Thursday, December 4, 2014

Come learn about ALLIGATORS on Tuesday! (December 9, 6PM at Frazier Rogers Hall)

As Gators ourselves, we have all done the "Gator chomp" and become accustomed to the live gators that we frequently walk by in the ponds and waterbodies throughout campus. But how much do you really know about alligators? Want to learn more?

We are excited to host Dr. James Nifong at our meeting on Tuesday, December 9th at 6PM in Frazier Rogers Hall. He is a gator expert and experienced field ecologist, and he has performed field work that is certainly not for the faint of heart. His extensive work with gators and trophic cascades/ecosystem functioning in the southeastern US has resulted in many publications, including a cool paper that put cameras on gators. Check out the National Geographic video and story about his research:



James will present "Research on the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) along the southeastern Atlantic coast, USA" - hope to see you there!!

And as always, there will be pizza :)


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OTHER UPDATES:

A message from the local non-profit "Current Problems" regarding the last cleanup of the 2014 Great Suwannee River Cleanup season...

"This coming Saturday, Dec 6 is the day of the last cleanup of the 2014 Great Suwannee River Cleanup. And fittingly, it happens at the Lower Suwannee Wildlife Refuge. They could use some extra help if you could lend a hand. Starting time is 10:00 am. Meet at the ramp in Fowler’s Bluff. Here’s a map link with directions for you. http://tinyurl.com/mslnd5m

Call Pam Darty to let her know you are coming, or e-mail her. 352-493-0238 x223. pam_darty@fws.gov Or you can reply to Fritzi Olson (Executive Director, Current Problems, Inc - aar@currentproblems.org). It should be a great day to be out on the water. I hope you can come!"

Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Santa Fe River Basin Observatory: Exploring linkages between geology, hydrology, ecosystems and humans in a karst terrain



Presentation by Dr. Wendy Graham, Director of the University of Florida Water Institute
UF Student Chapter AWRA Meeting, November 12, 2014

