Florida’s Springs – Dying of Thirst

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:November 1, 2024
Post category:Bob Knight Health Op-ed Publications Springs Science
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By Robert Knight, PhD Published in Underwater Speleology, Vol 51 No3 Autumn 2024. Clear, pure groundwater is the basis for life in Florida’s artesian springs. Remove flowing water and a spring is a sinkhole, a stagnant window into the dark limestone underworld. A spring’s functionality or “life” declines when its flow decreases, and it increases in proportion to flow. The living assemblage of plants and animals characteristic of a Florida spring is directly dependent upon the quantity…

FSI Welcomes Emanuela Torres-Marquis to the Team!

Post author:Haley Moody
Post published:June 27, 2024
Post category:Springs Science SpringsWatch
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By: Emanuela Marquis-Torres, June 2024. I am excited to join the Florida Springs Institute team and community as their SpringsWatch Coordinator, continuing to connect people through science and outreach to our springs. Organizations like the Florida Springs Institute play a crucial role in springs education and awareness, and I am eager to contribute. I was very lucky to grow up in Gainesville near hundreds of springs and surrounded by beautiful places. I visited a few state and…

North Florida, South Florida vie to be most-polluted region

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:April 28, 2023
Post category:Bob Knight Education Health Op-ed Publications Springs Science
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By Dr. Robert Knight. Published in the Florida Specifier April/May 2023. Given the Environmental disaster that has continued to engulf the estuaries and beaches on both sides of the state, South Florida's guacamole-filled coastal waters are receiving the state and national press they deserve. But thanks to on-going releases of nutrient-laden water from sugar plantations, ranches, and other intensive agricultural operations; toxic floating algae, starving manatees, and rafts of dead fish continue to slime the once-blue waters,…

The death of North Florida’s springs

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:February 2, 2023
Post category:Bob Knight Education Health Op-ed Springs Science
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By Robert Knight. Published in Orlando Sentinel, January 28, 2023. Once compared to the greatest hydrological wonders of North America, including Niagara Falls and the Mississippi River, North Florida’s springs in the 1850s were praised for their extreme water clarity and complex ecology. Like the Everglades in South Florida, artesian springs in North Florida continue to delight millions. Increasingly “discovered” by tourists and recreationalists from Florida and beyond, healthy springs provide waders and swimmers with the cool…

FDEP offers mid-year’s resolution for Florida’s Springs

Post author:flspringsinst
Post published:July 5, 2022
Post category:Bob Knight Op-ed Publications Springs Science
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By Dr. Robert Knight. Published in The Florida Specifier June/July 2022 edition. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) is the state’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship and is tasked to protect the state’s air, water, and land. Reading from FDEP’s website, its vision is “… to create strong community partnerships, safeguard Florida’s natural resources, and enhance its ecosystems.” (www.floridadep.gov) Headquartered in Tallahassee, but with staff state-wide, FDEP has about 3,000 employees and an annual…