ESTIMATION OF ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF MORNING DEW EVAPORATION FROM LEAF SURFACES1

ABSTRACT: Evapotranspiration from vegetation is generally computed without consideration for early morning energy loss involved in drying wet leaf surfaces. In humid areas where dew formation is frequent, estimation of energy requirements for evaporating dew should be of interest. In this study, sensible heat flux (H) was computed from wind and temperature profile measurements over the study site. A leaf wetness sensor was used to measure the duration of evaporation from an exposed leaf surface, and net radiation was measured with a radiometer. The energy flux during the period of wet leaf surface evaporation was integrated over time. A cattail lysimeter situated at the site indicated the time when evapotranspiration started after wet leaves were dry. The energy requirements to dry an exposed wet leaf surface was estimated using energy balance methods. The mean value based on 44 days of observations from mid February to early May of 1993 indicates that the energy required to evaporate dew from openly exposed wet leaves was 5 percent of the total daily evapotranspiration of cattails with a coefficient of variation of 0.72. The mean time required to evaporate dew from exposed leaf surfaces from the onset of positive net radiation was 78 minutes. The mean dew evaporation in a morning from an exposed leaf surface was 0.16 mm with a maximum value of 0.41 mm. The energy required to dry wet leaves is a factor that should be considered when modeling evapotranspiration at hourly or shorter time intervals. Also, physical evapotranspiration models need to account for energy requirements for drying dew and rainfall wetted leaves.     

SIMULATING FLOW IN REGIONAL WETLANDS WITH THE MODFLOW WETLANDS PACKAGE1

ABSTRACT: As part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP), various water supply projects have been proposed in a region located between the Miami metropolitan area and the extensive regional wetland systems that are part of the Everglades or remnant Everglades. A ground water flow model of the surficial aquifer within northern Miami‐Dade County was constructed using MODFLOW to evaluate the effects of these projects on water levels in the wetlands and the underlying surficial aquifer. The new Wetlands package was used to conjunctively simulate overland flow through these wetlands and the shallow ground water system. Comparisons of simulated to measured ground water levels and wetland stages were very satisfactory, where computed and measured water levels agreed within 0.5 ft over most of the period of record at nearly all of the monitoring sites. Temporal trends in water levels were also replicated. It was concluded that the assumptions and methodologies inherent to the Wetlands package were suitable for simulating regional wetland hydrology within the Everglades area.     

Therapeutic effect of melatonin against aluminum-induced neurotoxicity in cerebellum of albino mice

The therapeutic effect of melatonin (MEL) against aluminum (Al)-induced neurotoxicity was investigated in mouse cerebellum. Two groups of male albino mice were intraperitoneally injected with Al acetate or MEL alone, at doses of 3.5 or 7?mg?kg^?1?day^?1, respectively, for 6 weeks. During this period, another group of animals received a combination of both Al and MEL (3.5?+?7?mg?kg^?1?day^?1). At the end of the treatment cerebellum was removed and processed to examine the oxidative stress markers: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBA-RS). Oxidative stress increased significantly with administration of Al which was estimated by increased TBA-RS and reduction in the activities of SOD and CAT. However, these alterations were significantly reversed significantly following MEL treatment which was observed in co-administered group. Protective effects of MEL were also observed at electron microscopic level. Ultrastructural studies revealed an increase in vacuolization, chromatin condensation within the nucleus, degenerated purkinje cell, degenerated axon and degenerated granule cells in the cerebellum of Al-treated mice group whereas concurrent administration of MEL with Al reduced these changes. The results of the present investigation emphasize the potential use of MEL as a supplement in therapy of free radical based neurological disorders in which oxidative stress is involved.     

SPATIAL ANALYSIS FOR MONTHLY RAINFALL IN SOUTH FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: Several methods have been developed to interpolate point rainfall data and integrate areal rainfall data from any network of stations. From previous studies, it can be concluded that models for spatial analysis of rainfall are dependent on topography, area of analysis, type of rainfall, and density of gauging network. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a set of six appropriate models for point and areal rainfall estimations over a 4000 square mile area in South Florida. In this study, a case of developing spatial continuity model for monthly rainfall from a database that had various lengths of records and missing data is documented. The spatial correlation and variogram models for monthly rainfall were developed. Six methods of spatial interpolation were applied and the results validated with historical observations. The results of the study indicate that the multiquadric, kriging, and optimal interpolation schemes are the best three methods for interpolation of monthly rainfall within the study area. The optimal and kriging methods have the advantage of providing estimates of the error of interpolation. The optimal interpolation method uses the spatial correlation function and the kriging method uses the variogram function. The two spatial functions are related. Either of the two methods provide good estimates of monthly point and areal rainfall in the study area.     

