FL Everglades - 7th grade science

[Zandy595]

DS12 has to write an essay on why the Everglades is important to us. He needs three reasons. So far he has two - it's home to a lot of animals (many endangered) and plants AND it's a recreational area.

What is another reason? I should know this, but it's been a long day and I'm really tired. Can anyone help, please?

 

[agnes!]

It's a huuuuuuuuuuge water filter.

agnes!

 

[agnes!]

Thought of another one...

It's a shock-absorber for the solid ground further inland and takes the brunt of storms coming in off the ocean and the Gulf.

agnes!

 

[Zandy595]

It's a huuuuuuuuuuge water filter.

agnes!

I thought about that, but does it still do that? I thought with all the man-made drainage canals, rainwater and water from Lake O just collected pollution from agricultural runoff and got dumped into Florida Bay.

 

[Zandy595]

 

[agnes!]

I thought about that, but does it still do that? I thought with all the man-made drainage canals, rainwater and water from Lake O just collected pollution from agricultural runoff and got dumped into Florida Bay.

There's still an awful lot of swamp. Did we already mention the incredible bio-diversity that estuaries have?

And remember....Google is your friend . There's probably an Everglades Wiki. But your 7th grader needs to make sure that he uses websites that are approved. Wikipedia isn't an .edu type of site.

agnes!

 

[Talking Hands]

Thought of another one...

It's a shock-absorber for the solid ground further inland and takes the brunt of storms coming in off the ocean and the Gulf.

agnes!

No it is not as the Everglades is inland and there is a lot of developement on each of the coasts. The coastal areas of of Dade, Monroe, Broward and Collier counties take the brunt of the hurricanes before they reach the Everglades. Everglades is 10 to 15 miles inland. I actually live about 10 miles east of the Everglades.

 

[agnes!]

Zandy295 -
Just looked up the Wikipedia page on the Everglades...wow! It must be one of the most extensive & best ones I've ever seen. It's well-sourced and footnoted (170 footnotes, extensive Bibliography and lots of external links).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everglades

TalkingHands -
Maybe I'm wrong about the shock-absorber concept. Oh well, wouldn't be the first time . I would have thought that the entire Everglades originally might have served at least as a partial shock-absorber, buffering higher ground from ocean storms somewhat similarly to barrier islands. But perhaps with man's intervention - Canals! Farming! Development! Oh my... - that original function could have been altered?

"The Everglades" in 2008 isn't quite the same as it used to be. The National Park, Big Cypress Preserve, etc. are just a remnant of what *was*. Prior to development, the historic Everglades Region drained all the way from Orlando to south of Homestead at Florida Bay.

It's an amazing place.

agnes!