We were delighted to host the Director of the University of Florida Water Institute, Dr. Wendy Graham, at our third monthly meeting of the fall semester. Earlier this semester, we hosted author and journalist Cynthia Barnett and water resource manager Kevin Morris of the Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply for our September and October meetings, respectively. Dr. Graham joined us for our November meeting to tell us about her work on water modeling in the nearby Santa Fe River Basin and share her extensive knowledge of local hydrology and current springs research.
The Santa Fe River basin is an “interesting and vulnerable place to study” according to Graham. The upper basin is confined while the lower basin is unconfined, so they are governed by different hydrologic processes. This allows researchers to compare how water and nutrient transport processes differ in the two regions. 
Study area in the Santa Fe River Basin. The upper basin is confined (green area) while the lower basin is unconfined (orange). For a more in-depth description of confined vs unconfined, see this USGS site.
Graham’s research, as well as that of the UF Water Institute, focuses on incorporating humans into the equation. “We can draw springsheds on a map, but they’re dynamic systems,” she said, and adding humans to the complex array of causes and solutions to Florida’s water issues is tricky. For example, the proposed minimum flows and levels (MFLs) are being challenged by environmentalists on one side and utilities on the other. Water managers are walking a fine line as fingers are pointed in many different directions, from placing blame for water woes on agriculture and climate to watering lawns in Jacksonville and users in southern Georgia.
Numeric nutrient criteria for springs is 0.35 mg/L, and according to Graham, few springs currently meet this requirement. She and her team are trying to better understand the hydrologic, ecologic, and economic tradeoffs required to meet these numeric nitrate requirements. Their specific goals are to “improve predictive understanding of hydrologic flow paths and travel times; nutrient sources, transport and transformation; and karst evolution within an eogenic karst basin.” Basically, they’re trying to better understand how water and nutrients move within our watersheds.
The source of nitrate in the Santa Fe Springs and river is predominantly from groundwater, and isotope signatures indicate that most of this nitrate is from synthetic fertilizers. Nitrate concentrations in the Santa Fe River depend on several factors, one of which is flow. In the unconfined portion of the basin, the lower the flow rate, the higher the nitrate concentration. In this unconfined region, there is also a high correlation between nitrate and specific conductivity (which depends on the amount of dissolved solids in the water). She said this is helpful because nitrate sensors are over $20,000, whereas measuring specific conductivity is much cheaper and can be done with a less expensive instrument. Researchers use specific conductivity measurements taken in the river to separate contributions of groundwater and surface water and to test model predictions.
The hydrologic model they are working on uses climate data, along with information regarding land cover, soils, and geology to predict evapotranspiration (ET), stream flow, groundwater elevation, temporal dynamics of surface/groundwater interactions, and surface/groundwater travel time distributions in the Santa Fe River. It can predict these variables on different timescales, i.e. for a specific event (i.e. hurricane or rain event), for an entire season, or over decades.
The researchers are trying to use the model to evaluate their current understanding of how the system works and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impacts of future water, land use, and climate scenarios.
The current model does a good job predicting stream flow characteristics in the confined region, but the model has some problems in the unconfined region, which she and other researchers are working to address. While the predictions of the timing of stream flow are good, the rate of recession of streamflow after storm events is too fast in the unconfined region. Using specific conductivity data, they determined that the “missing” flow is from groundwater, especially after wet periods.
To understand where the streamflow originates, they use “particle tracking.” This means that they release 100,000 particles into the river (via the model) and run the model backwards, which basically tracks the particles until they leave the system.
Researchers use this “particle tracking” to estimate the age of the water (i.e. how long it takes individual particles of water to exit the system into the atmosphere when the model is run backwards) and figure out which areas to target in order to most efficiently reduce loading of nitrates into the aquifer. According to Graham, areas near conduit regions have been identified by the model as high priority areas.
The model predicts that the age of water in the unconfined part of the Santa Fe River ranges from less than one month to more than 500 years, with a median age of 17 years. This median age matches well with spring flow age measurements made by Dr. Brian Katz (Florida Department of Environmental Protection).
But what does this mean in terms of management? “People have to understand how long it may take to reduce nitrate concentrations in springs,” Graham said, “it could be decades.” Seeing and making these changes will require “patience and believing in the restoration program until we can see the benefits,” according to Graham. And meeting the nitrate limits is not going to be easy: “it will require large-scale changes in how we use land and water,” she said.
After Graham’s presentation, curious students followed up with many questions. From the discussion after her talk, it became clear that a more comprehensive understanding of springs ecology, as well as other factors, will also play large roles in solving Florida’s springs and water issues - it’s going to require a truly interdisciplinary effort to come up with solutions for our springs. The next question is whether or not we’re up for it.

By Jenny Adler (jennifermadler@ufl.edu), UF Water Institute Communications

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Live tweet of last night's meeting featuring Dr. Wendy Graham

A huge thank you to Dr. Wendy Graham, Director of the University of Florida Water Institute, for coming to speak at our monthly student chapter meeting last night!
"UF Water Institute Interdisciplinary Springs Research: Nutrient sources, transport and transformation in the Santa Fe River" by Dr. Wendy Graham.
Photo by UF/IFAS IrriGator (@IrriGatorUF)
I'm currently working on a more comprehensive article about her presentation, but for those of you who were not able to attend and are interested in a few details about Dr. Graham's presentation, I live tweeted the meeting. If you don't have twitter, here are the tweets (read from the bottom up!!)...

https://twitter.com/aMermaidLife
 






https://twitter.com/aMermaidLife

Check back soon for a full recap of her presentation! ~Jenny (@amermaidlife)

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Meeting on Wednesday this week (& other news!)

We hope you can join us this coming Wednesday at 6pm for our monthly chapter meeting. All are welcome - grads, undergrads, professors, etc... if you have an interest in water, stop by for a great talk and some free pizza and drinks!


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Other News:

The AWRA - floridan section will take place in St Augustine the Friday November 21st: Hot Topics in Water Resources with a North Florida Focus.

