Everglades Research and Education Center

Dr. Samira Daroub

Professor and EREC Center Director

Soil, Water and Ecosystem Sciences

Environmental issues dealing with soil and water quality; develop and implement Best Management Practices to reduce phosphorus leaching in soils and transport into surface waters in the Everglades in south Florida; sustainability of organic soils and agriculture in the Everglades Agricultural Area; computer simulation of crop growth and development; build individual and institutional capacity among Middle Eastern universities in water resources though distance education.

Program Areas

Research
- Best Management Practices and Water Management
- Implementation and Verification of BMPs To Reduce Everglades Agricultural Area Farm P Loads:Floating Aquatic Vegetation Impact on Farm P Load: The goal of this research is improved management of floating aquatic vegetation (FAV) in Everglades Agricultural Area farm canals. The hypothesis of the research is that FAV-free canals will be found to produce more cohesive, less reactive sediments due to increased light penetration resulting from the change in farm canal aquatic plant community.
- Synoptic sediment collection and analysis investigation of the primary canals in two of the Eastern sub basins. The objective of this research is to characterize the sediments in the Eastern EAA Sub-Basins at two major canals: the West Palm Beach and the Hillsborough Canals during the wet and dry season.
- Water and Livelihood Initiative (WLI) in Middle East. The goal of the WLI is to improve the livelihoods of rural households and communities in areas where water scarcity, land degradation, water quality deterioration, food security and health problems are prevalent in the seven participating countries (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen), focusing initially on specific benchmark sites. This project is directed by ICARDA (International Center for Research in the Dry Areas) and funded by USAID (US Agency for International Development). There are 7 participating US universities (U of Florida, U of California, Davis, U of California, Riverside, Texas A&M, Utah State U, and U of Illinois). In addition, there are several Middle Eastern Universities participating.

Publications

Extension Publications (EDIS)

Google Scholar link for citations

ResearchGate link