in central and southern Florida. More than 560 sites classified as drainfields, and more than 250 sites classified as irrigation sites, are located primarily in central Florida. An estimated 150 million gallons per day of domestic waste water, after required secondary treatment, are applied to Florida soils. Despite the large numbers of sites and the considerable volume of waste water utilized, little is known about potential impact on groundwater quality. At the few sites where observation wells have been drilled and local groundwater quality monitored, no significant deterioration of water quality has been detected. (USGS)

Predicting Upwelling Radiance on the West Florida Shelf

Science.gov (United States)

2006-09-30

Executive Director, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce . Finalist, 2004 Small Business of the Year, Florida Environmental Research Institute, W...Paul Bissett, Ph.D., Executive Director, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce . 6

Visioning the Future: Scenarios Modeling of the Florida Coastal Everglades

Science.gov (United States)

Flower, Hilary; Rains, Mark; Fitz, Carl

2017-11-01

In this paper, we provide screening-level analysis of plausible Everglades ecosystem response by 2060 to sea level rise (0.50 m) interacting with macroclimate change (1.5 °C warming, 7% increase in evapotranspiration, and rainfall that either increases or decreases by 10%). We used these climate scenarios as input to the Ecological Landscape Model to simulate changes to seven interactive hydro-ecological metrics. Mangrove forest and other marine influences migrated up to 15 km inland in both scenarios, delineated by the saltwater front. Freshwater habitat area decreased by 25-30% under our two climate change scenarios and was largely replaced by mangroves and, in the increased rainfall scenario, open water as well. Significant mangroves drowned along northern Florida Bay in both climate change scenarios due to sea level rise. Increased rainfall of 10% provided significant benefits to the spatial and temporal salinity regime within the marine-influenced zone, providing a more gradual and natural adjustment for at-risk flora and fauna. However, increased rainfall also increased the risk of open water, due to water depths that inhibited mangrove establishment and reduced peat accumulation rates. We infer that ecological effects related to sea level rise may occur in the extreme front-edge of saltwater intrusion, that topography will control the incursion of this zone as sea level rises, and that differences in freshwater availability will have ecologically significant effects on ecosystem resilience through the temporal and spatial pattern of salinity changes.

An Optimal Centralized Carbon Dioxide Repository for Florida, USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brandon Poiencot

2011-03-01

Full Text Available For over a decade, the United States Department of Energy, and engineers, geologists, and scientists from all over the world have investigated the potential for reducing atmospheric carbon emissions through carbon sequestration. Numerous reports exist analyzing the potential for sequestering carbon dioxide at various sites around the globe, but none have identified the potential for a statewide system in Florida, USA. In 2005, 83% of Florida’s electrical energy was produced by natural gas, coal, or oil (e.g., fossil fuels, from power plants spread across the state. In addition, only limited research has been completed on evaluating optimal pipeline transportation networks to centralized carbon dioxide repositories. This paper describes the feasibility and preliminary locations for an optimal centralized Florida-wide carbon sequestration repository. Linear programming optimization modeling is used to plan and route an idealized pipeline network to existing Florida power plants. Further analysis of the subsurface geology in these general locations will provide insight into the suitability of the subsurface conditions and the available capacity for carbon sequestration at selected possible repository sites. The identification of the most favorable site(s is also presented.

Continuous bottom temperature measurements in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract at Cape Florida, 2005 - 2006 (NODC Accession 0014185)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This ongoing project began in 1988. A total of 38 subsurface recording thermographs have been deployed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)and at...

Continuous bottom temperature measurements in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract at Cape Florida, 1996 - 2005 (NODC Accession 0002788)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This ongoing project began in 1988. A total of 38 subsurface recording thermographs have been deployed in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS)and at...

Distribution and turnover of carbon in natural and constructed wetlands in the Florida Everglades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, J.; Wang, Y.; Gu, B.; Newman, J.

2007-01-01

Stable and radiocarbon isotopic contents of dissolved organic C (DOC), dissolved inorganic C (DIC), particulate organic C (POC) and plants were used to examine the source and turnover rate of C in natural and constructed wetlands in the Florida Everglades. DOC concentrations decreased, with P concentrations, along a water quality gradient from the agriculturally impacted areas in the northern Everglades to the more pristine Everglades National Park. δ 13 C values of DOC in the area reflect contributions of both wetland vegetation and sugarcane from agriculture. Radiocarbon ages of DOC, POC and DIC in the Everglades ranged from 2.01 ka BP to '>modern'. The old 14 C ages of DOC and POC were found in impacted areas near the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) in the northern Everglades. In contrast, DOC and POC in pristine marsh areas had near modern or '>modern' 14 C ages. These data indicate that a major source of POC and DOC in impacted areas is the degradation of historic peat deposits in the EAA. In the pristine areas of the marsh, DOC represents a mix of modern and historic C sources, whereas POC comes from modern primary production as indicated by positive Δ 14 C values, suggesting that DOC is transported farther away from its source than POC. High Δ 14 C values of DIC indicate that dissolution of limestone bedrock is not a significant source of DIC in the Everglades wetlands. As a restored wetland moves towards its 'original' or 'natural' state, the 14 C signatures of DOC should approach that of modern atmosphere. In addition, measurements of concentration and C isotopic composition of DOC in two small constructed wetlands (i.e., test cells) indicate that these freshwater wetland systems contain a labile DOC pool with rapid turnover times of 26-39 days and that the test cells are overall net sinks of DOC

Shifting Diagnostic Systems for Defining Intellectual Disability in Death Penalty Cases: Hall vs. Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Mina; Westphal, Alexander

2015-01-01

The case of Hall vs. Florida tested Florida's so called "bright line rule" in determining intellectual disability in capital cases. The Supreme Court Decision reflects a more general trend from categorical to dimensional approaches in psychiatric diagnostic systems.

Determination of Sorption Coefficient of Phosphorus Applied for Sugarcane Production in Southwestern Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Muwamba, A; Nkedi-Kizza, P; Morgan, K T

2016-09-01

Phosphorus is among the essential nutrients applied to sugarcane ( L.) fields in the form of a fertilizer mixture (N, P, and K) in southwestern Florida. Sorption coefficient is used for modeling P movement, and in this study, we hypothesized that the sorption coefficient determined using fertilizer mixture (N, P, and K) will be significantly different from values determined using KCl and CaCl, the electrolytes most commonly used for conducting sorption experiments. Supporting electrolytes, 0.01 mol L KCl, 0.005 mol L CaCl, deionized (DI) water, simulated Florida rain, and fertilizer mixture prepared in Florida rain were used to characterize P sorption. Immokalee (Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquods) and Margate (Sandy, siliceous hyperthermic Mollic Psammaquents) are the dominant mineral soils used for sugarcane production in southwestern Florida; we used the A and B horizons of Margate soil and the A and B horizons of the Immokalee soil for sorption experiments in this study. Freundlich sorption isotherms described P sorption data. The Freundlich sorption isotherm coefficients followed the trend 0.005 mol L CaCl > 0.01 mol L KCl ≈ fertilizer mixture > simulated Florida rain ≈ DI water. Sorption coefficients were used for modeling P movement with HYDRUS 1D; similar P results were obtained with the 0.01 mol L KCl and fertilizer mixture electrolyte treatments. The sorption coefficient for DI water and simulated Florida rain overpredicted P movement. The P sorption data showed the importance of choosing the appropriate electrolyte for conducting experiments based on the composition of fertilizer. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

University of Florida--US Department of Energy 1994-1995 reactor sharing program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vernetson, W.G.

1996-06-01

The grant support of $24,250 (1994-95?) was well used by the University of Florida as host institution to support various educational institutions in the use of UFTR Reactor. All users and uses were screened to assure the usage was for educational institutions eligible for participation in the Reactor Sharing Program; where research activities were involved, care was taken to assure the research was not funded by grants for contract funding from outside sources. Over 12 years, the program has been a key catalyst for renewing utilization of UFTR both by external users around the State of Florida and the Southeast and by various faculty members within the University of Florida. Tables provide basic information about the 1994-95 program and utilization of UFTR

Potentiometric Surface of the Upper Floridan Aquifer, West-Central Florida, May 2006

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, A.G.

2007-01-01

Introduction Hydrologic Conditions in West-Central Florida The Floridan aquifer system consists of the Upper and Lower Floridan aquifers separated by the middle confining unit. The middle confining unit and the Lower Floridan aquifer in west-central Florida generally contain highly mineralized water. The water-bearing units containing fresh water are herein referred to as the Upper Floridan aquifer. The Upper Floridan aquifer is the principal source of water in the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is used for major public supply, domestic use, irrigation, and brackish water desalination in coastal communities (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2000). This map report shows the potentiometric surface of the Upper Floridan aquifer measured in May 2006. The potentiometric surface is an imaginary surface connecting points of equal altitude to which water will rise in tightly-cased wells that tap a confined aquifer system (Lohman, 1979). This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the dry season, when ground-water levels usually are at an annual low and withdrawals for agricultural use typically are high. The cumulative average rainfall of 50.23 inches for west-central Florida (from June 2005 through May 2006) was 2.82 inches below the historical cumulative average of 53.05 inches (Southwest Florida Water Management District, 2006). Historical cumulative averages are calculated from regional rainfall summary reports (1915 to most recent complete calendar year) and are updated monthly by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This report, prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is part of a semi-annual series of Upper Floridan aquifer potentiometric-surface map reports for west-central Florida. Potentiometric-surface maps have been prepared for January 1964, May 1969, May 1971, May 1973, May 1974, and for each May and September since 1975. Water

Continuous bottom temperature measurements in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract at Cape Florida, 2005 - 2006 (NODC Accession 0014185)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The purpose of this project is to document bottom seawater temperature in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract on a continuing basis and make that information...

Continuous bottom temperature measurements in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract at Cape Florida, 1996 - 2005 (NODC Accession 0002788)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The purpose of this project is to document bottom seawater temperature in strategic areas of the Florida Reef Tract on a continuing basis and make that information...

Saltwater intrusion monitoring in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Prinos, Scott T.

2016-01-01

Florida's communities are largely dependent on freshwater from groundwater aquifers. Existing saltwater in the aquifers, or seawater that intrudes parts of the aquifers that were fresh, can make the water unusable without additional processing. The quality of Florida's saltwater intrusion monitoring networks varies. In Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, for example, there is a well-designed network with recently constructed short open-interval monitoring wells that bracket the saltwater interface in the Biscayne aquifer. Geochemical analyses of water samples from the network help scientists evaluate pathways of saltwater intrusion and movement of the saltwater interface. Geophysical measurements, collected in these counties, aid the mapping of the saltwater interface and the design of monitoring networks. In comparison, deficiencies in the Collier County monitoring network include the positioning of monitoring wells, reliance on wells with long open intervals that when sampled might provide questionable results, and the inability of existing analyses to differentiate between multiple pathways of saltwater intrusion. A state-wide saltwater intrusion monitoring network is being planned; the planned network could improve saltwater intrusion monitoring by adopting the applicable strategies of the networks of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, and by addressing deficiencies such as those described for the Collier County network.

Wildfires and tourist behaviors in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Brijesh Thapa; Ignatius Cahyanto; Stephen M. Holland; James D. Absher

2013-01-01

The impacts of wildfires on tourism have largely been examined with emphasis on economic losses and recovery strategies. Given the limited research from a demand perspective, this study examined tourist risk perceptions and reactionary behaviors toward wildfires in Florida. Data (N ¼ 771) was collected among a U.S. sample of non-resident overnight leisure travelers...

Exploring Preferences of Mentoring Activities among Generational Groups of Registered Nurses in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Posey-Goodwin, Patricia Ann

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore differences in perceptions of mentoring activities from four generations of registered nurses in Florida, using the Alleman Mentoring Activities Questionnaire ® (AMAQ ®). Statistical procedures of analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to explore differences among 65 registered nurses in Florida from…

78 FR 30782 - Avocados Grown in South Florida; Change in Minimum Grade Requirements

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-23

..., regardless of market destination. However, maintaining the current minimum grade requirement for avocados... Service 7 CFR Part 915 [Doc. No. AMS-FV-12-0067; FV13-915-1 PR] Avocados Grown in South Florida; Change in... prescribed under the Florida avocado marketing order (order). The order regulates the handling of avocados...

Research objectives to support the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration initiative-Water Conservation Areas, Lake Okeechobee, and the East/West waterways

OpenAIRE

Kitchens, Wiley M.

1994-01-01

The South Florida Ecosystem encompasses an area of approximately 28,000 km2 comprising at least 11 major physiographic provinces, including the Kissimmee River Valley, Lake Okeechobee, the Immokalee Rise, the Big Cypress, the Everglades, Florida Bay, the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, Biscayne Bay, the Florida Keys, the Florida Reef Tract, and nearshore coastal waters. South Florida is a heterogeneous system of wetlands, uplands, coastal areas, and marine areas, dominated by the watershe...

Geological Study of Monica Pintado mine. Florida town

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Medina, E.; Carrion, R.

1988-01-01

This work is about the geological study carried in Monica Pintado mine in Florida town by photointepretation - scale 1.20.000. In the area were found rocks granites, deep metamorfites and black granite

78 FR 72033 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Florida: General Requirements and Gasoline...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-02

...] Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Florida: General Requirements and Gasoline Vapor Control... Protection (FDEP), related to the State's gasoline vapor recovery program. This correcting amendment corrects... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This action corrects inadvertent errors in a rulemaking related to Florida's gasoline...

Research Contributing to Improvements in Controlling Florida's Mosquitoes and Mosquito-borne Diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabachnick, Walter J

2016-09-28

Research on mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases has contributed to improvements in providing effective, efficient, and environmentally proper mosquito control. Florida has benefitted from several research accomplishments that have increased the state's mosquito control capabilities. Research with Florida's mosquitoes has resulted in the development of ecologically sound management of mosquito impoundments on Florida's east coast. This strategy, called Rotational Impoundment Management (RIM), has improved the ability to target the delivery of pesticides and has helped to reduce non-target effects and environmental damage. Research has led to the development of an arbovirus surveillance system which includes sentinel chicken surveillance, real time use of environmental contributing factors like meteorology and hydrology to target mosquito control, as well as public health efforts to mitigate disease outbreaks to areas with risk of disease. These research driven improvements have provided substantial benefits to all of Florida. More research is needed to meet the future challenges to reduce emerging pathogens like Zika virus and the consequences of environmental changes like global climate change that are likely to influence the effects of mosquito-borne pathogens on human health and well-being.

Sex Differences in Occupational Attainment: A Twelve-Nation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Roos, Patricia A.

Differences in the occupational attainment patterns of men and women were investigated by using data from 12 industrial societies. The sample consisted of employed persons 20 to 64 years of age working full- or part-time in the United States, Australia, Denmark, Finland, West Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Sweden,…

Toward a Panther-centered View of the Forests of South Florida

OpenAIRE

Andrew J. Kerkhoff; Bruce T. Milne; David S. Maehr

2000-01-01

Anthropogenic habitat degradation and loss is the single largest threat to the endangered Florida panther, Puma concolor coryi. Conservation of the subspecies must be undertaken on the scale of the entire landscape. Thus, a view of the forested landscape of South Florida must be developed that is meaningful with reference to the panther. We approach this problem by analyzing the spatial interactions of panthers and forests at multiple scales. We apply tools derived from fractal geometry to th...

Descriptions and preliminary report on sediment cores from the southwest coastal area, Everglades National Park, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Wingard, G. Lynn; Cronin, Thomas M.; Holmes, Charles W.; Willard, Debra A.; Budet, Carlos A.; Ortiz, Ruth E.

2005-01-01

Sediment cores were collected from five locations in the southwest coastal area of Everglades National Park, Florida, in May 2004 for the purpose of determining the ecosystem history of the area and the impacts of changes in flow through the Shark River Slough. An understanding of natural cycles of change prior to significant human disturbance allows land managers to set realistic performance measures and targets for salinity and other water quality and quantity quality measures. Preliminary examination of the cores indicates significant changes have taken place over the last 1000-2000 years. The cores collected from the inner bays - the most landward bays - are distinctly different from other estuarine sediment cores examined in Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay. Peats in the inner-bay cores from Big Lostmans Bay, Broad River Bay, and Tarpon Bay were deposited at least 1000 years before present (BP) based on radiocarbon analyses. The peats are overlain by poorly sorted organic muds and sands containing species indicative of deposition in a freshwater to very low salinity environment. The Alligator Bay core, the most northern inner-bay core, is almost entirely sand; no detailed faunal analyses or radiometric dating has been completed on this core. The Roberts River core, taken from the mouth of the River where it empties into Whitewater Bay, is lithologically and faunally similar to previously examined cores from Biscayne and Florida Bays; however, the basal unit was deposited ~2000 years before the present based on radiocarbon analyses. A definite trend of increasing salinity over time is seen in the Roberts River core, from sediments representing a terrestrially dominated freshwater environment at the bottom of the core to those representing an estuarine environment with a strong freshwater influence at the top. The changes seen at Roberts River could represent a combination of factors including rising sea-level and changes in freshwater supply, but the timing and

Dynamics of marsh-mangrove ecotone since the mid-Holocene: A palynological study of mangrove encroachment and sea level rise in the Shark River Estuary, Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Qiang; Liu, Kam-Biu

2017-01-01

Sea level rise and the associated inland shift of the marsh-mangrove ecotone in south Florida have raised many scientific and management concerns in recent years. Holocene paleoecological records can provide an important baseline to shed light on the long-term dynamics of vegetation changes across this ecotone in the past, which is needed to predict the future. In this study, we present palynological, X-ray fluorescence, and loss-on ignition data from four sedimentary cores recovered from a 20-km marine-to-freshwater transect along the Shark River Estuary, southwest Everglades, to document the patterns and processes of coastal vegetation changes in response to sea level rise since the mid-Holocene. Our record indicates that freshwater marsh progressively replaced marl prairies at the Shark River Estuary between 5700 and 4400 cal yr BP. As marine transgression continued, marine influence reached the threshold necessary for mangroves to establish at the current mouth of the Shark River Slough at 3800 cal yr BP. During the next 3000 years, although sea level rise in the Western North Atlantic slowed down to 0.4 mm/yr, a spatial and temporal gradient was evident as the marsh-mangrove ecotone shifted inland by 20 km from 3800 to 800 cal yr BP, accompanied by a gradual landward replacement of freshwater marsh by mangrove forest. If sea level continues to rise at 2.33 mm/yr in the 21st century in south Florida, it is possible that marine influence will reach the threshold for mangroves to establish in the central Everglades, and we could expect a much more aggressive mangrove encroachment toward the northern and interior parts of south Florida in the next few centuries.

Convective Mode and Mesoscale Heavy Rainfall Forecast Challenges during a High-Impact Weather Period along the Gulf Coast and Florida from 17-20 May 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Bosart, L. F.; Wallace, B. C.

2017-12-01

Two high-impact convective storm forecast challenges occurred between 17-20 May 2016 during NOAA's Hazardous Weather Testbed Spring Forecast Experiment (SFE) at the Storm Prediction Center. The first forecast challenge was 286 mm of unexpected record-breaking rain that fell on Vero Beach (VRB), Florida, between 1500 UTC 17 May and 0600 UTC 18 May, more than doubling the previous May daily rainfall record. The record rains in VRB occurred subsequent to the formation of a massive MCS over the central Gulf of Mexico between 0900-1000 UTC 17 May. This MCS, linked to the earlier convection associated with an anomalously strong subtropical jet (STJ) over the Gulf of Mexico, moved east-northeastward toward Florida. The second forecast challenge was a large MCS that formed over the Mexican mountains near the Texas-Mexican border, moved eastward and grew upscale prior to 1200 UTC 19 May. This MCS further strengthened offshore after 1800 UTC 19 May beneath the STJ. SPC SFE participants expected this MCS to move east-northeastward and bring heavy rain due to training echoes along the Gulf coast as far eastward as the Florida panhandle. Instead, this MCS transitioned into a bowing MCS that resembled a low-end derecho and produced a 4-6 hPa cold pool with widespread surface wind gusts between 35-50 kt. Both MCS events occurred in a large-scale baroclinic environment along the northern Gulf coast. Both MCS events responded to antecedent convection within this favorable large-scale environment. Rainfall amounts with the first heavy rain-producing MCS were severely underestimated by models and forecasters alike. The second MCS produced the greatest forecaster angst because rainfall totals were forecast too high (MCS propagated too fast) and severe wind reports were much more widespread than anticipated (because of cold pool formation). This presentation will attempt to untangle what happened and why it happened.

