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Faculty Advisor

Dr. Rene M. Price

Author Biographical Statement

Melaney Lara graduated from FIU with a Bachelor of Arts in Earth Science, a Bachelor of Arts in Applied and Natural Sciences, and a minor in Biology. She worked as a research assistant in two labs and as a naturalist educator during her time at FIU. In the summer of 2022, she began working under the guidance of Dr. Price at the Hydrogeology lab. Since then, she has presented her research at the GSA national meeting (2022), GSA Southeastern meeting (2023), FURC (2023), and URFIU (2023). She hopes to pursue grad school, learning more about how geology affects ecology.

Abstract

Biscayne Bay is a coastal estuary that historically relied on rainfall and groundwater inputs from the karst Biscayne aquifer. The construction of major canals along the coastline has released point-source freshwater inputs into the bay, detrimentally affecting the Bay’s ecosystem balance. This project investigates the proportional inputs of freshwater between the wet and dry seasons in Deering Estate, adjacent to Biscayne Bay. The objective of this project was accomplished by analyzing the water chemistry of the bay using naturally occurring geochemical tracers. Water sampling occurred from May to August (wet season 2022) and January to March (dry season 2023); at an inland freshwater spring and on Biscayne Bay. Water samples were analyzed for δ18O and δ2H values, and Sr2+/Ca2+ ratios as geochemical tracers. The highest and lowest salinity values observed in the wet and dry seasons, at both the freshwater spring and Biscayne Bay sites, were before and after a major rain event, respectively. The chemical analysis supports that rain is the dominant source of freshwater input into the bay at our sampling location, and the freshwater spring is dominated by groundwater and canal water during the wet season. During the dry season, groundwater and canal water are the dominant source for the sampling location in Biscayne Bay and the dominant source of freshwater input for the freshwater spring. However, all three endmembers contribute seasonally. Understanding freshwater inputs to this crucial estuary will provide important information for current restoration efforts of Biscayne Bay, specifically around the Deering Estate area.

DOI

10.25148/URJ.020103

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