MODELING FLOW IN THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA IRRIGATION/DRAINAGE CANAL NETWORK1

ABSTRACT: The south Florida ecosystem and Lake Okeechobee are important water resource areas that have degraded due to changes in hydroperiod, water supply, and water quality. Approximately 56 percent of the total phosphorus in water discharged from the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) is in particulate form. Currently, farm-level best management practices are being implemented in the effort to reduce total phosphorus and sediment in off-farm discharges. The objective of this work was to develop and calibrate a model describing water movement in primary EAA canals as a first step to development of a water quality (i.e., nutrient, sediment) model. The Netherlands-developed mechanistic flow and water quality model (DUFLOW) was adapted for the EAA. Flow, stage, geometry, canal network, and meteorological data, October 13, 1993, to February 13, 1994, were used to adapt and calibrate the DUFLOW model for EAA water level and flow in primary canals. Direct runoff discharge into the primary canals from farm-pump stations was used as runoff input for the model. The model results are comparable to an independently-calculated water balance for the EAA. The calibrated flow model will be the basis for the calibration of sediment and chemical transport in the future.     

DRAINAGE GENERATION AND WATER USE IN THE EVERGLADES AGRICULTURAL AREA BASIN1

ABSTRACT: The Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) covers 2,850 km² in area and is characterized by high water table and organic soil. The area is actively irrigated and drained as a function of weather conditions and crop status. Anthropogenic activities in the basin have resulted in nutrient-enriched drainage water that is discharged to Lake Okeechobee and the Everglades ecosystem. Water quantity and quality issues of the basin have become of increasing interest at local, state, and federal levels, so legislative and regulatory measures have been taken to improve water quality in discharges from the basin. In this study, simulation of hydrologic conditions and soil moisture were conducted using 100 years of daily synthetic rainfall data. From the simulations, the statistical distribution of half-month drainage discharge and supplemental water use in the basin was developed. The mean annual drainage/runoff was 49 cm, the mean supplemental water was 30 cm, and the mean annual a real rainfall was 122 cm. On the average, drainage exceeded supplemental water use in the months of June to September while from December to March drainage and supplemental water use were equivalent. Supplemental water use exceeded drainage in the months of October, November, April, and May. High drainage occurred in June and September; smallest drainage was in February. On the average, the highest supplemental water use occurred in May and November. The 10-year return period of annual drainage during wet and dry cycles were 60 cm and 38 cm per year, respectively. The semi-monthly drainage coefficient of variation (cv) is above 100 percent for the period from the second half of October to end of April. The cv is lower than 100 percent for the remaining season (wet season). The purpose of this paper is to present the magnitude, temporal, and frequency distribution of drainage runoff generation and supplemental water use in the EAA basin. Information on statistics of drainage will contribute to the optimization of the design and operation of drainage water treatment systems.     

Dynamic Control Switching Applied to Water Resource Management Simulation1

Abstract: Simulation of water resource management in hydrological numerical models is often limited to simple expressions such as rulecurves. More complex management requires additional layers of abstraction. Rulecurves tend to be simplistic, while abstraction implies expertise to convert management policies to a form which may not be recognizable by operators. The Regional Simulation Model (RSM) attempts to bridge this gap with the Management Simulation Engine (MSE). MSE allows dynamic switching of control algorithms facilitating hybrid control of modeled structures, even though the individual controllers are widely different. Use of hybrid controllers can simplify expression of complex management controls. This article details the architecture of the MSE that enables hybrid control. A model application is examined in which a set of tuned fuzzy controllers are dynamically switched with piecewise linear flood controllers to simulate a hybrid control scheme. The application models a Florida water conservation area and demonstrates effective flood control without sacrificing the tuned performance of the fuzzy controllers.     

MODELING RUNOFF FROM VARIABLE SOURCE AREAS IN HUMID,SHALLOW WATER TABLE ENVIRONMENTS1

ABSTRACT: Variable Source Areas (VSAs) are zones with water saturated soils in forested wetlands fringing streams and creeks. Runoff from these areas is generated by saturation excess after a shallow water table rises and inundates the ground surface. In humid regions, like Florida and the Southeast, VSAs are believed to produce most of the runoff in shallow water table environments. Modeling the spatial extent and temporal fluctuation of a VSA is difficult because the formation of a VSA depends on a number of hydrological and morphological factors like rainfall intensity, soil texture, water table depth, and topographic attributes of the terrain. In this paper, we couple a digital elevation model with a two‐dimensional variable saturation model to illustrate the formation of a VSA at the hillside scale. The topography derived from the digital elevation model forms the upper domain geometry for the two‐dimensional finite element simulations of variable saturated flow. The objectives are: (1) to model the spatial and dynamic fluctuation of a VSA, and (2) to understand the roles of rainfall variability and terrain attributes on the formation of a VSA. Results show that hillsides with shallow water table depths, low saturated hydraulic conductivity, mild slopes, and concave slope curvature were more susceptible to runoff from a variable source. Runoff from a variable source showed little sensitivity to rainfall intensity. In general, landscapes with steep slopes generated a small VSA and a seepage face that vanished rapidly with time. In contrast, flat terrains are more amenable to VSA and retain ground surface inundation for longer periods of time.