Use of a Climate Change Vulnerability Index for Assessing Species at Risk on Military Lands

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-01

in northern Florida. Journal of Herpetology 26:158-165. Diemer, J. E. 1992b. Demography of the tortoise Gopherus polyphemus in northern Florida...Journal of Herpetology 26:281-289. Ennen, J. R., B. R. Kreiser, and C. P. Qualls. 2010. Low genetic diversity in several gopher tortoise (Gopherus...effects on a coastal population of gopher tortoises. Journal of Herpetology 18:231-239. Landers, J. L., and D. L. Speake. 1980. Management needs of

USGS field activities 11BHM03 and 11BHM04 on the west Florida shelf, Gulf of Mexico, September and November 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Lisa L.; Knorr, Paul O.; Daly, Kendra L.; Barrera, Kira E.

2014-01-01

During September and November 2011 the (USGS), in cooperation with (USF), conducted geochemical surveys on the west Florida Shelf to investigate the effects of climate change on ocean acidification within the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically, the effect of ocean acidification on marine organisms and habitats. The first cruise was conducted from September 20 to 28 (11BHM03) and the second was from November 2 to 4 (11BHM04). To view each cruise's survey lines, please see the Trackline page. Each cruise took place aboard the Research Vessel (R/V) Weatherbird II, a ship of opportunity led by Dr. Kendra Daly (USF), which departed from and returned to Saint Petersburg, Florida. Data collection included sampling of the surface and water column with lab analysis of pH, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) or total carbon dioxide (TCO2), and total alkalinity (TA). lLb analysis was augmented with a continuous flow-through system (referred to as sonde data) with a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensor, which also recorded salinity and pH. Corroborating the USGS data are the vertical CTD profiles (referred to as station samples) collected by USF. The CTD casts measured continuous vertical profiles of oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence and optical backscatter. Discrete samples for nutrients, chlorophyll, and particulate organic carbon/nitrogen were also collected during the CTD casts. Two autonomous flow-through (AFT) instruments recorded pH and CO2 every 3-5 minutes on each cruise (referred to as AFT data).

USGS field activities 11BHM01 and 11BHM02 on the west Florida shelf, Gulf of Mexico, May and June 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Lisa L.; Knorr, Paul O.; Daly, Kendra L.; Taylor, Carl A.; Barrera, Kira E.

2014-01-01

During May and June 2011 the (USGS), in cooperation with (USF), conducted geochemical surveys on the west Florida Shelf to investigate the effects of climate change on ocean acidification within the northern Gulf of Mexico, specifically, the effect of ocean acidification on marine organisms and habitats. The first cruise was conducted from May 3 to 9 (11BHM01) and the second was from June 25 to 30 (11BHM02). To view each cruise's survey lines, please see the Trackline page. Each cruise took place aboard the Research Vessel (R/V) Weatherbird II, a ship of opportunity led by Dr. Kendra Daly (USF), which departed from and returned to Saint Petersburg, Florida. Data collection included sampling of the surface and water column with lab analysis of pH, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) or total carbon dioxide (TCO2), and total alkalinity (TA). lLb analysis was augmented with a continuous flow-through system (referred to as sonde data) with a conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) sensor, which also recorded salinity and pH. Corroborating the USGS data are the vertical CTD profiles (referred to as station samples) collected by USF. The CTD casts measured continuous vertical profiles of oxygen, chlorophyll fluorescence and optical backscatter. Discrete samples for nutrients, chlorophyll, and particulate organic carbon/nitrogen were also collected during the CTD casts. Two autonomous flow-through (AFT) instruments recorded pH and CO2 every 3-5 minutes on each cruise (referred to as AFT data).

Extended investigation of the twelve-flavor β-function

Science.gov (United States)

Fodor, Zoltán; Holland, Kieran; Kuti, Julius; Nógrádi, Dániel; Wong, Chik Him

2018-04-01

We report new results from high precision analysis of an important BSM gauge theory with twelve massless fermion flavors in the fundamental representation of the SU(3) color gauge group. The range of the renormalized gauge coupling is extended from our earlier work [1] to probe the existence of an infrared fixed point (IRFP) in the β-function reported at two different locations, originally in [2] and at a new location in [3]. We find no evidence for the IRFP of the β-function in the extended range of the renormalized gauge coupling, in disagreement with [2,3]. New arguments to guard the existence of the IRFP remain unconvincing [4], including recent claims of an IRFP with ten massless fermion flavors [5,6] which we also rule out. Predictions of the recently completed 5-loop QCD β-function for general flavor number are discussed in this context.

Genetic variation of Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Florida and the Caribbean using microsatellite DNA markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Boykin, Laura M; Shatters, Robert G; Hall, David G; Dean, David; Beerli, Peter

2010-12-01

Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Diptera: Tephritidae), the Caribbean fruit fly, is indigenous to Florida and the Greater Antilles where it causes economic losses in fruit crops, including citrus. Because of the geographic separation of many of its native locations and anecdotal descriptions of regional differences in host preferences, there have been questions about the population structure of A. suspensa. Seven DNA microsatellite markers were used to characterize the population genetic structure of A. suspensa, in Florida and the Caribbean from a variety of hosts, including citrus. We genotyped 729 A. suspensa individuals from Florida, Puerto Rico, Cayman Island, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. The investigated seven loci displayed from 5 to 19 alleles, with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.05 to 0.83. There were five unique alleles in Florida and three unique alleles in the Caribbean samples; however, no microsatellite alleles were specific to a single host plant. Genetic diversity was analyzed using F(ST) and analysis of molecular variance and revealed low genetic diversity between Florida and Caribbean samples and also between citrus and noncitrus samples. Analyses using migrate revealed there is continuous gene flow between sampling sites in Florida and the Caribbean and among different hosts. These results support previous comparisons based on the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I locus indicating there is no genetic differentiation among locations in Florida and the Caribbean and that there is no separation into host races.

Comparative analysis and supragenome modeling of twelve Moraxella catarrhalis clinical isolates.

Science.gov (United States)

Davie, Jeremiah J; Earl, Josh; de Vries, Stefan P W; Ahmed, Azad; Hu, Fen Z; Bootsma, Hester J; Stol, Kim; Hermans, Peter W M; Wadowsky, Robert M; Ehrlich, Garth D; Hays, John P; Campagnari, Anthony A

2011-01-26

M. catarrhalis is a gram-negative, gamma-proteobacterium and an opportunistic human pathogen associated with otitis media (OM) and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With direct and indirect costs for treating these conditions annually exceeding $33 billion in the United States alone, and nearly ubiquitous resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics among M. catarrhalis clinical isolates, a greater understanding of this pathogen's genome and its variability among isolates is needed. The genomic sequences of ten geographically and phenotypically diverse clinical isolates of M. catarrhalis were determined and analyzed together with two publicly available genomes. These twelve genomes were subjected to detailed comparative and predictive analyses aimed at characterizing the supragenome and understanding the metabolic and pathogenic potential of this species. A total of 2383 gene clusters were identified, of which 1755 are core with the remaining 628 clusters unevenly distributed among the twelve isolates. These findings are consistent with the distributed genome hypothesis (DGH), which posits that the species genome possesses a far greater number of genes than any single isolate. Multiple and pair-wise whole genome alignments highlight limited chromosomal re-arrangement. M. catarrhalis gene content and chromosomal organization data, although supportive of the DGH, show modest overall genic diversity. These findings are in stark contrast with the reported heterogeneity of the species as a whole, as wells as to other bacterial pathogens mediating OM and COPD, providing important insight into M. catarrhalis pathogenesis that will aid in the development of novel therapeutic regimens.

Certification of solar products - The Florida experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

POST, HAROLD N.; ROLAND, JAMES D.; VENTRE, GERARD G.; HUGGINS, JAMES C.

2000-01-01

Florida legislation enacted in 1976 directed the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) to develop standards for solar energy systems manufactured or sold in the state, establish criteria for testing the performance of solar energy systems, and provide a means to display compliance with approved performance tests for these systems. This mandate has been effectively implemented for both solar domestic water heating and solar pool heating systems. With growing interest and markets for photovoltaic systems, plans are presently being developed to expand the scope of the mandate to include photovoltaic technology. This paper discusses four complementary facets of a photovoltaic (PV) system certification program. They include PV module performance characterization and rating; PV system design review and approval; examination and authorization of photovoltaic system installers; and inspection and acceptance testing of PV system installation. The suggested photovoltaic system process builds on lessons learned from over 20 years of testing, certifying and labeling of solar thermal collectors, and the certification of solar thermal systems

Range expansion of the Mayan cichlid, cichlasoma urophthalmus (pisces, cichlidae), above 28°N in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Paperno, R.; Ruiz-Carus, R.; Krebs, J.M.; McIvor, C.C.

2008-01-01

Introduced exotic species are a well-recognized problem in Florida's subtropical ecosystems. The presence of the exotic Mayan cichlid (Cichlasoma urophthalmus) was first confirmed in Florida in 1983, when numerous individuals were found in the northeastern Florida Bay. Since then, this species has continued to expand its range northward. The capture, beginning in October 2004 to present, of large numbers of Mayan cichlids from central Florida's east- and west-coast mangrove systems north of 28°N latitude is documented here. Mayan cichlids in a wide range of sizes (estimated ages 0-7 years) at both east- and west-coast sites were collected. In addition, macroscopic examination of gonads showed the presence of developing eggs. The occurrence of multiple age-classes, maturing individuals, cichlid nests, and juveniles, plus repeated collections over a four-year period, indicates that the Mayan cichlid is successfully reproducing and surviving the average winter temperatures in some estuarine waters in central Florida.

Forest statistics for South Florida, 1970

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas R. Bellamy; Herbert A. Knight

1970-01-01

This report highlights the principal findings of the fourth Forest Survey of the timber resource in South Florida. The survey was started in February 1970 and completed in March 1970. Findings of the three previous surveys, completed in 1936, 1949, and 1959, provide the basis for measuring changes that have occurred and trends that have developed over the past 34...

AP Report to the Nation: A Closer Look at the Nation and Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Sawtell, Ellen A.; Gillie, Jacqueline M.; Smith, Patricia Z.

2012-01-01

In February 2012, the College Board published The 8th Annual AP Report to the Nation. This session provides a deeper dive into key information for the United States with an emphasis on Florida, and participants hear how one school in Florida utilizes AP Potential™ to help build their AP Program. Participants also learn about AP participation and…

Echovirus 30 associated with cases of aseptic meningitis in state of Pará, Northern Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ceyla Maria Oeiras de Castro

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Investigation of the aetiology of viral meningitis in Brazil is most often restricted to cases that occur in the Southern and Southeastern Regions; therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe the viral meningitis cases that occurred in state of Pará, Northern Brazil, from January 2005-December 2006. The detection of enterovirus (EV in cerebrospinal fluid was performed using cell culture techniques, RT-PCR, nested PCR and nucleotide sequencing. The ages of the 91 patients ranged from 60 years old (median age 15.90 years. Fever (87.1%, headache (77.0%, vomiting (61.5% and stiffness (61.5% were the most frequent symptoms. Of 91 samples analyzed, 18 (19.8% were positive for EV. Twelve were detected only by RT- PCR followed by nested PCR, whereas six were found by both cell culture and RT-PCR. From the last group, five were sequenced and classified as echovirus 30 (Echo 30. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Echo 30 detected in Northern Brazil clustered within a unique group with a bootstrap value of 100% and could constitute a new subgroup (4c according to the phylogenetic tree described by Oberste et al. (1999. This study described the first molecular characterization of Echo 30 in Brazil and this will certainly contribute to future molecular analyses involving strains detected in other regions of Brazil.

Do Surface Energy Fluxes Reveal Land Use/Land Cover Change in South Florida?: A Remote Sensing Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Kandel, H. P.; Melesse, A. M.

2017-12-01

Series of changes on land use/ land cover in South Florida resulting from drainage and development activities during early to mid-20th followed by restoration measures since late-20th century have had prominent impacts on hydrologic regime and energy fluxes in the region. Previous results from numerical modeling and MODIS-based analysis have shown a shift in dominance of heat fluxes: from latent to sensible along the axes of urbanization, and an opposite along the axes of restoration. This study implements a slightly modified version of surface energy balance algorithm (SEBAL) on cloud-masked Landsat imageries archived over the period of 30-years combined with ground-meteorological data for South Florida using spatial analysis model in ArcGIS and calculates energy flux components: sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and ground heat flux. The study finally computes variation of Bowen's ratio (BR) and daily evapotranspiration (ET) rate over various land covers for different years. Coexistences are apparent between increased BR and increased intensity of urbanization, and between increased daily ET rates and improved best management practices in agricultural areas. An increase in mean urban BR from 1.67 in 1984 to 3.06 in 2010 show plausible link of BR with urban encroachment of open lands, and expulsion of additional heat by increased population/automobiles/factories/air conditioning units. Likewise, increase in mean agricultural daily ET rates from 0.21 mm/day to 3.60 mm/day between 1984 to 2010 probably shows the effects of improved moisture conditions on the northern farm lands as the results of restoration practices. Once new observed data become available to corroborate these results, remote sensing methods-owing to their greater spatial and temporal details-can be used as assessment measures both for the progress of restoration evaluation and for the extent detection of human-induced climate change.

2005/2006 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Lidar: Peace River South (including Carter Creek)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) LAS dataset is a survey of select areas within Southwest Florida. These data were produced for the Southwest Florida Water...

Potentiometric surfaces of the intermediate aquifer system, west-central Florida, May, 1993

Science.gov (United States)

Mularoni, R.A.

1994-01-01

The intermediate aquifer system underlies a 5000-sq-mi area including De Soto, Sarasota, Hardee, Manatee, and parts of Charlotte, Hillsborough, Highlands, and Polk Counties, Florida. It is overlain by the surf@cial aquifer system and underlain by the Floridan aquifer system. The potentiometric surface of the intermediate aquifer system was mapped by determining the altitude of water levels in a network of wells and represented on a map by contours that connect points of equal altitude. This map represents water-level conditions near the end of the spring dry season when ground- water withdrawals for agricultural use were high. The cumulative rainfall for the study area was 4.84 inches above normal for the period from June 1992 to May 1993. Hydrographs for selected wells indicated that the annual and seasonal fluctuations of the water levels were generally large (greater than 15 feet) in the central interior region where water demand for irrigation is high during the fall and spring. Seasonal fluctuations were smaller in the northern recharge area where water use is predominantly for public supply. Water levels measured in May 1993 for the composite intermediate aquifer potentiometric surface were lower than those measured in May or September 1992. A cone of depression exists in the potentiometric surface for the composite aquifer system at Warm Mineral Springs, which is a natural discharge point from this system.

Fatty acid-oxidizing consortia along a nutrient gradient in the Florida Everglades.

Science.gov (United States)

Chauhan, Ashvini; Ogram, Andrew

2006-04-01

The Florida Everglades is one of the largest freshwater marshes in North America and has been subject to eutrophication for decades. A gradient in P concentrations extends for several kilometers into the interior of the northern regions of the marsh, and the structure and function of soil microbial communities vary along the gradient. In this study, stable isotope probing was employed to investigate the fate of carbon from the fermentation products propionate and butyrate in soils from three sites along the nutrient gradient. For propionate microcosms, 16S rRNA gene clone libraries from eutrophic and transition sites were dominated by sequences related to previously described propionate oxidizers, such as Pelotomaculum spp. and Syntrophobacter spp. Significant representation was also observed for sequences related to Smithella propionica, which dismutates propionate to butyrate. Sequences of dominant phylotypes from oligotrophic samples did not cluster with known syntrophs but with sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP) and Pelobacter spp. In butyrate microcosms, sequences clustering with Syntrophospora spp. and Syntrophomonas spp. dominated eutrophic microcosms, and sequences related to Pelospora dominated the transition microcosm. Sequences related to Pelospora spp. and SRP dominated clone libraries from oligotrophic microcosms. Sequences from diverse bacterial phyla and primary fermenters were also present in most libraries. Archaeal sequences from eutrophic microcosms included sequences characteristic of Methanomicrobiaceae, Methanospirillaceae, and Methanosaetaceae. Oligotrophic microcosms were dominated by acetotrophs, including sequences related to Methanosarcina, suggesting accumulation of acetate.

78 FR 68814 - Foreign-Trade Zone 32-Miami, Florida, Authorization of Production Activity, Brightstar...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-15

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B-68-2013] Foreign-Trade Zone 32--Miami, Florida, Authorization of Production Activity, Brightstar Corporation (Cell Phone Kitting), Miami, Florida On June 26, 2013, The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, grantee of FTZ 32, submitted a notification of proposed...

Exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation and lung cancer risk in Florida

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stockwell, H.G.; Lyman, G.H.; Waltz, J.

1986-01-01

The phosphate deposits of central Florida contain levels of uranium and its daughter products 30-60 times greater than average soils. A case-control study was conducted to assess the risk of lung cancer associated with living on these phosphateic soils. Using the records of the state-wide Florida Cancer Data System to address this issue, all cases of lung cancer among Florida residents in 1981 were identified (n = 7049). Information was obtained regarding residence, age, sex, race, and smoking habits. Controls consisted of 6643 individuals with cancers of the colon or rectum. Residents of the central Florida phosphate region experienced a significant increase in lung cancer risk compared to other Florida residents (odds ratio (OR) = 1.4). Excess risks appeared concentrated among squamous cell cancer (OR = 1.6) and small cell cancer (OR = 1.6). When smoking habits as well as residential area was considered, no significant excess risk, associated with residence, was observed among nonsmokers or light smokers. Area residents smoking a pack or more per day experienced a 70% increase in lung cancer risk compared to individuals smoking a similar amount but living elsewhere. Highest risks were observed among persons with squamous cell cancer (OR = 2.1) and small cell cancer (OR = 2.5) who smoked more than 40 cigarettes a day. Results suggest exposure to low levels of ionizing radiation increases the lung cancer risk of residents of this area

Continuation of superpave projects monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-01

This study involved the continuous monitoring of material properties and field performance of twelve Superpave project sections in Florida for the establishment of reasonable and effective mixture design guidelines and criteria, the identification an...

78 FR 5779 - Availability of Seats for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-28

... the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following positions on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

77 FR 5492 - Availability of Seat for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-03

... the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following positions on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

Predicting Salmonella populations from biological, chemical, and physical indicators in Florida surface waters.

Science.gov (United States)

McEgan, Rachel; Mootian, Gabriel; Goodridge, Lawrence D; Schaffner, Donald W; Danyluk, Michelle D

2013-07-01

Coliforms, Escherichia coli, and various physicochemical water characteristics have been suggested as indicators of microbial water quality or index organisms for pathogen populations. The relationship between the presence and/or concentration of Salmonella and biological, physical, or chemical indicators in Central Florida surface water samples over 12 consecutive months was explored. Samples were taken monthly for 12 months from 18 locations throughout Central Florida (n = 202). Air and water temperature, pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), turbidity, and conductivity were measured. Weather data were obtained from nearby weather stations. Aerobic plate counts and most probable numbers (MPN) for Salmonella, E. coli, and coliforms were performed. Weak linear relationships existed between biological indicators (E. coli/coliforms) and Salmonella levels (R(2) Florida surface water through logistic regression.

Archive of bathymetry data collected in South Florida from 1995 to 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, Mark Erik; DeWitt, Nancy T.; Reynolds, Billy J.

2017-08-10

DescriptionLand development and alterations of the ecosystem in south Florida over the past 100 years have decreased freshwater and increased nutrient flows into many of Florida's estuaries, bays, and coastal regions. As a result, there has been a decrease in the water quality in many of these critical habitats, often prompting seagrass die-offs and reduced fish and aquatic life populations. Restoration of water quality in many of these habitats will depend partly upon using numerical-circulation and sediment-transport models to establish water-quality targets and to assess progress toward reaching restoration targets. Application of these models is often complicated because of complex sea floor topography and tidal flow regimes. Consequently, accurate and modern sea-floor or bathymetry maps are critical for numerical modeling research. Modern bathymetry data sets will also permit a comparison to historical data in order to help assess sea-floor changes within these critical habitats. New and detailed data sets also support marine biology studies to help understand migratory and feeding habitats of marine life.This data series is a compilation of 13 mapping projects conducted in south Florida between 1995 and 2015 and archives more than 45 million bathymetric soundings. Data were collected primarily with a single beam sound navigation and ranging (sonar) system called SANDS developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1993. Bathymetry data for the Estero Bay project were supplemented with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar (EAARL) system. Data from eight rivers in southwest Florida were collected with an interferometric swath bathymetry system. The projects represented in this data series were funded by the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program (CMGP), the USGS South Florida Ecosystem Restoration Project- formally named Placed Based Studies, and other non-Federal agencies. The purpose of

75 FR 3444 - Availability of Seats for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-21

... the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following vacant seats on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

76 FR 4868 - Availability of Seats for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-27

... the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following vacant positions on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

76 FR 40336 - Availability of Seats for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-08

... the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA... applications for the following vacant positions on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council...

