Investigation of Hydrology and Climate of National Wildlife Refuges in Florida using Water Resource Inventories and Assessments

Alterations to hydrologic systems due to human and natural causes can affect water availability and quality to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) refuges and may lead to adverse environmental impacts. A joint collaboration between the USFWS and the University of Georgia develops Water Resource Inventories and Assessments (WRIAs) to help National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) identify, manage, and mitigate threats to their water resources. The objective of this thesis was to develop comprehensive WRIAs for ten NWRs in the southeast, investigate climatic trends in Florida, and construct a hydrologic model, all to better understand current and future resources and better inform future data collection and monitoring decisions. This thesis emphasizes the importance of preparing for changes to hydrologic systems by understanding current and future resources and to better inform future data collection and monitoring decisions.