Abstract
The Salinity Monitoring Project at Biscayne National Park maintains 47 salinity monitoring stations throughout Biscayne Bay. Of these sites, 11 have both a surface and bottom instrument. This study used historical data from 10 sites with surface and bottom instruments to explore methods for detecting groundwater discharge patterns in Biscayne Bay. This was done using a variety of statistical methods developed to document fresh water upwelling. The difference in salinity between the surface and bottom instrument, the daily salinity variance, and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) surveys are evaluated for their use in groundwater detection. This study did not find any statistically significant trends in the salinity data that indicated groundwater was indeed present. However, lack of significance in the data, may have been due to data limitations and gaps so further studies are recommended. The information collected for the Salinity Monitoring Project and for this study will be used to provide information on the hydrology and salinity regimes of the Bay as a part of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.