75 FR 17463 - Key West Bank, Key West, Florida; Notice of Appointment of Receiver

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-06

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Office of Thrift Supervision Key West Bank, Key West, Florida; Notice... section 5(d)(2) of the Home Owners' Loan Act, the Office of Thrift Supervision has duly appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as sole Receiver for Key West Bank, Key West, Florida, (OTS No...

Tracking costs of alternatively fueled buses in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-04

The goal of the current project is to establish a recording and reporting mechanism for collecting field data on the performance and costs of alternatively fueled public transit vehicles operating in Florida in order to assist policy makers with thei...

Two new promising cultivars of mango for Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Mango cultivars are mostly the result of random selections from open pollinated chance seedlings of indigenous or introduced germplasm. The National Germplasm Repository (genebank) at the Subtropical Horticulture Research Station (SHRS) in Miami, Florida is an important mango germplasm repository an...

Nature: a colour comparison between Northern South Africa and Northern Australia

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Baumbach, J

2009-10-01

Full Text Available During 1983 DSTO in Australia measured the reflectances of grass, trees and soil in northern Australia, using a custom-build spectroradiometer. During 2002 CSIR in South Africa performed similar measurements in northern South Africa, using a...

Heavy metals in recovered fines from construction and demolition debris recycling facilities in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Townsend, Timothy; Tolaymat, Thabet; Leo, Kevin; Jambeck, Jenna

2004-10-01

A major product recovered from the processing and recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) debris is screened soil, also referred to as fines. A proposed reuse option for C&D debris fines is fill material, typically in construction projects as a substitute for natural soil. Waste material that is reused in a manner similar to soil must first be characterized to examine potential risks to human health and the environment. In Florida, samples of C&D debris fines from 13 C&D debris recycling facilities were characterized for 11 total and leachable heavy metal concentrations. Total metal concentration results (mg/kg) were compared to existing data on background Florida soil concentrations and to Florida's risk-based soil cleanup target levels (SCTLs). All of the detected metals were found to be elevated with respect to background. The 95% upper confidence level of arsenic from 99 samples was 3.2 mg/kg; arsenic presented the greatest limitation to reuse when compared to the SCTLs. Lead was not found to pose a major problem, likely because of the relatively new building infrastructure in Florida, which results in less demolition debris and less material impacted by lead-based paint. The results of batch leaching tests conducted using simulated rainwater (mg/l) were compared directly to risk-based groundwater levels for Florida and were found not to pose a risk using existing risk assessment policies.

Comparative analysis and supragenome modeling of twelve Moraxella catarrhalis clinical isolates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hermans Peter WM

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background M. catarrhalis is a gram-negative, gamma-proteobacterium and an opportunistic human pathogen associated with otitis media (OM and exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD. With direct and indirect costs for treating these conditions annually exceeding $33 billion in the United States alone, and nearly ubiquitous resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics among M. catarrhalis clinical isolates, a greater understanding of this pathogen's genome and its variability among isolates is needed. Results The genomic sequences of ten geographically and phenotypically diverse clinical isolates of M. catarrhalis were determined and analyzed together with two publicly available genomes. These twelve genomes were subjected to detailed comparative and predictive analyses aimed at characterizing the supragenome and understanding the metabolic and pathogenic potential of this species. A total of 2383 gene clusters were identified, of which 1755 are core with the remaining 628 clusters unevenly distributed among the twelve isolates. These findings are consistent with the distributed genome hypothesis (DGH, which posits that the species genome possesses a far greater number of genes than any single isolate. Multiple and pair-wise whole genome alignments highlight limited chromosomal re-arrangement. Conclusions M. catarrhalis gene content and chromosomal organization data, although supportive of the DGH, show modest overall genic diversity. These findings are in stark contrast with the reported heterogeneity of the species as a whole, as wells as to other bacterial pathogens mediating OM and COPD, providing important insight into M. catarrhalis pathogenesis that will aid in the development of novel therapeutic regimens.

Florida's "truth" campaign: a counter-marketing, anti-tobacco media campaign.

Science.gov (United States)

Zucker, D; Hopkins, R S; Sly, D F; Urich, J; Kershaw, J M; Solari, S

2000-05-01

The "truth" campaign was created to change youth attitudes about tobacco and to reduce teen tobacco use throughout Florida by using youth-driven advertising, public relations, and advocacy. Results of the campaign include a 92 percent brand awareness rate among teens, a 15 percent rise in teens who agree with key attitudinal statements about smoking, a 19.4 percent decline in smoking among middle school students, and a 8.0 percent decline among high school students. States committed to results-oriented youth anti-tobacco campaigns should look to Florida's "truth" campaign as a model that effectively places youth at the helm of anti-tobacco efforts.

Realistic evaluation of tester exposure based on Florida testing experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreiber, R.A.

1990-01-01

This paper reports on a radon decay product exposure model for Florida Certified Radon Measurement Technicians that has been formulated based on the guidance of 10CFR20. This model was used to estimate the exposure of 44 Florida measurement technicians from January through November of 1989. Comparing estimated testing and home exposure shows that 100% of the technicians observed received more exposure in the home than during testing activities. Exposure during normal office hours also exceed testing exposure in 86% of the technicians observed. Health and safety exposure data for radon measurement technicians does not follow the standard concepts of occupational radiation exposure normally accepted in 10CFR20

The Integration of Climate Science and Collaborative Processes in Building Regional Climate Resiliency in Southeast Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Jurado, J.

2016-12-01

Southeast Florida is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable regions in the United States to the impacts of climate change, especially sea level rise. Dense urban populations, low land elevations, flat topography, complex shorelines and a porous geology all contribute to the region's challenges. Regional and local governments have been working collaboratively to address shared climate mitigation and adaptation concerns as part of the four-county Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact (Compact). This partnership has emphasized, in part, the use of climate data and the development of advanced technical tools and visualizations to help inform decision-making, improve communications, and guide investments. Prominent work products have included regional vulnerability maps and assessments, a unified sea level rise projection for southeast Florida, the development and application of hydrologic models in scenario planning, interdisciplinary resilient redesign planning workshops, and the development of regional climate indicators. Key to the Compact's efforts has been the engagement and expertise of academic and agency partners, including a formal collaboration between the Florida Climate Institute and the Compact to improve research and project collaborations focused on southeast Florida. This presentation will focus on the collaborative processes and work products that have served to accelerate resiliency planning and investments in southeast Florida, with specific examples of how local governments are using these work products to modernize agency processes, and build support among residents and business leaders.

Management of pest mole crickets in Florida and Puerto Rico with a nematode and parasitic wasp

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leppla, N.C.; Frank, J.H.; Adjei, M.B.; Vicente, N.E.

2007-01-01

Non-indigenous invasive mole crickets, Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) in Florida and S. didactylus (Latreille) (the 'changa') in Puerto Rico, are being managed with an entomopathogenic nematode, Steinernema scapterisci (Nguyen and Smart) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), and a parasitic wasp, Larra bicolor L. (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae). Pest mole cricket populations have declined by 95% in north central Florida since these specialist natural enemies were released and established in the 1980s. Commercial production of the nematode was initiated, nearly 70 billion were applied in 34 Florida counties, and their establishment, spread, and impact on mole crickets were monitored. The infected mole crickets dispersed the nematode rapidly, so that within 6 months these parasites were present in most of the insects trapped in experimental pastures. Three years later, mole cricket populations were reduced to acceptable levels and the bahiagrass had recovered. The nematode was released for the first time in Puerto Rico during 2001 and has persisted; the wasp was introduced in the late 1930s. The geographical distribution of the wasp is being expanded in Florida and Puerto Rico by planting plots of Spermacoce verticillata (L.), a wildflower indigenous to Puerto Rico and widely distributed in southern Florida. Pastures, sod farms, golf courses, landscapes, and vegetable farms in Florida and Puerto Rico are benefiting from biological control of invasive mole crickets. (author) [es

76 FR 36150 - Notice of Inventory Completion: Florida Department of State/Division of Historical Resources...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-21

....A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory and Dr. John Krigbaum, University of Florida, Department of... described as a multi-component black earth midden deposit on a relict Everglades tree island, associated... to the Florida Department of State/Division of Historical Resources for identification pending...

Traditional medicinal plant use in Northern Peru: tracking two thousand years of healing culture

Science.gov (United States)

Bussmann, Rainer W; Sharon, Douglas

2006-01-01

This paper examines the traditional use of medicinal plants in Northern Peru, with special focus on the Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Cajamarca, and San Martin. Northern Peru represents the center of the old Central Andean "Health Axis," stretching from Ecuador to Bolivia. The roots of traditional healing practices in this region go at least as far back as the Moche period (AC 100–800). Although about 50% of the plants in use reported in the colonial period have disappeared from the popular pharmacopoeia, the plant knowledge of the population is much more extensive than in other parts of the Andean region. 510 plant species used for medicinal purposes were collected, identified and their vernacular names, traditional uses and applications recorded. The families best represented were Asteraceae with 69 species, Fabaceae (35), Lamiaceae (25), and Solanaceae (21). Euphorbiaceae had twelve species, and Apiaceae and Poaceae 11 species. The highest number of species was used for the treatment of "magical/ritual" ailments (207 species), followed by respiratory disorders (95), problems of the urinary tract (85), infections of female organs (66), liver ailments (61), inflammations (59), stomach problems (51) and rheumatism (45). Most of the plants used (83%) were native to Peru. Fresh plants, often collected wild, were used in two thirds of all cases, and the most common applications included the ingestion of herb decoctions or the application of plant material as poultices. PMID:17090303

Traditional medicinal plant use in Northern Peru: tracking two thousand years of healing culture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon Douglas

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper examines the traditional use of medicinal plants in Northern Peru, with special focus on the Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Cajamarca, and San Martin. Northern Peru represents the center of the old Central Andean "Health Axis," stretching from Ecuador to Bolivia. The roots of traditional healing practices in this region go at least as far back as the Moche period (AC 100–800. Although about 50% of the plants in use reported in the colonial period have disappeared from the popular pharmacopoeia, the plant knowledge of the population is much more extensive than in other parts of the Andean region. 510 plant species used for medicinal purposes were collected, identified and their vernacular names, traditional uses and applications recorded. The families best represented were Asteraceae with 69 species, Fabaceae (35, Lamiaceae (25, and Solanaceae (21. Euphorbiaceae had twelve species, and Apiaceae and Poaceae 11 species. The highest number of species was used for the treatment of "magical/ritual" ailments (207 species, followed by respiratory disorders (95, problems of the urinary tract (85, infections of female organs (66, liver ailments (61, inflammations (59, stomach problems (51 and rheumatism (45. Most of the plants used (83% were native to Peru. Fresh plants, often collected wild, were used in two thirds of all cases, and the most common applications included the ingestion of herb decoctions or the application of plant material as poultices.

Traditional medicinal plant use in Northern Peru: tracking two thousand years of healing culture.

Science.gov (United States)

Bussmann, Rainer W; Sharon, Douglas

2006-11-07

This paper examines the traditional use of medicinal plants in Northern Peru, with special focus on the Departments of Piura, Lambayeque, La Libertad, Cajamarca, and San Martin. Northern Peru represents the center of the old Central Andean "Health Axis," stretching from Ecuador to Bolivia. The roots of traditional healing practices in this region go at least as far back as the Moche period (AC 100-800). Although about 50% of the plants in use reported in the colonial period have disappeared from the popular pharmacopoeia, the plant knowledge of the population is much more extensive than in other parts of the Andean region. 510 plant species used for medicinal purposes were collected, identified and their vernacular names, traditional uses and applications recorded. The families best represented were Asteraceae with 69 species, Fabaceae (35), Lamiaceae (25), and Solanaceae (21). Euphorbiaceae had twelve species, and Apiaceae and Poaceae 11 species. The highest number of species was used for the treatment of "magical/ritual" ailments (207 species), followed by respiratory disorders (95), problems of the urinary tract (85), infections of female organs (66), liver ailments (61), inflammations (59), stomach problems (51) and rheumatism (45). Most of the plants used (83%) were native to Peru. Fresh plants, often collected wild, were used in two thirds of all cases, and the most common applications included the ingestion of herb decoctions or the application of plant material as poultices.

Meteorological and radiation measurements at Nabarlek, Northern Territory, June to July 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clark, G.H.; Davy, D.R.; Bendun, E.O.K.; O'Brien, B.

1981-09-01

A meteorological and radiation measurement program was conducted near the then developing uranium mine at Nabarlek in the Northern Territory. The two-filter tube radiation measuring technique was checked and compared with the continuous radon monitor and instant working level meter techniques. In general, the Nabarlek meteorology was characterised by weak stable layers and good ventilation conditions with winds rarely less than 1ms -1 . A comparison of wind measurements made near the open pit with those taken some 800 m away gave evidence of horizontal changes in the wind field over the site. Strong daytime winds gusting higher than 10 ms -1 caused a visible suspension of dust from the site. Dust deposition samples indicated that thorium-230 in air on site was a factor of twelve below the maximum permissible concentration for employees in Australia, but uranium was lower by several orders of magnitude. The concentrations of radioactivity in the aquatic food pathway, external radiation levels and radon daughter concentrations from deposited dust were likewise at least two orders of magnitude below the maximum concentrations permissible in Australia

Public participation in environmental decision-making: a case study of ecosystem restoration in South FloridaPublic participation in environmental decision-making: a case study of ecosystem restoration in South Florida

OpenAIRE

Ogden, Laura

2006-01-01

The “ecosystem” is the conceptual model guiding environmental restoration projects in the Florida Everglades, a large wetlands region in the southern United States. According to applied ecological frameworks, ecosystems are geographies (of various temporal and spatial scales) where systemic interrelationships of organisms and habitat occur. With current project estimates at 14.8 billion dollars, ecosystem restoration in South Florida represents one of the largest and most expensive environmen...

Sources of nitrate in water from springs and the Upper Floridan aquifer, Suwannee River basin, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, B.G.; Hornsby, H.D.; Böhlke, John Karl

1999-01-01

In the Suwannee River basin of northern Florida, nitrate-N concentrations are 1.5 to 20 mg 1-1 in waters of the karstic Upper Floridan aquifer and in springs that discharge into the middle reach of the Suwannee River. During 1996-1997, fertilizers and animal wastes from farming operations in Suwannee County contributed approximately 49% and 45% of the total N input, respectively. Values of ??15N-NO3 in spring waters range from 3.9??? to 5.8???, indicating that nitrate most likely originates from a mixture of inorganic (fertilizers) and organic (animal waste) sources. In Lafayette County, animal wastes from farming operations and fertilizers contributed approximately 53% and 39% of the total N input, respectively, but groundwater near dairy and poultry farms has ??15N-NO3 values of 11.0-12.1???, indicative of an organic source of nitrate. Spring waters that discharge to the Suwannee River from Lafayette County have ??15N-NO3 values of 5.4-8.39???, which are indicative of both organic and inorganic sources. Based on analyses of CFCs, the mean residence time of shallow groundwater and spring water ranges between 8-12 years and 12-25 years, respectively.

Tobacco Industry Political Power and Influence in Florida From 1979 to 1999

OpenAIRE

Givel, Michael S. Ph.D.; Glantz, Stanton A. Ph.D.

1999-01-01

The tobacco industry is a major political and legal force in Florida through campaign contributions, public relations efforts, lobbying and litigation, which at least from the late 1970s, has had a centralized political organization in Florida that defends and promotes its political and economic interests at the local and state levels of government. Although the industry has operated in the open in some political campaigns, it has also operated quietly behind the scenes, often through front g...

Uruguay Mining inventory. Florida fotoplano geochemical prospecting results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zeegers, H.; Artignan, D.; Vairon, P.

1982-01-01

This work is about the geochemical prospecting carried out in Florida fotoplano within the framework of Uruguay Mining inventory. In this work were covered 660 km2 obtaining 752 samples for study which were analyzed by Plasma Emission Spectrometry in Orleans BRGM laboratories

Daytona Beach, Florida Tsunami Forecast Grids for MOST Model

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Daytona Beach, Florida Forecast Model Grids provides bathymetric data strictly for tsunami inundation modeling with the Method of Splitting Tsunami (MOST) model....

Palm Beach, Florida Tsunami Forecast Grids for MOST Model

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Palm Beach, Florida Forecast Model Grids provides bathymetric data strictly for tsunami inundation modeling with the Method of Splitting Tsunami (MOST) model....

Identifying suitable sites for Florida panther reintroduction

Science.gov (United States)

Thatcher, Cindy A.; van Manen, Frank T.; Clark, Joseph D.

2006-01-01

A major objective of the 1995 Florida Panther (Puma concolor cory) Recovery Plan is the establishment of 2 additional panther populations within the historic range. Our goal was to identify prospective sites for Florida panther reintroduction within the historic range based on quantitative landscape assessments. First, we delineated 86 panther home ranges using telemetry data collected from 1981 to 2001 in south Florida to develop a Mahalanobis distance (D2) habitat model, using 4 anthropogenic variables and 3 landscape variables mapped at a 500-m resolution. From that analysis, we identified 9 potential reintroduction sites of sufficient size to support a panther population. We then developed a similar D2 model at a higher spatial resolution to quantify the area of favorable panther habitat at each site. To address potential for the population to expand, we calculated the amount of favorable habitat adjacent to each prospective reintroduction site within a range of dispersal distances of female panthers. We then added those totals to the contiguous patches to estimate the total amount of effective panther habitat at each site. Finally, we developed an expert-assisted model to rank and incorporate potentially important habitat variables that were not appropriate for our empirical analysis (e.g., area of public lands, livestock density). Anthropogenic factors heavily influenced both the landscape and the expert-assisted models. Of the 9 areas we identified, the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Ozark National Forest, and Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge regions had the highest combination of effective habitat area and expert opinion scores. Sensitivity analyses indicated that variability among key model parameters did not affect the high ranking of those sites. Those sites should be considered as starting points for the field evaluation of potential reintroduction sites.

Florida intercity high speed rail passenger service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Najafi, F.T.; Watford, S.; Moore, G.; Des, A. [Florida Univ., Gainesville, FL (United States). Dept. of Civil Engineering

1997-10-01

Plans for a new high-speed rail (HSR) transportation system in Florida were reviewed. HSR is believed to be the least expensive, most energy-efficient and least environmentally harmful alternative to air and highway travel. The system in Florida will be used as a case study to determine its overall impact on the environment, people and economy. The 300-plus mile system will move travelers at speeds of over 200 mph between Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The study will identify the impacts of a HSR system on existing transportation networks, environment, energy, growth and growth distribution, safety, economy, travel time, and tourism. Transportation problems and the innovative mechanisms needed to realize the joint public and private venture approach to planning, locating, permitting, managing, financing, constructing and maintaining an inter-regional HSR line for the state were studied. The all-electric train would greatly help the environment in two ways: (1) zero emissions from the train itself, and (2) the reduction of trips by automobile and aircraft would reduce the amount of fuel and energy being used. 4 refs., 1 fig.

Sensitivity of Coastal Environments and Wildlife to Spilled Oil: Florida Panhandle: T_MAMMAL (Terrestrial Mammal Polygons)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for beach mice, red wolf, and Florida black bear for the Florida Panhandle. Vector polygons in this data...

Titan's Stratospheric Condensibles at High Northern Latitudes During Northern Winter

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Carrie; Samuelson, R.; Achterberg, R.