As always it is a great opportunity to remain well aware of the water-related issues and answers brought by the community (see program athttp://www.awraflorida.org/event-891668), but is also a great opportunity for networking and fun time. The day ends with a walking history trivia / scavenger hunt around St Augustine.

Registration fees for students are $10, including lunch, but will raise to $50 the November 14th, so go ahead and register now: http://www.awraflorida.org/event-891668.

We will organize a carpool... let us know if you are interested in joining us!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Newnans Lake Cleanup - October 18th, 9AM

Monday, September 29, 2014

Tank tops!

Upcoming Event: Water Institute Faculty Fellow Awards Celebration

The UF Water Institute (WI) and the Florida Climate Institute (FCI) are hosting a joint celebration on  
Monday October 20th to honor their 2014 Fellows:

Monday, October 20, 2014
4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Keene Faculty Center, Dauer Hall

This year's Water Institute Fellows include Dr. James Jawitz (Soil and Water Science) and Dr. Jonathan Martin (Geology). They will join last year's inaugural Fellows Dr. Matthew Cohen (SFRC) and Dr. Rafael Muñoz-Carpena (Agricultural and Biological Engineering). 

The event will be catered and will feature short presentations by the awardees as well as the heads of the Water Institute and FCI. Many of the people at the event have presented at our AWRA meetings (or will be soon!), so please consider coming out to support them and recognize them for their efforts on behalf of Florida's water!

For more info, visit the UF Water Institute website or see this flyer for more information about the program. We will also post more details soon - hope to see you there!

Friday, September 12, 2014

Speakers this semester - Mark your calendars!

We just finalized the list of speakers for the rest of the semester - here is the lineup, we hope you can join us for pizza and great water-themed presentations!
Tuesday, October 14th at 6pm we will be hosting Kevin Morris, a Science and Technology Office from Peace River Minesota Regional Water Supply Authority.

Wednesday, November 12th at 6pm we will hosting Dr. Wendy Graham, Director of the UF Water Institute.

Tuesday, December 2nd at 6pm we will be hosting Dr. James Nfiong who is a post-doc in Dr. Tom Frazer's lab and earned his PhD studying alligators in Dr. Brian Silliman's lab. Check out this awesome National Geographic article/video about his work!


We will keep you updated via this blog as well as the list-serv and Facebook page as we approach the next meeting on October 14. Feel free to be in touch with any questions that come up in the mean time!



Other Announcements:

If you're interested in becoming student members of AWRA here is the link that will allow you to register: http://www.awraflorida.org/Membership

The next technical meeting is in Tampa on September 19th. Please contact Alice Alonso (alice.alonso@ufl.edu) or Natalie Nelson (nataliegnelson@ufl.edu) about carpooling!

Jenny Adler will be having a springs art show at Santa Fe College on October 6th- 31st with an opening reception October 10th from 6pm to 8pm. The exhibit will be in Santa Fe's President’s Hall exhibit space, which is located on the second floor of building F.


Thank you to everyone who came out to our first meeting, featuring Cynthia Barnett

Thank you so much to our amazing speaker Cynthia Barnett and everyone who came out to hear her wonderful water talk at our first meeting on Monday. Her presentation, "Blue Revolution: A Water Ethic for Florida & America", was both poignant and inspiring. She described the tragedy that has befallen many Florida springs by showing before and after photos of springs that no longer flow or have been significantly reduced in size. This demonstrated how our "ditching and draining" and overuse of water has negatively affected these once-sparkling "bowls of liquid light." But she also brought a refreshing sense of optimism - she highlighted a few Florida counties as successful examples of recent declines in per capita water use and explained that with a new "water ethic", there is hope for both Florida and the US as a whole.

