Flow and mixing dynamics in a patterned wetland: Kilometer-scale tracer releases in the Everglades

Surface water flow dynamics in the Florida Everglades were investigated using sulfur hexafluoride tracer releases, from which advection and dispersion were determined. Several sites were studied, each characterized by different vegetation patterns and proximity to hydrologic control structures. The measured flow directions suggest that basin‐scale forcing from water management structures and operations can override the effects of local landscape features in guiding the flow. Management effects were particularly evident in two regions where the historic, natural landscape patterning has degraded. The large spatial scale over which tracer data were collected allows the dispersion rate to be determined at unprecedented spatial scales. These measurements showed much larger dispersion coefficients than reported by previous experiments at smaller scales. This finding and a measurement of the drag due to vegetation over large scales are of interest to Everglades water resource managers concerned with the transport of sediment and biologically active solutes such as phosphorous.