2012-01-01

The Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) instrument on board Voyager 1 caught the first glimpse of an unidentified particulate feature in Titan's stratosphere that spectrally peaks at 221 per centimeter. Until recently, this feature that we have termed 'the haystack,' has been seen persistently at high northern latitudes with the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument onboard Cassini, The strength of the haystack emission feature diminishes rapidly with season, becoming drastically reduced at high northern latitudes, as Titan transitions from northern winter into spring, In contrast to IRIS whose shortest wavenumber was 200 per centimeter, CIRS extends down to 10 per centimeter, thus revealing an entirely unexplored spectral region in which nitrile ices have numerous broad lattice vibration features, Unlike the haystack, which is only found at high northern latitudes during northern winter/early northern spring, this geometrically thin nitrile cloud pervades Titan's lower stratosphere, spectrally peaking at 160 per centimeter, and is almost global in extent spanning latitudes 85 N to 600 S, The inference of nitrile ices are consistent with the highly restricted altitude ranges over which these features are observed, and appear to be dominated by a mixture of HCN and HC3N, The narrow range in altitude over which the nitrile ices extend is unlike the haystack, whose vertical distribution is significantly broader, spanning roughly 70 kilometers in altitude in Titan's lower stratosphere, The nitrile clouds that CIRS observes are located in a dynamically stable region of Titan's atmosphere, whereas CH4 clouds, which ordinarily form in the troposphere, form in a more dynamically unstable region, where convective cloud systems tend to occur. In the unusual situation where Titan's tropopause cools significantly from the HASI 70.5K temperature minimum, CH4 should condense in Titan's lower stratosphere, just like the aforementioned nitrile clouds, although

Key West, Florida Tsunami Forecast Grids for MOST Model

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Key West, Florida Forecast Model Grids provides bathymetric data strictly for tsunami inundation modeling with the Method of Splitting Tsunami (MOST) model. MOST...

Florida DOT Orlando ITS World Congress Vehicle Awareness Device

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — Florida DOT (FDOT) installed Vehicle Awareness Devices (VADs) on a set of Lynx transit buses as part of a demonstration for the ITS World Congress held in Orlando in...

Population viability analysis of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), 1976-1991

Science.gov (United States)

Marmontel, M.; Humphrey, S.R.; O'Shea, T.J.

1997-01-01

Recent development of age-determination techniques for Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) has permitted derivation of age-specific data on reproduction and survival of a sample of 1212 carcasses obtained throughout Florida from 1976–1991. Population viability analysis using these data projects a slightly negative growth rate (−0.003) and an unacceptably low probability of persistence (0.44) over 1000 years. The main factors affecting population projections were adult survival and fecundity. A 10% increase in adult mortality would drive the population to extinction over a 1000-year time scale, whereas a 10% decrease in adult mortality would allow slow population growth. A 10% decrease in reproduction would also result in extinction. We conclude that management must focus on retaining and improving the conditions under which manatee demography operates. The major identified agent of mortality is boat-manatee collisions, and rapidly increasing numbers of humans and registered boats portend an increase in manatee mortality. Zoning of manatee-occupied waters for reductions in boating activity and speed is essential to safeguard the manatee population. If boating regulations being implemented by the state of Florida in each of 13 key coastal counties are completed, enforced, and effective, manatees and human recreation could coexist indefinitely. If regulation is unsuccessful, the Florida manatee population is likely to decline slowly toward extinction.

ESTABLISHING MINIMUM FLOWS AND LEVELS OF FRESHWATER IN THE CALOOSAHATCHEE RIVER, FLORIDA, USING RESPONSES OF OYSTERS.

Science.gov (United States)

Alterations in freshwater inflow resulting from watershed development and water management practices have impacted salinity and water quality and led to declines in oyster populations within southwest Florida estuaries. In the Caloosahatchee Estuary, Florida watershed management ...

Volume transport data from a submarine cable in the Florida Strait from 2015 (NCEI Accession 0140278)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Daily mean and raw voltage volume transport data of the Florida Current collected with a submarine cable spanning from South Florida to the Grand Bahama Island in...

Volume transport data from a submarine cable in the Florida Strait from 2016 (NCEI Accession 0159429)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Daily mean and raw voltage volume transport data of the Florida Current collected with a submarine cable spanning from South Florida to the Grand Bahama Island in...

Volume transport data from a submarine cable in the Florida Strait in 2014 (NODC Accession 0125429)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Daily mean and raw voltage volume transport data of the Florida Current collected with a submarine cable spanning from South Florida to the Grand Bahama Island in...

Creating a monthly time series of the potentiometric surface in the Upper Floridan aquifer, Northern Tampa Bay area, Florida, January 2000-December 2009

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Terrie M.; Fouad, Geoffrey G.

2014-01-01

In Florida’s karst terrain, where groundwater and surface waters interact, a mapping time series of the potentiometric surface in the Upper Floridan aquifer offers a versatile metric for assessing the hydrologic condition of both the aquifer and overlying streams and wetlands. Long-term groundwater monitoring data were used to generate a monthly time series of potentiometric surfaces in the Upper Floridan aquifer over a 573-square-mile area of west-central Florida between January 2000 and December 2009. Recorded groundwater elevations were collated for 260 groundwater monitoring wells in the Northern Tampa Bay area, and a continuous time series of daily observations was created for 197 of the wells by estimating missing daily values through regression relations with other monitoring wells. Kriging was used to interpolate the monthly average potentiometric-surface elevation in the Upper Floridan aquifer over a decade. The mapping time series gives spatial and temporal coherence to groundwater monitoring data collected continuously over the decade by three different organizations, but at various frequencies. Further, the mapping time series describes the potentiometric surface beneath parts of six regionally important stream watersheds and 11 municipal well fields that collectively withdraw about 90 million gallons per day from the Upper Floridan aquifer. Monthly semivariogram models were developed using monthly average groundwater levels at wells. Kriging was used to interpolate the monthly average potentiometric-surface elevations and to quantify the uncertainty in the interpolated elevations. Drawdown of the potentiometric surface within well fields was likely the cause of a characteristic decrease and then increase in the observed semivariance with increasing lag distance. This characteristic made use of the hole effect model appropriate for describing the monthly semivariograms and the interpolated surfaces. Spatial variance reflected in the monthly

76 FR 77775 - University of Florida, et al.;

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-14

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration University of Florida, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on Applications for Duty-Free Entry of Electron Microscope This is a decision consolidated pursuant to Section 6(c) of the Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials Importation Act of...

Tracking costs of alternatively fueled buses in Florida : [summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

In an effort to address rising fuel costs and environmental concerns, many transit agencies across Florida have introduced alternative fuel technologies to their traditional diesel-powered fleets. Fuel types include biodiesel, compressed natural gas,...

75 FR 54400 - Florida Power and Light Company; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-07

...] Florida Power and Light Company; Establishment of Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Pursuant to delegation..., notice is hereby given that an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (Board) is being established to preside over the following proceeding: Florida Power & Light Company (Turkey Point Units 6 and 7) This...

Steam explosion and fermentation of sugar beets from Southern Florida and the Midwestern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Sugar beets have recently gained interest for cultivation in southern Florida for their economic potential as cattle feed, a feedstock for ethanol production and their use to improve the quality of water via soil nutrient accumulation. Sugar beets grown in southern Florida, Minnesota and Nebraska we...

The "Phantom Costs" of Florida's Citrus Industry

OpenAIRE

Muraro, Ronald P.; Roka, Fritz M.; Spreen, Thomas H.

2006-01-01

Regulatory compliance, the "phantom costs of production," is an increasingly "fact-of-life" for U.S. agriculture. A survey was developed and implemented to enumerate regulatory compliance costs for Florida's 748,500 acres citrus industry. Complying with 61 production related regulations, 643,757 hours were expended at a total annual cost of over $24.3 million.

Predicting Salmonella Populations from Biological, Chemical, and Physical Indicators in Florida Surface Waters

OpenAIRE

McEgan, Rachel; Mootian, Gabriel; Goodridge, Lawrence D.; Schaffner, Donald W.; Danyluk, Michelle D.

2013-01-01

Coliforms, Escherichia coli, and various physicochemical water characteristics have been suggested as indicators of microbial water quality or index organisms for pathogen populations. The relationship between the presence and/or concentration of Salmonella and biological, physical, or chemical indicators in Central Florida surface water samples over 12 consecutive months was explored. Samples were taken monthly for 12 months from 18 locations throughout Central Florida (n = 202). Air and wat...

Heavy metals in recovered fines from construction and demolition debris recycling facilities in Florida

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Townsend, Timothy; Tolaymat, Thabet; Leo, Kevin; Jambeck, Jenna

2004-01-01

A major product recovered from the processing and recycling of construction and demolition (C and D) debris is screened soil, also referred to as fines. A proposed reuse option for C and D debris fines is fill material, typically in construction projects as a substitute for natural soil. Waste material that is reused in a manner similar to soil must first be characterized to examine potential risks to human health and the environment. In Florida, samples of C and D debris fines from 13 C and D debris recycling facilities were characterized for 11 total and leachable heavy metal concentrations. Total metal concentration results (mg/kg) were compared to existing data on background Florida soil concentrations and to Florida's risk-based soil cleanup target levels (SCTLs). All of the detected metals were found to be elevated with respect to background. The 95% upper confidence level of arsenic from 99 samples was 3.2 mg/kg; arsenic presented the greatest limitation to reuse when compared to the SCTLs. Lead was not found to pose a major problem, likely because of the relatively new building infrastructure in Florida, which results in less demolition debris and less material impacted by lead-based paint. The results of batch leaching tests conducted using simulated rainwater (mg/l) were compared directly to risk-based groundwater levels for Florida and were found not to pose a risk using existing risk assessment policies

Potential Agricultural Uses of Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum in the Northern Great Plains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DeSutter, T.M.; Cihacek, L.J. [North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND (United States). Department of Soil Science

2009-07-15

Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) is a byproduct from the combustion of coal for electrical energy production. Currently, FGDG is being produced by 15 electrical generating stations in Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Much of this byproduct is used in the manufacturing of wallboard. The National Network for Use of FGDG in Agriculture was initiated to explore alternative uses of this byproduct. In the northern Great Plains (North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana), FGDG has the potential to be used as a Ca or S fertilizer, as an acid soil ameliorant, and for reclaiming or mitigating sodium-affected soils. Greater than 1.4 million Mg of FGDG could initially be used in these states for these purposes. Flue gas desulfurization gypsum can be an agriculturally important resource for helping to increase the usefulness of problem soils and to increase crop and rangeland production. Conducting beneficial use audits would increase the public awareness of this product and help identify to coal combustion electrical generating stations the agriculturally beneficial outlets for this byproduct.

15 CFR Appendix I to Subpart P of... - Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Boundary Coordinates

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary... OF COMMERCE OCEAN AND COASTAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY PROGRAM REGULATIONS Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Pt. 922, Subpt. P, App. I Appendix I to Subpart P of Part 922...

Impacts of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne on Two Nourished Beaches along the Southeast Florida Coast

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Benedet, L.; Campbell, T.; Finkl, C.W.; Stive, M.J.F.; Spadoni, R.

2005-01-01

Site inspections and beacli profile surveys of nourislied beaclies in the city of Boca Raton, and Town of Palm Beach, Florida show that the nourished beaches protected the shore from hurricane impacts in 2004. Striking the southeast coast of Florida within 20 days of each other. Hurricane Frances

ARSENIC ADSORPTION AND REDUCTION IN IRON-RICH SOILS NEARBY LANDFILLS IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongqin Xue

2016-01-01

Full Text Available In Florida, soils are mainly composed of Myakka, an acid soil characterized by a subsurface accumulation of humus and Al(III and Fe(III oxides. Downgradient of the landfills in Northwest Florida, elevated levels of iron and arsenic observations had been made in the groundwater from monitoring wells, which was attributed to the geomicrobial iron and arsenic reduction. There is thus an immediate research need for a better understanding of the reduction reactions that are responsible for the mobilization of iron and arsenic in the subsurface soil nearby landfills. Owing to the high Fe(III oxide content, As(V adsorption reactions with Fe(III oxide surfaces are particularly important, which may control As(V reduction. This research focused on the investigation of the biogeochemical processes of the subsurface soil nearby landfills of Northwest Florida. Arsenic and iron reduction was studied in batch reactors and quantified based on Monod-type microbial kinetic growth simulations. As(V adsorption in iron-rich Northwest Floridian soils was further investigated to explain the reduction observations. It was demonstrated in this research that solubilization of arsenic in the subsurface soil nearby landfills in Northwest Florida would likely occur under conditions favoring Fe(III dissimilatory reduction.

The influence of the Atlantic Warm Pool on the Florida panhandle sea breeze

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Vasubandhu; Moeller, Lauren; Stefanova, Lydia; Chan, Steven; O'Brien, James J.; Smith, Thomas J.; Plant, Nathaniel

2011-01-01

In this paper we examine the variations of the boreal summer season sea breeze circulation along the Florida panhandle coast from relatively high resolution (10 km) regional climate model integrations. The 23 year climatology (1979–2001) of the multidecadal dynamically downscaled simulations forced by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction–Department of Energy (NCEP-DOE) Reanalysis II at the lateral boundaries verify quite well with the observed climatology. The variations at diurnal and interannual time scales are also well simulated with respect to the observations. We show from composite analyses made from these downscaled simulations that sea breezes in northwestern Florida are associated with changes in the size of the Atlantic Warm Pool (AWP) on interannual time scales. In large AWP years when the North Atlantic Subtropical High becomes weaker and moves further eastward relative to the small AWP years, a large part of the southeast U.S. including Florida comes under the influence of relatively strong anomalous low-level northerly flow and large-scale subsidence consistent with the theory of the Sverdrup balance. This tends to suppress the diurnal convection over the Florida panhandle coast in large AWP years. This study is also an illustration of the benefit of dynamic downscaling in understanding the low-frequency variations of the sea breeze.

Portrayal of Life Form in Selected Biographies for Children Eight to Twelve Years of Age.

Science.gov (United States)

Koch, Shirley Lois

This study describes and analyzes, in a critical literary manner, selected biographies for children eight to twelve years of age. Biographies of Jane Addams, Cesar Chavez, Mohandas Gandhi, Toyohiko Kagawa, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Albert Schweitzer are viewed from the perspective of a literary criterion based on the principles of design to…

Status and threats analysis for the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Runge, Michael C.; Sanders-Reed, Carol A.; Langtimm, Catherine A.; Hostetler, Jeffrey A.; Martin, Julien; Deutsch, Charles J.; Ward-Geiger, Leslie I.; Mahon, Gary L.

2017-04-11

Trichechus manatus (West Indian manatee), especially T. m. latirostris, the Florida subspecies, has been the focus of conservation efforts and extensive research since its listing under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. To determine the status of, and severity of threats to, the Florida manatee, a comprehensive revision and update of the manatee Core Biological Model was completed and used to perform a population viability analysis for the Florida manatee. The probability of the Florida manatee population falling below 500 adults on either the Gulf or East coast within the next 100 years was estimated to be 0.42 percent. This risk of quasi-extinction is low because the estimated adult survival rates are high, the current population size is greater than 2,500 on each coast, and the estimated carrying capacity for manatees is much larger than the current abundance estimates in all four regions of Florida. Three threats contribute in roughly equal measures to the risk of quasi-extinction: watercraft-related mortality, red-tide mortality, and loss of warm-water habitat. Only an increase in watercraft-related mortality has the potential to substantially increase the risk of quasi-extinction at the statewide or coastal level. Expected losses of warm-water habitat are likely to cause a major change in the distribution of the population from the regions where manatees rely heavily on power plant effluents for warmth in winter (Southwest and Atlantic regions) to the regions where manatees primarily use natural springs in winter (Northwest and Upper St. Johns regions). The chances are nearly 50 percent that manatee populations in the Southwest and Atlantic regions will decrease from their 2011 levels by at least 30 percent over the next century.A large number of scenarios were examined to explore the possible effects of potential emerging threats, and in most of them, the risk of quasi-extinction at the coastal scale within 100 years did not rise above 1 percent. The four

Economic impact on the Florida economy of energy price spikes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mory, J.F.

1992-01-01

A substantial disturbance in oil supplies is likely to generate a large price upsurge and a downturn in the level of economic activity. Each of these two effects diminishes demand by a certain amount. The specific price surge required to reduce demand to the lower level of supply can be calculated with an oil demand function and with empirical estimations of the association between price spikes and declines in economic activity. The first section presents an energy demand model for Florida, which provides the price and income elasticities needed. The second section includes theoretical explanations and empirical estimations of the relationship between price spikes and recessions. Based on historical evidence, it seems that Florida's and the nation's economic systems are very sensitive to oil price surges. As price spikes appear damaging to the economy, it could be expected that reductions in the price of oil are beneficial to the system. That is likely to be the case in the long run, but no empirical evidence of favorable short-term effects of oil price decreases was found. Several possible explanations and theoretical reasons are offered to explain this lack of association. The final section presents estimates of the effect of oil disruptions upon specific industries in Florida and the nation

The MAFLA (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) Study, Grain Size Analyses

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The MAFLA (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida) Study was funded by NOAA as part of the Outer Continental Shelf Program. Dr. L.J. Doyle produced grain size analyses in the...

2012 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Lidar: Lake Manatee

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Geographic Information System (GIS). Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) regularly uses digital topographic information to support regulatory, land...

Classroom and Field Experiments for Florida's Environmental Resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Jim

This booklet is intended to help teachers in Florida manage the growing interest in environmental education. Fourteen experiments are grouped into the environmental areas of the water cycle, groundwater, water pollution, waste and water treatment, air pollution, and field experiments. Experiments include demonstrations of the water cycle, the…

Vitamin and mineral intake of twelve adolescent male Kalenjin runners in western Kenya

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Dirk Lund; Jakobsen, Jette; Friis, H

2005-01-01

runners was carried out to determine their micronutrient intake. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Over a two-week period, samples of the main eaten food were collected for analysis of micronutrient distribution and a daily 24 recall interview performed to determine additional food intake. RESULTS: The estimated...... mg, 1309 microg, and 79 microg, respectively. CONCLUSION: Total daily micronutrient intake of the twelve Kalenjin runners was far from adequate compared to FAO/WHO daily recommended and suggested adequate intake....

West Nile virus infection rates in Culex nigripalpus (Diptera: Culicidae) do not reflect transmission rates in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Rutledge, C Roxanne; Day, Jonathan F; Lord, Cynthia C; Stark, Lillian M; Tabachnick, Walter J

2003-05-01

We describe the first documented field transmission of West Nile (WN) virus by a North American mosquito. WN was first detected in northern Florida in 2001. An intensive mosquito trapping and surveillance program was conducted in this region for four nights to assess mosquito transmission of WN. Four mosquito traps, each with a single sentinel chicken, were placed at five different locations on each of four nights. A total of 11,948 mosquitoes was collected, and 14 mosquito pools were found to contain WN, giving a minimum infection rate between 1.08 and 7.54 per 1,000. Only one of the 80 sentinel chickens seroconverted to WN, demonstrating a single mosquito transmission event during the study and a mosquito transmission rate of between 0.8 and 1 per 1,000. Culex nigripalpus Theobald was responsible for WN transmission to the sentinel chicken, although both Cx. nigripalpus and Culex quinquefasciatus Say were found infected with WN. Mosquito transmission rates are reported in this study for the first time for a WN outbreak. This information is essential to determine risk of human and animal infection.

Effectiveness of community-based treatment for problem gambling: a quasi-experimental evaluation of cognitive-behavioral vs. twelve-step therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Toneatto, Tony; Dragonetti, Rosa

2008-01-01

With the increasing availability of gambling throughout North America, there is interest in developing more effective treatments. This study compares the effectiveness of two brief outpatient treatments for problem gambling: eight sessions of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (n = 65) and eight sessions of a twelve-step treatment-oriented approach based on the first five steps of Gamblers Anonymous (n = 61). There were no baseline group differences on gambling-relevant variables. Twelve months post-treatment showed no group differences on key gambling variables (eg, frequency, abstinence rates, money wagered) in an analysis of completers. Participants who attended more sessions and chose an initial abstinent treatment goal appeared to achieve better outcomes.

Ridership impacts of South Florida's EASY smart card : [summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2013-07-01

Transit agencies across the U.S. increasingly are replacing electronic fare reading systems with Advanced Fare Collection (AFC) or smart card systems. In 2009, Miami-Dade Transit (MDT) was the first Florida transit agency to deploy AFC, branded...

Soil macroinvertebrates along a successional gradient in central Florida

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Frouz, Jan; Ali, A.

