The effects of climate change are far reaching - what changes can you see today?
While you’re here, there are some key observations we ask that you submit before logging the site. Please submit these in the message center or to: nps_ever_science_comms@nps.gov. Read the text below for more information.
- Please go to this site: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/stationhome.html?id=8724948 and record and submit the time and height of the highest high tide of the day in the nearby Barron River. Is it currently high tide or low tide?
- What is the current air temperature? Use this site if no thermometer or weather station exists: https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-81.38750&lat=25.84516#.YYF-m57MJPY.
- As you were driving through Everglades City or walking around the Gulf Coast Visitor Center grounds, did you notice any sunny day flooding in the roads, roadsides, or empty lots?
- Please take a photo from the EarthCache roughly in each of the 4 cardinal directions (North, East, South, West) and submit these.
South Florida and the Florida Keys are extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, mainly because of the region’s low-lying elevation. Here, just a few inches can be the difference between having dry or soggy socks. While the region’s unique geology and topography have given rise to diverse interconnected habitats, they also make the region among the first places where you can see sea level rise occurring.
Everglades City is a coastal community intimately tied to the sea, but as climate change continues and the sea continues to rise, more and more of this place will be lost to the Gulf of Mexico.
Sunny day flooding is a direct effect of sea level rise that you can witness here. This phenomenon occurs most dramatically during the fall months during full and new moons. During these periods, the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun are in alignment and work together to draw ocean waters outward from the planet creating what are called “spring” or “King” tides. During the fall months (roughly Sept - Nov), sea levels are also higher because ocean water expands when heated and during this period ocean temperatures are generally the highest. The strongest tides occur during full or new moons in the fall and when the moon is closest to the Earth in its monthly elliptical orbit, called perigee.
When sunny day flooding occurs in developed areas, seawater can backflow into storm drains causing them to spew water into streets. If strong spring tides occur during storm events, the flooding of developed areas can be more dramatic.
Higher high tides accelerate coastal erosion and saltwater flooding of natural areas progressively farther inland. When freshwater habitats are flooded with saltwater, even for brief periods, they can be damaged, made vulnerable to other disturbances like hurricanes or invasive species, or even lost altogether.
As sea level continues to rise, sunny day flooding will become more frequent in Everglades City and no longer limited to fall months.
Please Note: this EarthCache has been developed by Everglades National Park for the enjoyment of visitors. The placement of caches on lands managed by the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remains generally prohibited. The placement of any new cache requires advance written approval from the park.