| This dissertation addressed the central hypothesis that Florida Everglades' mangroves are among the most productive of all biomes, in terms of their capacity to assimilate atmospheric carbon dioxide. The hypothesis was evaluated using both a foliage-level gas exchange system and tower-based observing systems operating at the ecosystem-dimension during January through August 2004. Leaf-level controls on gas and energy exchange were investigated for black and red mangrove foliage along the water's edge and inside the canopy using the portable LiCor 6400 cuvette system. A flux tower was constructed in the middle of a black mangrove forest in the western Florida Everglades. The tower served as a platform to mount the eddy covariance system used to measure carbon dioxide, water vapor, and sensible heat fluxes across the forest-atmosphere interface, and to deploy ancillary instruments located above and within the canopy measured local climate controls on the fluxes. In addition to these measurements, a mangrove biophysical model was developed to understand the functioning of the biome under the current perturbed water flow conditions in the Everglades. Model output was verified with measured fluxes during the dry season (January--April) and wet season (May--August). From the field measurements and modeling studies, several new discoveries were made and are outlined below. |