2004-01-01

Roč. 87, č. 3 (2004), s. 386-390 ISSN 0015-4040 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6066911 Keywords : soil macroinvertebrates * successional gradient * central Florida Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 0.786, year: 2004

Audit Report on "The Department of Energy's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- Florida State Energy Program"

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2010-06-01

The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) provides grants to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to support their energy priorities through the State Energy Program (SEP). The SEP provides Federal financial assistance to carry out energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that meet each state's unique energy needs while also addressing national goals such as energy security. Federal funding is based on a grant formula that takes into account population and energy consumption. The SEP emphasizes the state's role as the decision maker and administrator for the program. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) expanded the SEP, authorizing $3.1 billion in grants. Based on existing grant formulas and after reviewing state-level plans, EERE made awards to states. The State of Florida's Energy Office (Florida) was allocated $126 million - a 90-fold increase over Florida's average annual SEP grant of $1.4 million. Per the Recovery Act, this funding must be obligated by September 30, 2010, and spent by April 30, 2012. As of March 10, 2010, Florida had expended $13.2 million of the SEP Recovery Act funds. Florida planned to use its grant funds to undertake activities that would preserve and create jobs; save energy; increase renewable energy sources; and, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To accomplish Recovery Act objectives, states could either fund new or expand existing projects. As a condition of the awards, EERE required states to develop and implement sound internal controls over the use of Recovery Act funds. Based on the significant increase in funding from the Recovery Act, we initiated this review to determine whether Florida had internal controls in place to provide assurance that the goals of the SEP and Recovery Act will be met and accomplished efficiently and effectively. We identified weaknesses in the implementation of SEP Recovery Act projects that

Perspectives on Recent Refugees and Immigrant Waves into South Florida. Occasional Papers Series, Dialogues #6.

Science.gov (United States)

Jorge, Antonio; And Others

Six papers presented at a 1982 forum on Latin American and Caribbean migration to South Florida are collected in this document. Their titles (and authors) are: (1) "Refugees and Immigrants: The Last Two Decades" (Antonio Jorge); (2) "U.S. Refugee and Immigration Policy and Its Effect on South Florida" (Alex Stepick); (3)…

The decline of the Nile crocodile population in Loskop Dam, Olifants ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

2010-05-18

May 18, 2010 ... 3 Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. 4 Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of ..... Crocodylus porosus Schneider, in tidal wetlands of the Northern. Territory: a mark-recapture experiment to correct spotlight counts to absolute ...

Risk in daily newspaper coverage of red tide blooms in Southwest Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zongchao; Garrison, Bruce; Ullmann, Steven G; Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Fleming, Lora E; Hoagland, Porter

This study investigated newspaper coverage of Florida red tide blooms in four metropolitan areas of Southwest Florida during a 25-year period, 1987-2012. We focused on how journalists framed red tide stories with respect to environmental risk, health risk, and economic risk. We determined risk to be a key factor in this news coverage, being an aspect of coverage of red tide itself in terms of environmental risk, tourism risk, and public health risk. The study found that red tide news coverage is most often framed as an environmental story.

Species profiles: Life history and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (South Florida): King mackerel and Spanish mackerel. [Scomberomorus cavalla; Scomberomorus maculatus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godcharles, M.F.; Murphy, M.D.

1986-06-01

This Species Profile on king and Spanish mackerel summarizes the taxonomy, morphology, distribution, life history, fishery descriptions, ecological role, and environmental requirements of these coastal pelagic fish to assist environmental impact assessment. King and Spanish mackerel support major commercial and sport fisheries in south Florida. In 1974 to 1983, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic commercial landings of king mackerel declined from 10.4 to 4.3 million lb.; Spanish mackerel have fluctuated between 4.9 to 17.4 million lb. Both inhabit coastal waters, but Spanish mackerel are generally found closer to beaches and in outer estuarine waters. Both species feed principally on estuarine-dependent species. They are highly migratory, exhibiting seasonal migrations to winter feeding grounds off south Florida and summer spawning/feeding grounds in the northern Gulf of Mexico and off the Atlantic coast of the Southeastern US. Spawning occurs from March/April through September/October between the middle and Outer Continental Shelf (35 to 183 mi) for king mackerel and the inner shelf (12 to 34 mi) for Spanish mackerel. King mackerel reach sexual maturity in their 3rd and 4th years and Spanish, between their 2nd and 3rd. Female king mackerel live longer and grow larger and faster than males. Spanish mackerel live to 8 years; females also grow faster than males. King and Spanish mackerel feed principally on schooling fishes. Larvae and juveniles of both species are prey to little tunny and dolphin; adults are prey for sharks and bottlenose dolphin. Temperature and salinity are important factors regulating mackerel distribution.

REPRODUCTIVE SEASONALITY OF THE MALE FLORIDA GAR, LEPISOSTEUS PLATYRHINCUS.

Science.gov (United States)

The objective of this study was to characterize the reproductive seasonality of a wild population of male Florida gar, Lepisosteus platyrhincus. We measured the gonadosomatic index, reproductive stage of the testes, seminiferous tubule area, and plasma concentrations of testoster...

Nursing Education in Florida. Report 5. Report and Recommendations of the Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, 1988.

Science.gov (United States)

Florida State Postsecondary Education Planning Commission, Tallahassee.

As directed by the Florida State Legislature, the Postsecondary Education Commission examined Florida's needs in the area of nursing education. Following the executive summary, the introduction reviews the commission charge and activities. Major topics addressed include: the nursing profession (introduction, history, licensure, careers, and…

Basic Gasoline Engine Mechanics. Florida Vocational Program Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

University of South Florida, Tampa. Dept. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This packet contains a program guide and Career Merit Achievement Plan (Career MAP) for the implementation of a basic gasoline engine mechanics program in Florida secondary and postsecondary schools. The program guide describes the program content and structure, provides a program description, lists job titles under the program, and includes a…

The Impact of Tobacco-Free School Policies on Youth Smoking Rates in Florida Public School Districts.

Science.gov (United States)

Terry, Amanda; Zhang, Ning Jackie

2016-02-01

Developing and implementing policies to curb and prevent youth tobacco use is of the utmost importance. In Florida, public school districts were authorized to develop tobacco-free school policies through an amendment to the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act in 2011. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of tobacco-free school policies on smoking rates among youth in Florida. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and a multiple regression analysis were used to determine whether the comprehensiveness and enforcement of tobacco-free school policies affect the youth smoking rates within Florida public school districts. The 2010 and 2014 youth smoking rates were calculated based on the Florida Youth Tobacco Survey results. The 2010 youth smoking rate and the inclusion of the enforcement component with provision of cessation resources were statistically significant predictors of the 2014 youth smoking rate. However, the comprehensiveness level of a policy and the inclusion of an enforcement component were not statistically significant predictors. The inclusion of an enforcement component with provision of cessation resources is important in efforts to reduce youth smoking rates. The content of the tobacco-free school policies seems to be less relevant to their effectiveness than the enforcement of the policies. © 2016, American School Health Association.

Do no-take reserves benefit Florida's corals? 14 years of change and stasis in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

Science.gov (United States)

Toth, L. T.; van Woesik, R.; Murdoch, T. J. T.; Smith, S. R.; Ogden, J. C.; Precht, W. F.; Aronson, R. B.

2014-09-01

With coral populations in decline globally, it is critical that we tease apart the relative impacts of ecological and physical perturbations on reef ecosystems to determine the most appropriate management actions. This study compared the trajectories of benthic assemblages from 1998 to 2011 in three no-take reserves and three sites open to fishing, at 7-9 and 15-18 m depth in the Florida Keys. We evaluated temporal changes in the benthic assemblage to infer whether fisheries bans in no-take reserves could have cascading effects on the benthos in this region. Coral cover declined significantly over time at our sites and that trend was driven almost exclusively by decline of the Orbicella (formerly Montastraea) annularis species complex. Other coral taxa showed remarkable stasis and resistance to a variety of environmental perturbations. Protection status did not influence coral or macroalgal cover. The dynamics of corals and macroalgae in the 15 years since the reserves were established in 1997 suggest that although the reserves protected fish, they were of no perceptible benefit to Florida's corals.

Source Water Identification and Chemical Typing for Nitrogen at the Kissimmee River, Pool C, Florida--Preliminary Assessment

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Phelps, G. G

2002-01-01

As part of the South Florida Water Management District's Ground Water-Surface Water Interactions Study, a project was undertaken to identify the ages and sources of water in the area of Pool C, Kissimmee River, Florida...

A Blueprint for Florida's Clean Energy Future - Case Study of a Regional Government's Environmental Strategy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margaret Lowman

2009-04-01

Full Text Available On 13 July 2007, Governor Charlie Crist of Florida signed executive orders to establish greenhouse gas emission targets that required an 80 percent reduction below 1990 levels by the year 2050. Florida is a very high-risk state with regard to climate change. Its 1,350-mile-long coastline, location in "Hurricane Alley," reliance on coral reefs and other vulnerable natural resources for its economy, and the predictions that state population could double in the next 30 years all contribute to this designation of "high-risk. As a consequence of the potential economic and ecological impacts of climate change to Florida, a series of Action Teams were created to plan for adaptation to impending environmental changes. As the 26th largest emitter of carbon dioxide on a global scale, Florida needs to act aggressively to create a clean energy footprint as part of its statewide initiatives but with global impacts. This case study examines the process and expected outcomes undertaken by a regional government that anticipates the need for stringent adaptation.

Changes in the fish fauna of the Kissimmee River basin, peninsular Florida: Nonnative additions

Science.gov (United States)

Nico, L.G.

2005-01-01

Recent decades have seen substantial changes in fish assemblages in rivers of peninsular Florida. The most striking change has involved the addition of nonnative fishes, including taxa from Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. I review recent and historical records of fishes occurring in the Kissimmee River basin (7,800 km2), a low-gradient drainage with 47 extant native fishes (one possibly the result of an early transplant), at least 7 foreign fishes (most of which are widely established), and a stocked hybrid. Kissimmee assemblages include fewer marine fishes than the nearby Peace and Caloosahatchee rivers, and fewer introduced foreign fishes than south Florida canals. Fish assemblages of the Kissimmee and other subtropical Florida rivers are dynamic, due to new introductions, range expansions of nonnative fishes already present, and periodic declines in nonnative fish populations during occasional harsh winters. The addition, dispersal, and abundance of nonnative fishes in the basin is linked to many factors, including habitat disturbance, a subtropical climate, and the fact that the basin is centrally located in a region where drainage boundaries are blurred and introductions of foreign fishes commonplace. The first appearance of foreign fishes in the basin coincided with the complete channelization of the Kissimmee River in the 1970s. Although not a causal factor, artificial waterways connecting the upper lakes and channelization of the Kissimmee River have facilitated dispersal. With one possible exception, there have been no basin-wide losses of native fishes. When assessing change in peninsular Florida waters, extinction or extirpation of fishes appears to be a poor measure of impact. No endemic species are known from peninsular Florida (although some endemic subspecies have been noted). Most native freshwater fishes are themselves descended from recent invaders that reached the peninsula from the main continent. These invasions likely were

Geospatial characteristics of Florida's coastal and offshore environments: Distribution of important habitats for coastal and offshore biological resources and offshore sand resources

Science.gov (United States)

Demopoulos, Amanda W.J.; Foster, Ann M.; Jones, Michal L.; Gualtieri, Daniel J.

2011-01-01

The Geospatial Characteristics GeoPDF of Florida's Coastal and Offshore Environments is a comprehensive collection of geospatial data describing the political boundaries and natural resources of Florida. This interactive map provides spatial information on bathymetry, sand resources, and locations of important habitats (for example, Essential Fish Habitats (EFH), nesting areas, strandings) for marine invertebrates, fish, reptiles, birds, and marine mammals. The map should be useful to coastal resource managers and others interested in marine habitats and submerged obstructions of Florida's coastal region. In particular, as oil and gas explorations continue to expand, the map can be used to explore information regarding sensitive areas and resources in the State of Florida. Users of this geospatial database will have access to synthesized information in a variety of scientific disciplines concerning Florida's coastal zone. This powerful tool provides a one-stop assembly of data that can be tailored to fit the needs of many natural resource managers. The map was originally developed to assist the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) and coastal resources managers with planning beach restoration projects. The BOEMRE uses a systematic approach in planning the development of submerged lands of the Continental Shelf seaward of Florida's territorial waters. Such development could affect the environment. BOEMRE is required to ascertain the existing physical, biological, and socioeconomic conditions of the submerged lands and estimate the impact of developing these lands. Data sources included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, BOEMRE, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Geographic Data Library, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, and the State of Florida, Bureau of Archeological Research. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) compliant metadata are

Economic interrelationships and impacts of the aviation/aerospace industry in the state of Florida using input-output analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Whealan George, Kelly

The study provided a detailed description of the interrelatedness of the aviation and aerospace industry with principal industries in Florida and Volusia County (VC) using Input-Output (IO) analysis. Additionally, this research provided an economic impact analysis of the creation of a university research park in Daytona Beach (DB). The economic impact measures included not only direct economic output and industry employment descriptions but also described the multiplier effects in the form of indirect and induced impacts using data for 2012. This research concluded the average labor income of the aviation and aerospace industry was higher than average labor income in Florida and VC. A substantive difference between the Florida and VC average labor income for the aviation and aerospace industry existed because VC's aerospace sector was only concentrated in the search, detection, and navigation instruments manufacturing sector. VC's transport by air sector was one-fifth the size of Florida's. Differences in the aviation and aerospace industry composition between Florida and VC are important because the economic impacts from a shock to the entire aviation and aerospace industry will be distributed differently. Since the aviation and aerospace average labor income is higher than the average labor income in Florida and VC, it would be a positive move for Florida's economy to attract and grow the aviation and aerospace industry. It would be highly unlikely that the entirety of newly created jobs would be resourced from the local population. Nonetheless, growing the aviation and aerospace industry jobs would have a positive influence on the region's economy and tax revenues. It would be a desirable course of action to spur the growth of this sector, as its direct effect would culminate with additional jobs in Florida that would bring higher wage jobs to the state. The interdependencies of the aviation and aerospace industry in Florida and VC with other industries had a

A novel double quad-inverter configuration for multilevel twelve-phase open-winding converter

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Padmanaban, Sanjeevi Kumar; Blaabjerg, Frede; Wheeler, Patrick William

2016-01-01

This paper describes a novel proposal of double quad-inverter configuration for multilevel twelve-phase open-winding ac converter. Modular power units are developed from reconfigured eight classical three-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs). Each VSI has one additional bi-directional switching...... numerical simulation software's (Matlab/PLECS) developments. Further, the results confirm the good agreement to the developed theoretical background. Proposed converter suits the need of low-voltage/high-current applications such as ac tractions and `More-Electric Aircraft' propulsion systems....

Artificial reef evaluation capabilities of Florida counties

OpenAIRE

Halusky, Joseph G.; Antonini, Gustavo A.; Seaman, William

1993-01-01

Florida's coastal county artificial reef sampling and data management programs are surveyed in this report. The survey describes the county level capability for artificial reef documentation and performance assessment based on their needs, interests, organizational structure and "in-situ" data collection and data management techniques. The. primary purpose of this study is to describe what staffing, training, techniques, organizational procedures and equipment are used by the c...

Trophic ecology of largemouth bass and northern pike in allopatric and sympatric assemblages in northern boreal lakes

Science.gov (United States)

Soupir, Craig A.; Brown, Michael L.; Kallemeyn, Larry W.

2000-01-01

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and northern pike (Esox lucius) are top predators in the food chain in most aquatic environments that they occupy; however, limited information exists on species interactions in the northern reaches of largemouth bass distribution. We investigated the seasonal food habits of allopatric and sympatric assemblages of largemouth bass and northern pike in six interior lakes within Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. Percentages of empty stomachs were variable for largemouth bass (38-54%) and northern pike (34.7-66.7%). Fishes (mainly yellow perch, Perca flavescens) comprised greater than 60% (mean percent mass, MPM) of the northern pike diet during all seasons in both allopatric and sympatric assemblages. Aquatic insects (primarily Odonata and Hemiptera) were important in the diets of largemouth bass in all communities (0.0-79.7 MPM). Although largemouth bass were observed in the diet of northern pike, largemouth bass apparently did not prey on northern pike. Seasonal differences were observed in the proportion of aquatic insects (P = 0.010) and fishes (P = 0.023) in the diets of northern pike and largemouth bass. Based on three food categories, jackknifed classifications correctly classified 77 and 92% of northern pike and largemouth bass values, respectively. Percent resource overlap values were biologically significant (greater than 60%) during at least one season in each sympatric assemblage, suggesting some diet overlap.

Instructional Computing Project Uses "Multiplier Effect" to Train Florida Teachers.

Science.gov (United States)

Roblyer, M. D.; Castine, W. H.

1987-01-01

Reviews the efforts undertaken in the Florida Model Microcomputer Trainer Project (FMMTP) and its statewide impact. Outlines its procedural strategies, trainer curriculum, networking system, and the results of its multiplier effect. (ML)

Diversity and prevalence of hemoparasites of wading birds in southern Florida, USA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah M. Coker

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Relatively few studies on hemoparasites have been conducted on wading birds in the families Ardeidae and Threskiornithidae (order Pelecaniformes, especially in the United States. In this study, we obtained baseline data on the prevalence and genetic diversity of haemosporidian parasites in wading birds opportunistically sampled from southern Florida, USA. We detected blood parasites in White Ibis (Eudocimus albus, Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus, Green Heron (Butorides virescens, and Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja with several novel host-parasite relationships. Infected birds had low parasitemias (average 0.77%, range 0–4% suggesting that infections were chronic. Despite the low sample sizes for several of our sampled species, these data highlight the diversity of parasites in this understudied group of birds and suggest that additional studies are needed to investigate the potential impacts of these parasites on their health, especially since southern Florida is becoming increasingly urbanized which can alter parasite transmission or host susceptibility. Keywords: Avian malaria, Florida, Haemoproteus plataleae, haemosporidia, Pelicaniformes, Plasmodium, Wading birds, White Ibis

Validation of a probabilistic model for hurricane insurance loss projections in Florida

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinelli, J.-P.; Gurley, K.R.; Subramanian, C.S.; Hamid, S.S.; Pita, G.L.

2008-01-01

The Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model is one of the first public models accessible for scrutiny to the scientific community, incorporating state of the art techniques in hurricane and vulnerability modeling. The model was developed for Florida, and is applicable to other hurricane-prone regions where construction practice is similar. The 2004 hurricane season produced substantial losses in Florida, and provided the means to validate and calibrate this model against actual claim data. This paper presents the predicted losses for several insurance portfolios corresponding to hurricanes Andrew, Charley, and Frances. The predictions are validated against the actual claim data. Physical damage predictions for external building components are also compared to observed damage. The analyses show that the predictive capabilities of the model were substantially improved after the calibration against the 2004 data. The methodology also shows that the predictive capabilities of the model could be enhanced if insurance companies report more detailed information about the structures they insure and the types of damage they suffer. This model can be a powerful tool for the study of risk reduction strategies

Geohydrologic reconnaissance of drainage wells in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Kimrey, J.O.; Fayard, L.D.

1984-01-01

Drainage wells are used to inject surface waters directly into an aquifer, or shallow ground waters directly into a deeper aquifer, primarily by gravity. Such wells in Florida may be grouped into two broad types: (1) surface-water injection wells, and (2) interaquifer connector wells. Drainage wells of the first type are further categorized as either Floridan aquifer drainage wells or Biscayne aquifer drainage wells. Floridan aquifer drainage wells are commonly used to supplement drainage for urban areas in karst terranes of central and north Florida. Data are available for 25 wells in the Ocala, Live Oak, and Orlando areas that allow comparison of the quality of water samples from these Floridan aquifer drainage wells with allowable contaminant levels. Comparison indicates that maximum contaminant levels for turbidity, color, and iron, manganese, and lead concentrations are equaled or exceeded in some drainage-well samples, and relatively high counts for coliform bacteria are present in most wells. Biscayne aquifer drainage wells are used locally to dispose of stormwater runoff and other surplus water in southeast Florida, where large numbers of these wells have been permitted in Dade and Broward Counties. The majority of these wells are used to dispose of water from swimming pools or to dispose of heated water from air-conditioning units. The use of Biscayne aquifer drainage wells may have minimal effect on aquifer potability so long as injection of runoff and industrial wates is restricted to zones where chloride concentrations exceed 1,500 milligrams per liter. Interaquifer connector wells are used in the phosphate mining areas of Polk and Hillsborough Counties, to drain mines and recharge the Floridan aquifer. Water-quality data available from 13 connector wells indicate that samples from most of these wells exceed standards values for iron concentration and turbidity. One well yielded a highly mineralized water, and samples from 6 of the other 12 wells exceed

The Impact of Sea Level Rise on Florida's Everglades

Science.gov (United States)

Senarath, S. U.