Award-winning journalist and author Cynthia Barnett introduces her talk: "Blue Revolution: A water ethic for Florida & America." You can find out more about her book Blue Revolution: Unmaking America's Water Crisis here.
A thought-provoking graphic from her presentation.
Barnett presented to a full house in Frazier Rogers Hall, Room 122 as the audience enjoyed pizza and lemonade. All of our meetings are held in this room - join us for the next one on Tuesday, October 14!
water ethic: making sure the way we live with water today doesn't jeopardize fresh, clean water for our children, businesses and ecosystems tomorrow

Barnett ended her talk by reminding us of the importance of inspiring and involving the next generation. She also gave us an exciting sneak preview of her new book Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, which will be released in April 2015.
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Reminders:
Our president Alice Alonso shows off our new glasses we're selling as a fundraiser - contact us if you're interested! (1 for $10 or 4 for $30)
Upcoming events. Contact us if you have questions or would like to attend any of the meetings!

You can check out all of our photos from the first meeting on Facebook:

Post by AWRA - UF Chapter. Hope to see you at our next meeting on October 14!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Upcoming Technical Meeting in Tampa: September 19

In addition to the upcoming national meeting, the Florida section of the AWRA is hosting at technical meeting on September 19, 2014 in Tampa, FL. Here is the information they sent out in a recent email:

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September 2014 Technical Meeting - Tampa


AWRA Florida's next Technical Meeting will be held Friday, September 19 in Tampa at the Rusty Pelican located at 2425 North Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, Florida 33607.The theme of the meeting will be the Tampa Bay Water Quality Restoration Program. More information is available here. We look forward to seeing you for this power packed technical meeting!

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If you are interested in going, consider joining 2 of our board members from UF who are going down for the day. Contact us at ufawraboard@gmail.com to set up a carpool - we look forward to hearing from you!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

2014 AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference

Join us for the 2014 AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference, November 3-6 in Tysons Corner, VA (outskirts of DC). There's an abundance of interesting water resources sessions and events planned throughout the conference. For students specifically, there's also a student career night that includes Q&A with a diverse group of panelists from different facets of the water resources field and a speed networking session with professionals.


If you're interested in attending, please contact Natalie Nelson (nataliegnelson@ufl.edu) or one of the other board members ASAP so that we can coordinate travel and lodging. We'll be able to dramatically cut down on the cost if hotel rooms can be shared!

Also, for those planning on attending, the Florida Section generously provides as much monetary support as their budget allows to fund student attendance to the meeting. Please contact Kristin Bennett at Kristin.Bennett@tetratech.com ASAP with your budget request using the template provided below. Please note that financial support from the FL Section is only provided by means of reimbursement after confirmed attendance to the conference - no advances will be made prior.

To be completed and sent to Ms. Bennett:
Will you be giving an oral presentation (abstract accepted)? Yes/No
Will you be presenting a poster (abstract accepted)? Yes/No
Registration - $
Airfare or car rental/mileage - $
Hotel - $ (if staying at the Sheraton where the conference is being held, the cost is $178.08/night including tax - hopefully we can share rooms and reduce the cost)
Food expenses - $ (note that food expenses will likely not be covered)

Hope to see many of you in DC! Feel free to contact Natalie with any questions!

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Join us for our first meeting of the Fall semester!

Monday, September 8, 2014
6:15 PM

We are excited to announce that award-winning journalist and author Cynthia Barnett will be speaking at our first meeting of the fall semester. She is a wealth of knowledge regarding freshwater and water issues. In addition to countless magazine and newspaper articles, she has written two books on water (see photos below) and is releasing another one soon (a human and natural history of rain). She is an amazing and inspiring speaker, so you do not want to miss her presentation. For more information about Cynthia Barnett, see her website. Hope to see you at the meeting!



Friday, June 13, 2014

Welcome!

Welcome to the new UF Chapter of the American Water Resources Association blog. We will be using this site to post updates about our monthly meetings (starting the first week of September), local and national conferences, social events, and other water-related news and information. Check this blog or our Facebook page frequently for the most current information - use the tabs at the top of the page to learn more about us or to get in touch!

Love water? Want to meet other students who are also interested in water and also meet professionals working in a diversity of water-related fields? Join us!!

(Suwannee cooters at Blue Spring, Gilchrist County, FL - Photo by Jenny Adler)