A persistent challenge for conservation paleobiologists is communication of information on past environmental changes to resource managers in a way that allows them to apply these data to current restoration efforts. USGS scientists have learned a few lessons over 25 years of conducting applied paleoecology research in collaboration with the Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (GEER) project. The first step is to engage resource managers in conversations prior to beginning research. What are their goals and information needs? Participation in GEER with teams of scientists and decision-makers working together to develop measures of success for Everglades restoration allowed us to overcome this first hurdle. Our initial research showed changes in salinity and freshwater influx over time, but how to use this information was not immediately apparent to management, so continued communication was critical. Through participation in meetings and presentation of our preliminary findings, the management team provided feedback that led us to develop a modern analog-based method to estimate past salinity, which was then used to adjust system-wide hydrologic models to reflect past conditions. Recently, we realized another management information gap — a set of indicator species for nearshore estuarine zones to monitor the effectiveness of upstream changes in flow. Again, by working with managers to determine needs, we combined distribution data of mollusk species in nearshore cores with our modern analog dataset to develop a suite of indicator species. These are a few examples of positive impacts from our long-term collaboration. We believe the key to advancing the use of conservation paleobiologic research in resource management is to communicate frequently and often, listen closely to management, discuss how paleo data can be applied, and be persistent. It is essential that we bridge these gaps because the past is our window to anticipating and planning for future change.

Current south Florida ecosystem restoration efforts are focused on restoring more natural freshwater flow through the wetlands and into the estuaries to reestablish natural salinity gradients, particularly in the nearshore zones. Indicator taxa are used to monitor and assess restoration progress and the current suite of biota used for the estuaries in south Florida (Biscayne Bay, Florida Bay, and the southwest mangrove riverine system) does not include mollusks. Mollusks make excellent indicators because they are found in all south Florida environments, are relatively stationary in postlarval stages, and, therefore, do not leave a site when conditions change. Their hard shells increase the likelihood of preservation after death, thus, making it possible to assess death assemblages. In addition to these features, many mollusks can be quickly sampled in the field and assessed in the lab, so poor visibility and tidal cycles are not an issue for monitoring surveys. Here we examine 27 years of molluscan data from 887 samples from 640 visits to 167 sites in south Florida's estuaries and present a suite of taxa that could be used as indicators for restoration of the oligohaline to mesohaline (0.5 to 17.9 psu) nearshore zones. Cyrenoida floridana, Hydrobiidae, Polymesoda caroliniana, Crassostrea virginica, and additional taxa are included with suggested sampling strategies.

Hurricane Irma made landfall in south Florida, USA, on September 10, 2017 as a category 4 storm. In January 2018, fieldwork was conducted on four previously (2014) sampled islands in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park to examine changes between 2014 and 2018. The objectives were to determine if the net impact of the storm was gain or loss of island landmass and/or elevation; observe and quantify impacts to mangroves; and identify distinctive sedimentary, biochemical, and/or geochemical signatures of the storm. Storm overwash deposits were measured in the field and, in general, interior island mudflats appeared to experience deposition ranging from ~ 0.5 to ~ 6.5 cm. Elevation changes were measured using real-time kinematic positioning and satellite receivers. Comparison of 2014 to 2018 elevation measurements indicates mangrove berms and transitional areas between mudflats and berms experienced erosion and loss of elevation, whereas interior mudflats gained elevation, possibly due to Hurricane Irma. Geographic information system analysis of pre- and post-storm satellite imagery indicates the western-most island, closest to the eye of the storm, lost 32 to 42% (~ 11 to 13 m) of the width of the eastern berm, and vegetated coverage was reduced 9.3% or ~ 9700 m 2 . Vegetated coverage on the eastern-most island was reduced by 1.9% or ~ 9200 m 2 . These results are compared to previous accounts of hurricane impacts and provide a baseline for examining long-term constructive and destructive aspects of hurricanes on the islands and the role of storms in resiliency of Florida Bay islands.

Sediment cores from Florida Bay, Everglades National Park were examined to determine ecosystem response to relative sea-level rise (RSLR) over the Holocene. High-resolution multiproxy analysis from four sites show freshwater wetlands transitioned to mangrove environments 4–3.6 ka, followed by estuarine environments 3.4–2.8 ka, during a period of enhanced climate variability. We calculate a RSLR rate of 0.67 ± 0.1 mm yr −1 between ~4.2–2.8 ka, 4–6 times lower than current rates. Despite low RSLR rates, the rapid mangrove to estuarine transgression was facilitated by a period of prolonged droughts and frequent storms. These findings suggest that with higher and accelerating RSLR today, enhanced climate variability could further hasten the loss of mangrove-lined coastlines, compounded by the reductions in natural flow to the coast caused by water management. Climate variability is nonlinear, and when superimposed on increases in RSLR, can complicate estimated trajectories of coastal inundation for resource management and urban planning.