2005-12-01

Global warming and the resulting melting of polar ice sheets could increase global sea levels significantly. Some studies have predicted mean sea level increases in the order of six inches to one foot in the next 25 to 50 years. This could have severe irreversible impacts on low-lying areas of Florida's Everglades. The key objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of a one foot sea level rise on Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow (CSSS) nesting areas within the Everglades National Park (ENP). A regional-scale hydrologic model is used to assess the sensitivities of this sea-level rise scenario. Florida's Everglades supports a unique ecosystem. At present, about 50 percent of this unique ecosystem has been lost due to urbanization and farming. Today, the water flow in the remnant Everglades is also regulated to meet a variety of competing environmental, water-supply and flood-control needs. A 30-year, eight billion dollar (1999 estimate) project has been initiated to improve Everglades' water flows. The expected benefits of this restoration project will be short-lived if the predicted sea level rise causes severe impacts on the environmentally sensitive areas of the Everglades. Florida's Everglades is home to many threatened and endangered species of wildlife. The Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow population in the ENP is one such species that is currently listed as endangered. Since these birds build their nests close to the ground surface (the base of the nest is approximately six inches from the ground surface), they are directly affected by any sea level induced ponding depth, frequency or duration change. Therefore, the CSSS population serves as a good indicator species for evaluating the negative impacts of sea level rise on the Everglades' ecosystem. The impact of sea level rise on the CSSS habitat is evaluated using the Regional Simulation Model (RSM) developed by the South Florida Water Management District. The RSM is an implicit, finite-volume, continuous

Integrating science and resource management in Tampa Bay, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Yates, Kimberly K.; Greening, Holly; Morrison, Gerold

2011-01-01

Tampa Bay is recognized internationally for its remarkable progress towards recovery since it was pronounced "dead" in the late 1970s. Due to significant efforts by local governments, industries and private citizens throughout the watershed, water clarity in Tampa Bay is now equal to what it was in 1950, when population in the watershed was less than one-quarter of what it is today. Seagrass extent has increased by more than 8,000 acres since the mid-1980s, and fish and wildlife populations are increasing. Central to this successful turn-around has been the Tampa Bay resource management community's long-term commitment to development and implementation of strong science-based management strategies. Research institutions and agencies, including Eckerd College, the Florida Wildlife Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Mote Marine Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, University of South Florida, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, local and State governments, and private companies contribute significantly to the scientific basis of our understanding of Tampa Bay's structure and ecological function. Resource management agencies, including the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's Agency on Bay Management, the Southwest Florida Water Management District's Surface Water Improvement and Management Program, and the Tampa Bay Estuary Program, depend upon this scientific basis to develop and implement regional adaptive management programs. The importance of integrating science with management has become fully recognized by scientists and managers throughout the region, State and Nation. Scientific studies conducted in Tampa Bay over the past 10–15 years are increasingly diverse and complex, and resource management programs reflect our increased knowledge of geology, hydrology and hydrodynamics, ecology and restoration techniques. However, a synthesis of this

Allocation of healthcare dollars: analysis of nonneonatal circumcisions in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutwein, Luke G; Alvarez, Juan F; Gutwein, Jenny L; Kays, David W; Islam, Saleem

2013-09-01

Circumcision remains a controversial operation. Most procedures are performed in the neonatal period and avoid general anesthesia. Legislation driven by policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics led to significant changes in circumcisions in Florida with a shift to nonneonatal procedures as a result of costs. We sought to study the prevalence and financial implications of nonneonatal circumcisions in Florida. A retrospective population study was performed using the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration outpatient procedure database. We queried for patients 0 to 17 years of age undergoing circumcision between 2003 and 2008. Demographics, charges, and insurance status were analyzed. From 2003 to 2008, 31,741 outpatient circumcisions were performed. Publicly funded circumcisions accounted for 17,537 charging the state $6,263 on average for each circumcision at an expense of $111.8 million for the 5-year time period analyzed. Publicly funded circumcision procedures increased more than sixfold (P < 0.0001) than those covered by private insurance. Black circumcision procedures increased 77.3 per cent, whereas white circumcisions increased 28.7 per cent. There has been a significant increase in the number of nonneonatal circumcisions performed. This has resulted in an increase in economic health care. Public funding of neonatal circumcision could result in significant cost savings and avoid potential complications of general anesthesia.

Healthful and nutritional components in select Florida tropical fruits

Science.gov (United States)

Fourteen tropical fruits from south Florida (red guava, white guava, carambola, red pitaya (red dragon), white pitaya (white dragon), mamey, sapodilla, lychee, longan, green mango, ripe mango, green papaya and ripe papaya) were evaluated for phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, ascorbic acid (v...

75 FR 21391 - First Federal Bank of North Florida; Palatka, FL; Notice of Appointment of Receiver

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-23

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Office of Thrift Supervision First Federal Bank of North Florida... contained in section 5(d)(2) of the Home Owners' Loan Act, the Office of Thrift Supervision has duly appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as sole Receiver for First Federal Bank of North Florida...

Twelve tips for teaching child development and disability to medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

McDonald, Jenny

2018-02-01

Child development is a marker of well-being in childhood and recognition of developmental delay allows timely investigation and intervention for children with developmental disabilities. Despite this, child development and disabilities are not given emphasis in the medical curriculum. This under representation of teaching combined with the stigma associated with disabilities contributes to the sub-optimal health care of people with disabilities. As well as, addressing the stigma of disability a medical undergraduate curriculum should include: the key concepts of child development; the clinical presentation of the most common developmental disabilities; developmental history taking and the infant neurodevelopmental examination. The following twelve tips provide practical advice about how to teach this knowledge and these skills during medical training.

2007 Northwest Florida Water Manangement District(NWFWMD) Lidar: Gadsden County

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — LIDAR-derived binary (.las) files containing points classified as bare-earth and canopy (first return) were produced for the 2007 Northwest Florida Water Management...

2007 Northwest Florida Water Management District (NWFWMD) Lidar: Holmes County

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — LIDAR-derived binary (.las) files containing points classified as bare-earth and canopy (first return) were produced for the 2007/2008 Northwest Florida Water...

Situational Lightning Climatologies for Central Florida: Phase IV: Central Florida Flow Regime Based Climatologies of Lightning Probabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Bauman, William H., III

2009-01-01

The threat of lightning is a daily concern during the warm season in Florida. Research has revealed distinct spatial and temporal distributions of lightning occurrence that are strongly influenced by large-scale atmospheric flow regimes. Previously, the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) calculated the gridded lightning climatologies based on seven flow regimes over Florida for 1-, 3- and 6-hr intervals in 5-, 10-, 20-, and 30-NM diameter range rings around the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) and eight other airfields in the National Weather Service in Melbourne (NWS MLB) county warning area (CWA). In this update to the work, the AMU recalculated the lightning climatologies for using individual lightning strike data to improve the accuracy of the climatologies. The AMU included all data regardless of flow regime as one of the stratifications, added monthly stratifications, added three years of data to the period of record and used modified flow regimes based work from the AMU's Objective Lightning Probability Forecast Tool, Phase II. The AMU made changes so the 5- and 10-NM radius range rings are consistent with the aviation forecast requirements at NWS MLB, while the 20- and 30-NM radius range rings at the SLF assist the Spaceflight Meteorology Group in making forecasts for weather Flight Rule violations during Shuttle landings. The AMU also updated the graphical user interface with the new data.

Antifouling activity of twelve demosponges from Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SM. Ribeiro

Full Text Available Benthic marine organisms are constantly exposed to fouling, which is harmful to most host species. Thus, the production of secondary metabolites containing antifouling properties is an important ecological advantage for sessile organisms and may also provide leading compounds for the development of antifouling paints. High antifouling potential of sponges has been demonstrated in the Indian and Pacific oceans and in the Caribbean and Mediterranean seas. Brazilian sponges remain understudied concerning antifouling activities. Only two scientific articles reported this activity in sponges of Brazil. The objective of this study was to test crude extracts of twelve species of sponges from Brazil against the attachment of the mussel Perna perna through laboratorial assays, and highlight promising species for future studies. The species Petromica citrina, Amphimedon viridis, Desmapsamma anchorata, Chondrosia sp., Polymastia janeirensis, Tedania ignis, Aplysina fulva, Mycale angulosa, Hymeniacidon heliophila, Dysidea etheria, Tethya rubra, and Tethya maza were frozen and freeze-dried before extraction with acetone or dichloromethane. The crude extract of four species significantly inhibited the attachment of byssus: Tethya rubra (p = 0.0009, Tethya maza (p = 0.0039, Petromica citrina (p = 0.0277, and Hymeniacidon heliophila (p = 0.00003. These species, specially, should be the target of future studies to detail the substances involved in the ability antifouling well as to define its amplitude of action.

Energy and greenhouse effect. Twelve short notes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prevot, Henri

2013-12-01

The author proposes twelve brief notes aimed at discussing the reduction of fossil energy consumption in order to reduce CO 2 emissions and to improve the French energy supply security, without any useless expense. These notes address the reason for energy savings, the cost and price of a CO 2 ton, the issue of thermal regulation for buildings (it's not in compliance with the law, and results in higher expenses and increased CO 2 emissions), the introduction of a carbon tax to incite investments for energy saving, the status and health of the CO 2 European market, the support of actions aimed at reducing fossil energy consumption, the fact that bio-heat is ten times more efficient than bio-fuel and that therefore car holders should finance bio-heat, the development of hybrid uses of energy to avoid the difficulty of energy storage, the reduction of CO 2 emissions at low cost (by consuming as much renewable energy as nuclear energy but without wind or photovoltaic energy), the cost of less CO 2 , less fossil energy and less nuclear, and the interest of France to act on its own to reduce CO 2 emissions. The author proposes a brief synthesis of these notes and some proposals regarding thermal regulation for buildings, taxes, the European CO 2 market, the forest biomass, electricity production, and the European and word dimensions of these issues

Readability of Brochures Produced by State of Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Christ, William G.; Pharr, Paula

1980-01-01

A study of the readability of governmental pamphlets produced by the State of Florida, based on the use of the Flesch Reading Ease Formula and the Dale-Chall Formula, suggests that if a seventh or eighth grade readability level is considered an appropriate standard for public information brochures, the brochures tested may be too complex…

SUPERFUND TREATABILITY CLEARINGHOUSE: FINAL REPORT DEMONSTRATION TEST ON-SITE PCB DESTRUCTION, SHIRCO INFRARED PORTABLE UNIT AT FLORIDA STEEL INDIANTOWN MILL SITE, INDIANTOWN, FLORIDA.

Science.gov (United States)

This document reports on the results of a Florida Steel Corporation study to develop and evaluate cleanup alternatives for onsite treatment of PCB contaminated soils. The results of this study aided in the selection of an approach to remediate the site. Demonstration tes...

Implementation cost analysis of a community-based exercise program for seniors in South Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Page, Timothy F; Batra, Anamica; Ghouse, Muddasir M; Palmer, Richard C

2014-07-01

The objective of the study was to measure the costs of implementing the EnhanceFitness program to elderly residents of South Florida. The Health Foundation of South Florida's Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative implemented EnhanceFitness as part of their initiative to make evidence-based healthy aging programs available to South Florida seniors. Cost data were collected from agencies participating in the delivery of EnhanceFitness classes in South Florida. Cost questionnaires were e-mailed to program coordinators from agencies participating in the delivery of EnhanceFitness classes. Program coordinators worked with accounting staff to complete the questionnaires. Questionnaires were returned via e-mail. Costs were presented from the perspective of participating agencies. Total costs were divided by the number of classes being offered by each agency to determine cost per class per month. Average monthly costs per class were $1,713 during the first year of implementation and $873 during the second year of implementation. The cost measurements, combined with information from the literature on cost savings attributable to EnhanceFitness participation, suggest that EnhanceFitness has the potential to generate a net societal cost savings among program participants. The results are useful for community agencies considering implementing EnhanceFitness for their populations. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Non-native fishes in Florida freshwaters: a literature review and synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Schofield, Pamela J.; Loftus, William F.

2015-01-01

Non-native fishes have been known from freshwater ecosystems of Florida since the 1950s, and dozens of species have established self-sustaining populations. Nonetheless, no synthesis of data collected on those species in Florida has been published until now. We searched the literature for peer-reviewed publications reporting original data for 42 species of non-native fishes in Florida that are currently established, were established in the past, or are sustained by human intervention. Since the 1950s, the number of non-native fish species increased steadily at a rate of roughly six new species per decade. Studies documented (in decreasing abundance): geographic location/range expansion, life- and natural-history characteristics (e.g., diet, habitat use), ecophysiology, community composition, population structure, behaviour, aquatic-plant management, and fisheries/aquaculture. Although there is a great deal of taxonomic uncertainty and confusion associated with many taxa, very few studies focused on clarifying taxonomic ambiguities of non-native fishes in the State. Most studies were descriptive; only 15 % were manipulative. Risk assessments, population-control studies and evaluations of effects of non-native fishes were rare topics for research, although they are highly valued by natural-resource managers. Though some authors equated lack of data with lack of effects, research is needed to confirm or deny conclusions. Much more is known regarding the effects of lionfish (Pterois spp.) on native fauna, despite its much shorter establishment time. Natural-resource managers need biological and ecological information to make policy decisions regarding non-native fishes. Given the near-absence of empirical data on effects of Florida non-native fishes, and the lengthy time-frames usually needed to collect such information, we provide suggestions for data collection in a manner that may be useful in the evaluation and prediction of non-native fish effects.

Hydrology and water quality of East Lake Tohopekaliga, Osceola County, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Schiffer, Donna M.

1987-01-01

East Lake Tohopekaliga, one of the major lakes in central Florida, is located in the upper Kissimmee River basin in north-east Osceola County. It is one of numerous lakes in the upper basin used for flood control, in addition to recreation and some irrigation of surrounding pasture. This report is the fourth in a series of lake reconnaissance studies in the Kissimmee River basin prepared in cooperation with the South Florida Water Management District. The purpose of the report is to provide government agencies and the public with a brief summary of the lake 's hydrology and water quality. Site information is given and includes map number, site name, location, and type of data available (specific conductivity, pH, alkalinity, turbidity, color, dissolved oxygen, hardness, dissolved chlorides, dissolved sodium, dissolved calcium, dissolved magnesium, dissolved potassium, nitrogen, ammonia, nitrates, carbon and phosphorus). The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maintained a lake stage gaging station on East Lake Tohopekaliga from 1942 to 1968. The South Florida Water Management District has recorded lake stage since 1963. Periodic water quality samples have been collected from the lake by the South Florida Water Management District and USGS. Water quality and discharge data have been collected for one major tributary to the lake, Boggy Creek. Although few groundwater data are available for the study area, results of previous studies of the groundwater resources of Osceola County are included in this report. To supplement the water quality data for East Lake Tohopekaliga, water samples were collected at selected sites in November 1982 (dry season) and in August 1983 (rainy season). Samples were taken at inflow points, and in the lake, and vertical profiles of dissolved oxygen and temperature were measured in the lake. A water budget from an EPA report on the lake is also included. (Lantz-PTT)

If Animals Could Talk: Bald Eagle, Bear, Florida Panther, Gopher Tortoise, Indigo Snake, Manatee, Otter, Raccoon.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinellas County District School Board, Clearwater, FL.

In this series of booklets, eight Florida animals describe their appearance, habitats, food, behavior, and relationships with humans. Each entry is written for elementary students from the animal's point of view and includes a bibliography. Contained are the life stories of the bald eagle, black bear, Florida panther, gopher tortoise, Eastern…

How a south Florida hospital targeted Hispanic consumers.

Science.gov (United States)

Weinstein, A

1988-02-01

Last month's "Case in Point" presented AMI Parkway Regional Medical Center, a 412-bed acute care hospital in North Miami Beach, Fla. The hospital's administration has recognized the ethnic make-up of the South Florida market (white, black and Hispanic) and wants to increase its penetration into the large and potentially lucrative Latin market. The hospital is one of six in South Florida that are owned by American Medical International Inc., Los Angeles. Parkway recently completed a modernization and development program that resulted in an expanded emergency department, state-of-the-art critical care units, a cost-saving ambulatory unit and facilities for outpatient and community education programs. Positioned in a fiercely competitive market, Parkway has adopted an aggressive marketing posture. The marketing function has been elevated to one of six hospital divisions, sharing equal footing with finance, professional services, administrative services, nursing and human resources. Given the hospital's reputation for action and the previous success of programs based on market research, the assistant administrator for marketing and business development secured support for research on the Latin market.

Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Simulation of Surface-Water Flow and Transport to Florida Bay through the Southern Inland and Coastal Systems (SICS)

Science.gov (United States)

Swain, Eric D.; Wolfert, Melinda A.; Bales, Jerad D.; Goodwin, Carl R.

2004-01-01

in the SWIFT2D model, and that the spatial and temporal resolution of these processes in the model is adequate. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the effect of changes in boundary conditions and parameter values on simulation results, which aided in identifying areas of greatest uncertainty in the model. The parameter having the most uncertainty (most in need of further field study) was the flow coefficient for coastal creeks. Smaller uncertainties existed for wetlands frictional resistance and wind. Evapotranspiration and boundary inflows indicated the least uncertainty as determined by varying parameters used in their formulation and definition. Model results indicated that wind was important in reversing coastal creek flows. At Trout Creek (the major tributary connecting Taylor Slough wetlands with Florida Bay), flow in the landward direction was not simulated properly unless wind forcing was included in the simulation. Simulations also provided insight into the major influence that wind has on salinity mixing along the coast, the varying distribution of wetland flows at differing water levels, and the importance of topography in controlling flows to the coast. Slight topographic variations were shown to highly influence the routing of water. A multiple regression analysis was performed to relate inflows at the northern boundary of Taylor Slough bridge to a major pump station (S-332) north of the SICS model area. This analysis allows Taylor Slough bridge boundary conditions to be defined for the model from operating scenarios at S-332, which should facilitate use of the SICS model as an operational tool.

RECOMMENDED HVAC STANDARD OF THE FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM

Science.gov (United States)

The report contains the recommended language for the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) section of the "Florida Code for Radon-resistant Construction and Mitigation." t deals with elements of construction that relate to the HVAC of houses. ts primary intent is to p...

77 FR 14504 - Max Planck Florida Institute, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on Applications for Duty...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-12

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration Max Planck Florida Institute, et al.; Notice of Consolidated Decision on Applications for Duty-Free Entry of Electron Microscope This is a... Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC. Docket Number: 11-061. Applicant: Max Planck Florida Institute...

Composition and Dynamics of Migratory and Resident Avian Population in Wintering Wetlands from Northern India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kaushalendra Kumar JHA

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Twelve wetlands occurring in four different ecozones in Uttar Pradesh (UP, India, were selected for studying the winter composition and dynamics of avian populations. Wetland information was collected from office records of the UP Forest department. Bird populations were estimated by transect method and block-in-flock-in-sector method for woodland and aquatic birds, respectively. Across the twelve selected wetlands a total of 486,182 individuals belonging to 161 species of birds on 15,592 ha were recorded during the winter of 2010-11. The data were analyzed to assess the relationship between wetland characteristics and avian populations. Aquatic vegetation, surrounding vegetation, water availability and climate were found as important factors related to avian populations. January was found to be the peak of bird assemblage, while winter times before and after January were the waxing and waning period, respectively. Species richness and species diversity of aquatic birds varied between 18-58 and 1.90-3.20, respectively, and of all bird species between 23-109, and 1.73-3.81, respectively. The density of aquatic birds ranged between 17-384 ha-1. The most common migratory birds in wetlands were Northern Pintail, Common Teal and Greylag Goose. Common resident birds included Asian Openbill, Darter, Little Egret, Common Coot, Little Cormorant, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Indian Pond Heron, Common Moorhen, Purple Swamphen, Cattle Egret, Indian Sarus Crane and White-throated Kingfisher. For improved conservation of aquatic avian fauna, management prescriptions are suggested for wetlands under current management which could also be extended to other wetlands, whereas conservation of avian fauna to be the emphasis.

Accumulation of aluminum and barium in twelve Punjab wheat varieties and their contents in the agricultural soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shar, G.Q.; Lashari, A.K.H.; Haider, S.I.

2003-01-01

Wheat samples of twelve varieties, grown by breeders at NIAB, Faisalabad Pakistan and its soil, were collected and analyzed for aluminum and barium content by atomic absorption spectroscopy using acetylene-nitroxide flame. For dissolution for heavy metals, aluminum and barium, wet acid digestion method was used. The experimental study was conducted using six samples for each twelve varieties of FSC and RD (Federal Seed Certification and Registration Department) as standard reference materials and representative samples, and the soil which was also collected from agricultural plot of Nuclear Inst. of Agricultural and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad, Punjab. The characteristics mean of both elements in each variety of representative samples was found to be 28.32, 71.02, 37.41, 36.95, 28.32, 47.40, 30.14, 14.69, 25.41, 32.86, 30.14 and 41.95 for the aluminum and 12.67, 6.92, 5.67, 19.82, 3.28, 17.34, 10.25, 10.49, 8.01, 14.23, 15.16 and 6.92 mg/kg for the barium of Chakwal-86, Bakhatawar-92, Shahkar-95, Parwaz-94, Punjab-96, Bahawal pur-97, Shahkar-91, Inquilab-91, Pasban-90, Punjab-85, Faisalabad-85 and Pak-81 varieties respectively. The soil of that specific plot contains 35964.3 and 111.08 mg/kg of aluminum and barium respectively. The representative samples, which are compared with certified samples at 95% confidence limit. The purpose of this study was to study the variation in uptake of aluminum and barium in twelve different wheat varieties grown in same agricultural plot. (author)

Agricultural irrigated land-use inventory for Polk County, Florida, 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Marella, Richard L.; Berry, Darbi; Dixon, Joann F.

2017-08-16

An accurate inventory of irrigated crop acreage is not available at the level of resolution needed to better estimate agricultural water use or to project future water demands in many Florida counties. A detailed digital map and summary of irrigated acreage was developed for Polk County, Florida, during the 2016 growing season. This cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Office of Agricultural Water Policy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is part of an effort to improve estimates of water use and projections of future demands across all counties in the State. The irrigated areas were delineated by using land-use data provided by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, along with information obtained from the South and Southwest Florida Water Management Districts consumptive water-use permits. Delineations were field verified between April and December 2016. Attribute data such as crop type, primary water source, and type of irrigation system were assigned to the irrigated areas.The results of this inventory and field verification indicate that during the 2016 growing seasons (spring, summer, fall, and winter), an estimated 88,652 acres were irrigated within Polk County. Of the total field-verified crops, 83,995 acres were in citrus; 2,893 acres were in other non-citrus fruit crops (blueberries, grapes, peaches, and strawberries); 621 acres were in row crops (primarily beans and watermelons); 1,117 acres were in nursery (container and tree farms) and sod production; and 26 acres were in field crops including hay and pasture. Of the total inventoried irrigated acreage within Polk County, 98 percent (86,566 acres) was in the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the remaining 2 percent (2,086 acres) was in the South Florida Water Management District.About 85,788 acres (96.8 percent of the acreage inventoried) were irrigated by a microirrigation system, including drip, bubblers, and

Investigation of economic impacts of Florida's highway beautification program : [summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-01

Public investment in landscape beauti cation projects is presumed to provide monetary bene ts by : attracting private investment and contributing to : the economy. Recently, researchers at the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricu...

Estimating mangrove in Florida: trials monitoring rare ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Mark J. Brown

2015-01-01

Mangrove species are keystone components in coastal ecosystems and are the interface between forest land and sea. Yet, estimates of their area have varied widely. Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data from ground-based sample plots provide one estimate of the resource. Initial FIA estimates of the mangrove resource in Florida varied dramatically from those compiled...

Operational Actual Wetland Evapotranspiration Estimation for South Florida Using MODIS Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristobal N. Ceron

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Evapotranspiration is a reliable indicator of wetland health. Wetlands are an important and valuable ecosystem on the South Florida landscape. Accurate wetland Actual Evapotranspiration (AET data can be used to evaluate the performance of South Florida’s Everglades restoration programs. However, reliable AET measurements rely on scattered point measurements restricting applications over a larger area. The objective of this study was to validate the ability of the Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB approach and the Simple Method (also called the Abtew Method to provide large area AET estimates for wetland recovery efforts. The study used Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS sensor spectral data and South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD solar radiation data to derive weekly AET values for South Florida. The SSEB-Simple Method approach provided acceptable results with good agreement with observed values during the critical dry season period, when cloud cover was low (rave (n = 59 = 0.700, pave < 0.0005, but requires further refinement to be viable for yearly estimates because of poor performance during wet season months, mainly because of cloud contamination. The approach can be useful for short-term wetland recovery assessment projects that occur during the dry season and/or long term projects that compare site AET rates from dry season to dry season.

Rapid weather information dissemination in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Martsolf, J. D.; Heinemann, P. H.; Gerber, J. F.; Crosby, F. L.; Smith, D. L.

1984-01-01

The development of the Florida Agricultural Services and Technology (FAST) plan to provide ports for users to call for weather information is described. FAST is based on the Satellite Frost Forecast System, which makes a broad base of weather data available to its users. The methods used for acquisition and dissemination of data from various networks under the FAST plan are examined. The system provides color coded IR or thermal maps, precipitation maps, and textural forecast information. A diagram of the system is provided.

Three-hundred-year hydrological changes in a subtropical estuary, Rookery Bay (Florida): Human impact versus natural variability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Donders, T.H.; Gorissen, P.M.; Sangiorgi, F.; Cremer, H.; Wagner-Cremer, F.; McGee, V.

2008-01-01

The coastal wetland ecosystems in Florida are highly sensitive to changes in freshwater budget, which is driven by regional sea surface temperature, tropical storm activity, and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Although studying Florida wetlands is pivotal to the understanding of these

2006 Florida LiDAR: Escambia, Santa Rosa, and Walton Counties

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — ESCAMBIA: The Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) LAS dataset is a survey of select areas within Escambia County, Florida. These data were produced for Dewberry and...

Seagrass from Unified Florida Reef Tract Map (NODC Accession 0123059)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset is a subset of the Unified Map representing Seagrass areas. Version 1.1 - December 2013. The Unified Florida Reef Tract Map (Unified Reef Map) provides...

2008 Florida Division of Emergency Management Lidar: Middle Suwannee River

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — LiDAR Survey for the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), Florida. The LiDAR aerial acquisition was conducted in January of 2008, and the breaklines and...

Land Use and Land Cover - BROWNFIELD AREAS IN FLORIDA - APRIL 2012

Data.gov (United States)

NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — This data set contains Brownfield Boundaries. Brownfields are defined by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) as abandoned, idled, or underused...

2003 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) LiDAR: Marion County

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Merrick and Company produced one foot contours, spot elevations, and obscured areas for the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

An Empirical Evaluation of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. School Choice Issues in the State

Science.gov (United States)

Forster, Greg; D'Andrea, Christian

2009-01-01

This study examines the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship program, one of the nation's largest school choice programs. It is the first ever completed empirical evaluation of a tax-credit scholarship program, a type of program that creates school choice through the tax code. Earlier reports, including a recent one on the Florida program, have not…

Human Trafficking of Minors and Childhood Adversity in Florida.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Joan A; Baglivio, Michael T; Piquero, Alex R; Greenwald, Mark A; Epps, Nathan

2017-02-01

To examine the link between human trafficking of minors and childhood adversity. We compared the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and cumulative childhood adversity (ACE score) among a sample of 913 juvenile justice-involved boys and girls in Florida for whom the Florida child abuse hotline accepted human trafficking abuse reports between 2009 and 2015 with those of a matched sample. ACE composite scores were higher and 6 ACEs indicative of child maltreatment were more prevalent among youths who had human trafficking abuse reports. Sexual abuse was the strongest predictor of human trafficking: the odds of human trafficking was 2.52 times greater for girls who experienced sexual abuse, and there was a 8.21 times greater risk for boys who had histories of sexual abuse. Maltreated youths are more susceptible to exploitation in human trafficking. Sexual abuse in connection with high ACE scores may serve as a key predictor of exploitation in human trafficking for both boys and girls.

Northern Ireland gas industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, R S [Belfast City Council Gas Dept.; Asquith, R S; Brown, J M; McKay, G

1977-07-01

Throughout Northern Ireland the production of town gas is derived from hydrocarbon feedstocks. In the larger undertakings in Northern Ireland the feedstock is light distillate; a light petroleum feedstock which is a crude gasoline comprised mainly of pentanes, reformed in catalytic plants. The remaining gas undertakings produce a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)/air mixture using a mixture of either butane or propane and air. The individual gas units and the type of reforming feedstock are shown. A review of the oil-dependence of town gas and electricity production in Northern Ireland has been considered and is mainly responsible for the high fuel prices experienced in the community. A detailed description of the reforming process has been described, and considerable efforts have been made to optimize the process. In spite of substantial economic savings being made on the processing unit, the gas industry is very susceptible to the changes in oil prices which have escalated rapidly in recent years. The difference in gas prices between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland indicates that North Sea gas would offer major economic benefits to the gas industry in Northern Ireland, which is operating at a substantial loss at the moment. The industrial concerns, which are dependent on gas and therefore paying high fuel costs, suffer in competition with outside companies. The injection of a moderately cheap natural gas supply to the community may encourage industrial expansion and provide work in a high unemployment area. Although substantial costs must be incurred in distribution pipelines and burner conversions if Northern Ireland changes to natural gas, there appears to be a strong case to introduce North Sea gas in the near future.

A Conservation-Based Approach to Compensation for Livestock Depredation: The Florida Panther Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Caitlin E; Main, Martin B

2015-01-01

Calf (Bos taurus) depredation by the federally endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) on ranches in southwest Florida is an important issue because ranches represent mixed landscapes that provide habitat critical to panther recovery. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify calf depredation by panthers on two ranches in southwest Florida, and (2) develop a habitat suitability model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on ranchlands, assess whether the model could predict predation risk to calves, and discuss its potential to be incorporated into an incentive-based compensation program. We ear-tagged 409 calves with VHF transmitters on two ranches during 2011-2013 to document calf mortality. We developed a model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on private lands in southwest Florida using environmental variables obtained from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) Cooperative Landcover Database and nocturnal GPS locations of panthers provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). We then tested whether the model could predict the location of calf depredation sites. Tagged calf loss to panthers varied between the two ranches (0.5%/yr to 5.3%/yr) and may have been influenced by the amount of panther hunting habitat on each ranch as the ranch that experienced higher depredation rates contained a significantly higher probability of panther presence. Depredation sites of tagged calves had a significantly greater probability of panther presence than depredation sites of untagged calves that were found by ranchers in open pastures. This suggests that there may be more calves killed in high risk environments than are being found and reported by ranchers and that panthers can hunt effectively in open environments. It also suggests that the model may provide a means for evaluating the quality of panther hunting habitat and the corresponding risk of depredation to livestock across the landscape. We

A Conservation-Based Approach to Compensation for Livestock Depredation: The Florida Panther Case Study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caitlin E Jacobs

Full Text Available Calf (Bos taurus depredation by the federally endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi on ranches in southwest Florida is an important issue because ranches represent mixed landscapes that provide habitat critical to panther recovery. The objectives of this study were to (1 quantify calf depredation by panthers on two ranches in southwest Florida, and (2 develop a habitat suitability model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on ranchlands, assess whether the model could predict predation risk to calves, and discuss its potential to be incorporated into an incentive-based compensation program. We ear-tagged 409 calves with VHF transmitters on two ranches during 2011-2013 to document calf mortality. We developed a model to evaluate the quality of panther hunting habitat on private lands in southwest Florida using environmental variables obtained from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI Cooperative Landcover Database and nocturnal GPS locations of panthers provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC. We then tested whether the model could predict the location of calf depredation sites. Tagged calf loss to panthers varied between the two ranches (0.5%/yr to 5.3%/yr and may have been influenced by the amount of panther hunting habitat on each ranch as the ranch that experienced higher depredation rates contained a significantly higher probability of panther presence. Depredation sites of tagged calves had a significantly greater probability of panther presence than depredation sites of untagged calves that were found by ranchers in open pastures. This suggests that there may be more calves killed in high risk environments than are being found and reported by ranchers and that panthers can hunt effectively in open environments. It also suggests that the model may provide a means for evaluating the quality of panther hunting habitat and the corresponding risk of depredation to livestock across the

The aggressive invasion of exotic reptiles in Florida with a focus on prominent species: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Richard ENGEMAN, Elliott JACOBSON, Michael L. AVERY

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Florida, along with Hawaii, has among the two worst invasive species problems in the USA, and the state is especially susceptible to establishment by alien reptiles. Besides the large numbers of established non-native reptile species in Florida, many of these species present novel difficulties for management, or have other characteristics making effective management extremely challenging. Moreover, initiation of management action requires more than recognition by experts that a potentially harmful species has become established. It also requires the political will along with concomitant resources and appropriate personnel to develop effective methods and apply them. We review the situation in Florida, including assessment of risk for establishment, and we use a subset of prominent species to illustrate in more detail the array of invasive reptile species circumstances in Florida, including routes of introduction, impacts, and potential and implemented management actions. These examples not only highlight the severity of the invasive reptile problems in the state, but they also show the diversity in resolve and response towards them and the motivating factors [Current Zoology 57 (5: 599–612, 2011].

2006 Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) Lidar: North District

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set is one component of a digital terrain model (DTM) for the Southwest Florida Water Management District's FY2006 Digital Orthophoto (B089) and LiDAR...

Comparison of mushroom yield for Pleurotus Sajor Caju and Pleurotus Florida in different number of flushes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosnani Abdul Rashid; Mat Rasol Awang; Hassan Hamdani Hassan Mutaat; Meswan Maskom

2006-01-01

This paper aimed at comparing the mushroom yield of Pleurotus sajor caju and Pleurotus florida which was harvested in five flushes. The γ-irradiated empty fruit bunch (EFB) at 25kGy was used as cultivation substrate. About 1 to 2% liquid seed of P. sajor caju and P. florida was inoculated into cultivation substrate. After 30 days, the inoculated substrate was opened for fruiting. For both species, the maximum mushroom yield was obtained in first flush and the lowest yield from the fifth flush. This show the mushroom yield is affected by number of flush. From analysis, the mushroom yield of P. florida was much better compared to P. sajor caju for all flushes. (Author)

Radiological monitoring of northern slopes of Mogoltau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murtazaev, Kh.; Boboev, B.D.; Bolibekov, Sh.; Akhmedov, M.Z.

2010-01-01

Present article is devoted to radiological monitoring of northern slopes of Mogoltau. The physicochemical properties of water of northern slopes of Mogoltau were studied. The radiation monitoring of northern slopes of Mogoltau was carried out during several years under various weather conditions. The exposure rate of human settlements of northern part of Mogoltau was defined.

Comparative assay of fluorescent antibody test results among twelve European National Reference Laboratories using various anti-rabies conjugates

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Robardet, E.; Andrieu, S.; Rasmussen, Thomas Bruun

2013-01-01

Twelve National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) for rabies have undertaken a comparative assay to assess the comparison of fluorescent antibody test (FAT) results using five coded commercial anti-rabies conjugates (Biorad, Bioveta, Fujirebio, Millipore, and SIFIN conjugates). Homogenized positive...

Reconstructing Common Era relative sea-level change on the Gulf Coast of Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Gerlach, Matthew J.; Engelhart, Simon E.; Kemp, Andrew C.; Moyer, Ryan P.; Smoak, Joseph M.; Bernhardt, Christopher E.; Cahill, Niamh

2017-01-01

To address a paucity of Common Era data in the Gulf of Mexico, we reconstructed ~ 1.1 m of relative sea-level (RSL) rise over the past ~ 2000 years at Little Manatee River (Gulf Coast of Florida, USA). We applied a regional-scale foraminiferal transfer function to fossil assemblages preserved in a core of salt-marsh peat and organic silt that was dated using radiocarbon and recognition of pollution, 137Cs and pollen chronohorizons. Our proxy reconstruction was combined with tide-gauge data from four nearby sites spanning 1913–2014 CE. Application of an Errors-in-Variables Integrated Gaussian Process (EIV-IGP) model to the combined proxy and instrumental dataset demonstrates that RSL fell from ~ 350 to 100 BCE, before rising continuously to present. This initial RSL fall was likely the result of local-scale processes (e.g., silting up of a tidal flat or shallow sub-tidal shoal) as salt-marsh development at the site began. Since ~ 0 CE, we consider the reconstruction to be representative of regional-scale RSL trends. We removed a linear rate of 0.3 mm/yr from the RSL record using the EIV-IGP model to estimate climate-driven sea-level trends and to facilitate comparison among sites. This analysis demonstrates that since ~ 0 CE sea level did not deviate significantly from zero until accelerating continuously from ~ 1500 CE to present. Sea level was rising at 1.33 mm/yr in 1900 CE and accelerated until 2014 CE when a rate of 2.02 mm/yr was attained, which is the fastest, century-scale trend in the ~ 2000-year record. Comparison to existing reconstructions from the Gulf coast of Louisiana and the Atlantic coast of northern Florida reveal similar sea-level histories at all three sites. We explored the influence of compaction and fluvial processes on our reconstruction and concluded that compaction was likely insignificant. Fluvial processes were also likely insignificant, but further proxy evidence is needed to fully test this hypothesis. Our results

Comparisons of High School Graduation Rates of Students with Disabilities and Their Peers in Twelve Southern States

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Theodore Scott; Manuel, Nancy; Stokes, Billy R.

2012-01-01

This study compared differences in diploma and graduation dropout rates among students with and without disabilities, analyzed differences in various graduation-types by disabilities, and offered recommendations to improve graduation rates through evidence-based practices. The geographic catchment area of this study was limited to twelve Southern…

The Impact of the Financial Crisis on the Content of Twelve Bestselling US Principles of Economics Textbooks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Poul Thøis

2013-01-01

How have authors of twelve bestselling introductory US textbooks in economics responded to the traumatizing financial crisis? In general the financial crisis is described with a couple of lines here and there or it is dealt with in boxes, separate sections, or specific isolated chapters. Some...

Larval assemblages of large and medium-sized pelagic species in the Straits of Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Richardson, David E.; Llopiz, Joel K.; Guigand, Cedric M.; Cowen, Robert K.

2010-07-01

Critical gaps in our understanding of the distributions, interactions, life histories and preferred habitats of large and medium-size pelagic fishes severely constrain the implementation of ecosystem-based, spatially structured fisheries management approaches. In particular, spawning distributions and the environmental characteristics associated with the early life stages are poorly documented. In this study, we consider the diversity, assemblages, and associated habitat of the larvae of large and medium-sized pelagic species collected during 2 years of monthly surveys across the Straits of Florida. In total, 36 taxa and 14,295 individuals were collected, with the highest diversity occurring during the summer and in the western, frontal region of the Florida Current. Only a few species (e.g. Thunnus obesus, T. alalunga, Tetrapturus pfluegeri) considered for this study were absent. Small scombrids (e.g. T. atlanticus, Katsuwonus pelamis, Auxis spp.) and gempylids dominated the catch and were orders of magnitude more abundant than many of the rare species (e.g. Thunnus thynnus,Kajikia albida). Both constrained (CCA) and unconstrained (NMDS) multivariate analyses revealed a number of species groupings including: (1) a summer Florida edge assemblage (e.g. Auxis spp., Euthynnus alleterattus, Istiophorus platypterus); (2) a summer offshore assemblage (e.g. Makaira nigricans, T. atlanticus, Ruvettus pretiosus, Lampris guttatus); (3) an ubiquitous assemblage (e.g. K. pelamis, Coryphaena hippurus, Xiphias gladius); and (4) a spring/winter assemblage that was widely dispersed in space (e.g. trachipterids). The primary environmental factors associated with these assemblages were sea-surface temperature (highest in summer-early fall), day length (highest in early summer), thermocline depth (shallowest on the Florida side) and fluorescence (highest on the Florida side). Overall, the results of this study provide insights into how a remarkable diversity of pelagic species

Human responses to Florida red tides: policy awareness and adherence to local fertilizer ordinances.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Kohler, Kate; Byrne, Margaret; Fleming, Lora E; Scheller, Karen; Reich, Andrew; Hitchcock, Gary; Kirkpatrick, Gary; Ullmann, Steven; Hoagland, Porter

2014-09-15

To mitigate the damages of natural hazards, policy responses can be beneficial only if they are effective. Using a self-administered survey approach, this paper focuses on the adherence to local fertilizer ordinances (i.e., county or municipal rules regulating the application of fertilizer to private lawns or facilities such as golf courses) implemented in jurisdictions along the Southwest Florida coast in response to hazardous blooms of Florida red tides (Karenia brevis). These ordinances play a role in the context of evolving programs of water pollution control at federal, state, water basin, and local levels. With respect to policy effectiveness, while the strength of physical linkages is of critical importance, the extent to which humans affected are aware of and adhere to the relevant rules, is equally critical. We sought to understand the public's depth of understanding about the rationales for local fertilizer ordinances. Respondents in Sarasota, Florida, were asked about their fertilizer practices in an area that has experienced several major blooms of Florida red tides over the past two decades. A highly educated, older population of 305 residents and "snowbirds" reported relatively little knowledge about a local fertilizer ordinance, its purpose, or whether it would change the frequency, size, or duration of red tides. This finding held true even among subpopulations that were expected to have more interest in or to be more knowledgeable about harmful algal blooms. In the face of uncertain science and environmental outcomes, and with individual motivations at odds with evolving public policies, the effectiveness of local community efforts to decrease the impacts of red tides may be compromised. Targeted social-science research on human perceptions about the risks of Florida red tides and education about the rationales for potential policy responses are warranted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of a Florida Coastal Mapping Program Through Local and Regional Coordination

Science.gov (United States)

Hapke, C. J.; Kramer, P. A.; Fetherston-Resch, E.; Baumstark, R.

2017-12-01

The State of Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States (2,170 km). The coastal zone is heavily populated and contains 1,900 km of sandy beaches that support economically important recreation and tourism. Florida's waters also host important marine mineral resources, unique ecosystems, and the largest number of recreational boats and saltwater fishermen in the country. There is increasing need and demand for high resolution data of the coast and adjacent seafloor for resource and habitat mapping, understanding coastal vulnerability, evaluating performance of restoration projects, and many other coastal and marine spatial planning efforts. The Florida Coastal Mapping Program (FCMP), initiated in 2017 as a regional collaboration between four federal and three state agencies, has goals of establishing the priorities for high resolution seafloor mapping of Florida's coastal environment, and developing a strategy for leveraging funds to support mapping priorities set by stakeholders. We began by creating a comprehensive digital inventory of existing data (collected by government, the private sector, and academia) from 1 kilometer inland to the 200 meter isobath for a statewide geospatial database and gap analysis. Data types include coastal topography, bathymetry, and acoustic data such as sidescan sonar and subbottom profiles. Next, we will develop appropriate proposals and legislative budget requests in response to opportunities to collect priority data in high priority areas. Data collection will be undertaken by a combination of state and federal agencies. The FCMP effort will provide the critical baseline information that is required for characterizing changes to fragile ecosystems, assessing marine resources, and forecasting the impacts on coastal infrastructure and recreational beaches from future storms and sea-level rise.

Monitoring cryptic amphibians and reptiles in a Florida state park.

Science.gov (United States)

Engeman, Richard M; Meshaka, Walter E; Severson, Robert; Severson, Mary Ann; Kaufman, Greg; Groninger, N Paige; Smith, Henry T

2016-04-01

We monitored cryptic herpetofauna at Savannas Preserve State Park, Florida, by combining artificial cover counts with a quantitative paradigm for constructing and calculating population indices. Weekly indices were calculated from two consecutive days of data collection each week for 7 months from mid-winter to mid-summer in three habitats. Seventeen species were observed at least once, and time trends using index values were followed for six species. Among these, abundance and seasonal pattern information were obtained for an exotic species (greenhouse frog) and a species identified by the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals as threatened (Florida scrub lizard). We identified winter as the optimal time in this area to monitor populations for conducting annual assessments. This combined observation and indexing approach could provide managers or researchers with an economical means to quantitatively index population trends for multiple cryptic herpetofauna species simultaneously. Using artificial cover to sample within a population indexing design can be generalized beyond monitoring herpetofauna. Other forms of artificial cover that can be used as observation stations include aquatic artificial substrates, artificial tree cavities, artificial reefs, and other artificial aquatic structures and artificial sea grass units, among many others, and a wide range of taxa are suitable for population monitoring using artificial cover as observation stations in the approach we present, including insects, soil invertebrates, micro and macro aquatic invertebrates, fish, crustaceans, and small mammals.

The Impact of Tobacco-Free School Policies on Youth Smoking Rates in Florida Public School Districts

Science.gov (United States)

Terry, Amanda; Zhang, Ning Jackie

2016-01-01

Background: Developing and implementing policies to curb and prevent youth tobacco use is of the utmost importance. In Florida, public school districts were authorized to develop tobacco-free school policies through an amendment to the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act in 2011. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of tobacco-free school…

Proceedings of the 1998 Photovoltaic Performance and Reliability Workshop; Cocoa Beach, Florida; November 3-5, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kroposki, B.

1998-12-17

This proceedings is the compilation of all papers presented at the 11th PV Performance and Reliability Workshop held at the Doubletree Hotel in Cocoa Beach, Florida, on November 3-5, 1998. The workshop was hosted by the Florida Solar Energy Center. This year's workshop included presentations from 29 speakers and had 110 attendees.

A quantitative analysis of factors influencing the professional longevity of high school science teachers in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Ridgley, James Alexander, Jr.

This dissertation is an exploratory quantitative analysis of various independent variables to determine their effect on the professional longevity (years of service) of high school science teachers in the state of Florida for the academic years 2011-2012 to 2013-2014. Data are collected from the Florida Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress databases. The following research hypotheses are examined: H1 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 1 (teacher variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H2 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 2 (school variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H3 - There are statistically significant differences in Level 3 (district variables) that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. H4 - When tested in a hierarchical multiple regression, there are statistically significant differences in Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 that influence the professional longevity of a high school science teacher in Florida. The professional longevity of a Floridian high school science teacher is the dependent variable. The independent variables are: (Level 1) a teacher's sex, age, ethnicity, earned degree, salary, number of schools taught in, migration count, and various years of service in different areas of education; (Level 2) a school's geographic location, residential population density, average class size, charter status, and SES; and (Level 3) a school district's average SES and average spending per pupil. Statistical analyses of exploratory MLRs and a HMR are used to support the research hypotheses. The final results of the HMR analysis show a teacher's age, salary, earned degree (unknown, associate, and doctorate), and ethnicity (Hispanic and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander); a

Continuous water quality monitoring for the hard clam industry in Florida, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergquist, Derk C; Heuberger, David; Sturmer, Leslie N; Baker, Shirley M

2009-01-01

In 2000, Florida's fast-growing hard clam aquaculture industry became eligible for federal agricultural crop insurance through the US Department of Agriculture, but the responsibility for identifying the cause of mortality remained with the grower. Here we describe the continuous water quality monitoring system used to monitor hard clam aquaculture areas in Florida and show examples of the data collected with the system. Systems recording temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, water depth, turbidity and chlorophyll at 30 min intervals were installed at 10 aquaculture lease areas along Florida's Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Six of these systems sent data in real-time to a public website, and all 10 systems provided data for web-accessible archives. The systems documented environmental conditions that could negatively impact clam survival and productivity and identified biologically relevant water quality differences among clam aquaculture areas. Both the real-time and archived data were used widely by clam growers and nursery managers to make management decisions and in filing crop loss insurance claims. While the systems were labor and time intensive, we recommend adjustments that could reduce costs and staff time requirements.

The effects of planting density and cultural intensity on loblolly pine crown characteristics at age twelve

Science.gov (United States)

Madison Akers; Michael Kane; Robert Teskey; Richard Daniels; Dehai Zhao; Santosh Subedi

2012-01-01

Twelve-year old loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands were analyzed for the effects of planting density and cultural intensity on tree and crown attributes. Four study installations were located in the Piedmont and Upper Coastal Plain regions of the U.S. South. The treatments included six planting densities (740, 1480, 2220, 2960, 3700, 4440 trees...

Oral Health Knowledge and Practices of WIC Staff at Florida WIC Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Jaana T; Tomar, Scott

2016-06-01

This study was conducted to assess the oral health knowledge, practices and confidence of staff in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) by administering an anonymous self-completed survey to 39 WIC Clinic staff in Northern Florida. The survey instrument was a 28-item questionnaire adapted from previous validated surveys and covered questions on oral health knowledge, confidence and general practices related to oral health. Survey data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. The majority of WIC staff is knowledgeable about the role of the caregiver in cleaning the child's teeth and the role of bottle use in dental caries. Only 7 (25 %) of total 28 WIC staff indicated that fluoridated toothpaste could be used for children younger than 2 years of age. Only 18 (64 %) agreed that the cariogenic bacteria could be transmitted from mother to child. Nutritionists reported greater confidence compared to others in oral health tasks. Only 6 (67 %) of the nutritionists reported to counsel caregivers on the importance of regular tooth brushing. Only 4 (44 %) nutritionists reported to refer WIC clients to dental care. These results indicate that WIC staff has a limited knowledge on the age recommendations for the fluoride toothpaste use and on the transmission of the cariogenic bacteria. Many do not provide oral health counseling to caregivers. WIC staff with more education is more likely to discuss oral health issues. WIC staff is in need for oral health training and education to provide oral health counseling for at risk WIC population.

Photosynthetically active and ultraviolet radiation at SEAKEYS station Molasses Reef (MLRF) in the Florida Keys, 2011 (NODC Accession 0098080)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The Florida Institute of Oceanography's (FIO) SEAKEYS (Sustained Ecological Research Related to Management of the Florida Keys Seascape) program began in 1989 and...

Application of FTLOADDS to Simulate Flow, Salinity, and Surface-Water Stage in the Southern Everglades, Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, John D.; Swain, Eric D.; Wolfert, Melinda A.; Langevin, Christian D.; James, Dawn E.; Telis, Pamela A.

2007-01-01

representation of coastal flows. This improvement most likely is due to a more stable numerical representation of the coastal creek outlets. Sensitivity analyses were performed by varying frictional resistance, leakage, barriers to flow, and topography. Changing frictional resistance values in inland areas was shown to improve water-level representation locally, but to have a negligible effect on area-wide values. These changes have only local effects and are not physically based (as are the unchanged values), and thus have limited validity. Sensitivity tests indicate that the overall accuracy of the simulation is diminished if leakage between surface water and ground water is not simulated. The inclusion of a major road as a complete barrier to surface-water flow influenced the local distribution and timing of flow; however, the changes in total flow and individual creekflows were negligible. The model land-surface altitude was lowered by 0.1 meter to determine the sensitivity to topographic variation. This topographic sensitivity test produced mixed results in matching field data. Overall, the representation of stage did not improve definitively. A final calibration utilized the results of the sensitivity analysis to refine the TIME application. To accomplish this calibration, the friction coefficient was reduced at the northern boundary inflow and increased in the southwestern corner of the model, the evapotranspiration function was varied, additional data were used for the ground-water head boundary along the southeast, and the frictional resistance of the primary coastal creek outlet was increased. The calibration improved the match between measured and simulated total flows to Florida Bay and coastal salinities. Agreement also was improved at most of the water-level sites throughout the model domain.

Temperature, salinity, photosynthetically active radiation and weather parameters at SEAKEYS stations in the Florida Keys, 2007 (NODC Accession 0058101)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains data collected at several Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Florida Bay....

Temperature, salinity, photosynthetically active radiation and weather parameters at SEAKEYS stations in the Florida Keys, 2006 (NODC Accession 0058100)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains data collected at several Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Florida Bay....

Temperature, salinity, photosynthetically active radiation and weather parameters at SEAKEYS stations in the Florida Keys, 2004 (NODC Accession 0058098)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains data collected at several Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Florida Bay....

Temperature, salinity, photosynthetically active radiation and weather parameters at SEAKEYS stations in the Florida Keys, 2003 (NODC Accession 0058097)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains data collected at several Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Florida Bay....

Temperature, salinity, photosynthetically active radiation and weather parameters at SEAKEYS stations in the Florida Keys, 2005 (NODC Accession 0058099)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This accession contains data collected at several Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Florida Bay....

Work environment perceptions following relocation to open-plan offices: A twelve-month longitudinal study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergström, Jessica; Miller, Michael; Horneij, Eva

2015-01-01

A workplace's design can have various positive or negative effects on the employees and since the 1970s the advantages and disadvantages of open-plan offices have been discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate perceived health, work environment and self-estimated productivity one month before and at three, six and twelve months after relocation from individual offices to an open-plan office environment. Employees from three departments within the same company group and who worked with relatively similar tasks and who were planned to be relocated from private offices to open-plan offices were invited to participate. Questionnaires comprising items from The Salutogenic Health Indicator Scale, The Work Experience Measurement Scale, the questionnaire by Brennan et al. about perceived performance and one question from the Work Ability Index were sent to participants one month before relocation (baseline) to open-plan offices and then at three, six and twelve months after relocation. At baseline, 82 questionnaires were sent out. The response rate was 85%. At the follow-ups 77-79 questionnaires were sent out and the response-rate was 70%-81%. At follow-ups, perceived health, job satisfaction and performance had generally deteriorated. The results of the study indicate that employees' perception of health, work environment and performance decreased during a 12 month period following relocation from individual offices to open-plan offices.

Clionid sponge surveys on the Florida Reef Tract suggest land-based nutrient inputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward-Paige, Christine A.; Risk, Michael J.; Sherwood, Owen A.; Jaap, Walter C.

2005-01-01

Bioerosion by Cliona delitrix and Cliona lampa was assessed at 43 sites along the Florida Reef Tract, USA, in the summer of 2001. Sponge abundances were estimated using rapid visual assessment. Tissue samples of sponges were taken for analysis of δ 15 N. Comparison samples were taken from Belize. Annual trends in sponge abundance were estimated from archived videos covering the period from 1996 to 2001. Sites with the greatest boring sponge size and cover were in the Backcountry and Lower Keys, where total nitrogen, ammonium, and δ 15 N levels were highest. The sites with the largest relative increase of C. delitrix and C. lampa over the 5 year period were in the Upper Keys, where the greatest relative decline in stony coral cover has occurred. Florida sponge δ 15 N values were 5.2(±0.1)%, suggesting the influence of human waste; in comparison, offshore Belize samples were 2.1(±0.1)%. These results suggest sewage contamination of the Florida Reef Tract, shifting the carbonate balance from construction to destruction

Clionid sponge surveys on the Florida Reef Tract suggest land-based nutrient inputs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ward-Paige, Christine A. [School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1 (Canada)]. E-mail: cwardpai@dal.ca; Risk, Michael J. [School of Geography and Geology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1 (Canada); Sherwood, Owen A. [Department of Earth Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 4J1 (Canada); Jaap, Walter C. [Florida Marine Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida (United States)

2005-07-01

Bioerosion by Cliona delitrix and Cliona lampa was assessed at 43 sites along the Florida Reef Tract, USA, in the summer of 2001. Sponge abundances were estimated using rapid visual assessment. Tissue samples of sponges were taken for analysis of {delta} {sup 15}N. Comparison samples were taken from Belize. Annual trends in sponge abundance were estimated from archived videos covering the period from 1996 to 2001. Sites with the greatest boring sponge size and cover were in the Backcountry and Lower Keys, where total nitrogen, ammonium, and {delta} {sup 15}N levels were highest. The sites with the largest relative increase of C. delitrix and C. lampa over the 5 year period were in the Upper Keys, where the greatest relative decline in stony coral cover has occurred. Florida sponge {delta} {sup 15}N values were 5.2({+-}0.1)%, suggesting the influence of human waste; in comparison, offshore Belize samples were 2.1({+-}0.1)%. These results suggest sewage contamination of the Florida Reef Tract, shifting the carbonate balance from construction to destruction.

Tomato chlorotic spot virus Identified in Marsdenia floribunda in Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Ornamental crops including hoya, annual vinca and portulaca have recently been identified with Tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV) infections in Florida. Observations of Marsdenia floribunda, commonly known as Madagascar jasmine, in September 2016 revealed TCSV-like symptoms. Testing of these sympt...

Florida alternative NTCIP testing software (ANTS) for actuated signal controllers.

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

The scope of this research project did include the development of a software tool to test devices for NTCIP compliance. Development of the Florida Alternative NTCIP Testing Software (ANTS) was developed by the research team due to limitations found w...

IPM of specialty crops and community gardens in north Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Insect pests post serious challenges to specialty crops (vegetables, fruits and nut crops) and community gardens in North Florida. The major vegetable pests include silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii; the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae; southeastern green stinkbug, Nezara viridula; brown s...

Digital Learning Compass: Distance Education State Almanac 2017. Florida

Science.gov (United States)

Seaman, Julia E.; Seaman, Jeff

2017-01-01

This brief report uses data collected under the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Fall Enrollment survey to highlight distance education data in the state of Florida. The sample for this analysis is comprised of all active, degree-granting…

Adaptability of black walnut, black cherry, and Northern red oak to Northern California

Science.gov (United States)

Philip M. McDonald

1987-01-01

When planted in sheltered sites in northern California, only 49% of black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) and 58% of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) survived for 15 years, and 20% of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) survived for 10 years. The black walnut trees averaged 0.6 inches diameter at breast...

From the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative to the Northern Eurasia Future Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Streletskiy, D. A.; Groisman, P. Y.; Shugart, H. H., Jr.; Gulev, S.; Maksyutov, S. S.; Qi, J.

2017-12-01

Since 2004, the Northern Eurasia Earth Science Partnership Initiative (NEESPI) - an interdisciplinary program of internationally-supported Earth systems and science research - has addressed large-scale and long-term manifestations of climate and environmental changes over Northern Eurasia and their impact on the Global Earth system. With 40 books and more than 1500 peer-reviewed journal publications to its credit, NEESPI's output can now be used to directly support decision-making for societal needs. Specifically, it was decided to shift gradually the foci of regional studies in Northern Eurasia towards applications with the following major Science Question: "What dynamic and interactive change(s) will affect societal well-being, activities, and health, and what might be the mitigation and adaptation strategies that could support sustainable development and decision-making activities in Northern Eurasia?" To answer this question requires a stronger socio-economic component in the ongoing and future regional studies focused on sustainable societal development under changing climatic and environmental conditions. The NEESPI Research Team has reorganized itself into "Northern Eurasia Future Initiative" (NEFI) and developed a new Science Plan released in June 2016. The Plan underwent a 6-month-long public review and was finalized at the end of 2016. Its description was thereafter split between two review papers: Groisman et al. (2017) and Monier et al. (2017). The first paper describes the Plan rationale and a new set of topical questions. The second paper describes a major modeling approach that will be employed in addressing the "what to do" questions of the NEFI Research (cf., presentation by Monier et al. at this Session). In the current presentation, we outline the new NEFI research foci and present latest NEFI findings including international projects in the Eurasian Arctic, boreal zone, and the Dry Land Belt of Northern Eurasia (cf., also presentations at sister

Transanal rectopexy - twelve case studies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubens Henrique Oleques Fernandes

2012-06-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the results of transanal rectopexy and showed the benefits of this surgical technique. METHOD: Twelve patients were submitted to rectopexy between 1997 and 2011. The surgical technique used was transanal rectopexy, where the mesorectum was fixed to the sacrum with nonabsorbable suture. Three patients had been submitted to previous surgery, two by the Delorme technique and one by the Thiersch technique. RESULTS: Postoperative hospital stay ranged from 1 to 4 days. One patient (8.3% had intraoperative hematoma, which was treated with local compression and antibiotics. One patient (8.3% had residual mucosal prolapse, which was resected. Prolapse recurrence was seen in one case (8.3%. Improved incontinence occurred in 75% of patients and one patient reported obstructed evacuation in the first month after surgery. No death occurred. CONCLUSION: Transanal rectopexy is a simple, low cost technique, which has shown good efficacy in rectal prolapse control.OBJETIVO: O presente estudo analisou os resultados da retopexia pela via transanal e expôs os benefícios desta técnica cirúrgica. MÉTODO: Doze pacientes com prolapso foram operados no período de 1997 a 2011. A técnica cirúrgica usada foi a retopexia transanal, onde o mesorreto foi fixado ao sacro com fio inabsorvível. Três pacientes tinham cirurgia prévia, dois pela técnica de Delorme e um pela técnica de Thiersch. RESULTADOS: A permanência hospitalar pós-operatória variou de 1- 4 dias. Uma paciente (8,3% apresentou hematoma transoperatório que foi tratado com compressão local e antibioticoterapia. Um paciente apresentou prolapso mucoso residual (8,3%, que foi ressecado. Houve recidiva da procidência em um caso (8,3%. A melhora da incontinência ocorreu em 75% dos pacientes e uma paciente apresentou bloqueio evacuatório no primeiro mês após a cirurgia. Não houve mortalidade entre os pacientes operados. CONCLUSÃO: A retopexia transanal é uma t