Editing Everglades (section)

===Hydrology===

[[File:Florida Everglades Hydrology.gif|thumb|Predevelopment flow direction of water from [[Lake Okeechobee]] to [[Florida Bay]] Source: U.S. Geological Survey]]

The consistent Everglades flooding is fed by the extensive [[Kissimmee River|Kissimmee]], [[Caloosahatchee River|Caloosahatchee]], [[Miami River (Florida)|Miami]], [[Myakka River|Myakka]], and [[Peace River (Florida)|Peace Rivers]] in central Florida. The Kissimmee River is a broad [[floodplain]] that empties directly into Lake Okeechobee, which at {{convert|730|sqmi|km2}} with an average depth of {{convert|9|ft|m}}, is a vast but shallow lake.<ref>{{cite web| last = South Florida Water Management District| title = Lake Okeechobee & Region| publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior| year = 2008| url = http://www.sfwmd.gov/portal/page/portal/xweb%20protecting%20and%20restoring/lake%20okeechobee| access-date = 2008-07-21}}</ref> Soil deposits in the Everglades basin indicate that peat is deposited where the land is flooded consistently throughout the year. Calcium deposits are left behind when flooding is shorter. The deposits occur in areas where water rises and falls depending on rainfall, as opposed to water being stored in the rock from one year to the next. Calcium deposits are present where more limestone is exposed.<ref>{{cite web| last = U.S. Geological Survey| title = Environmental Setting – The Natural System: Hydrology| work = Circular 1134: The South Florida Environment – A Region Under Stress| publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior| year = 2004| url = http://sflwww.er.usgs.gov/publications/circular/1134/esns/hydro.html| access-date = 2008-03-15}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

The area from [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] to the tip of the Florida peninsula was at one point a single drainage unit. When rainfall exceeded the capacity of Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River floodplain, it spilled over and flowed in a southwestern direction to empty into [[Florida Bay]]. Prior to urban and agricultural development in Florida, the Everglades began at the southern edge of Lake Okeechobee and flowed for approximately {{convert|100|mi|km}}, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The limestone shelf is wide and slightly angled instead of having a narrow, deep channel characteristic of most rivers. The vertical gradient from Lake Okeechobee to Florida Bay is about {{convert|2|in|cm}} per mile, creating an almost {{convert|60|mi|km|adj=on}} wide expanse of river that travels about {{convert|1/2|mi|km|spell=in}} a day.<ref>{{cite web| last = Fling| first = H.|author2=N. Aumen|author3=T. Armentano|author4=F. Mazzotti| title = The Role of Flow in the Everglades Landscape| work = Circular 1452| publisher = University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)|date=December 2004| url = http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/UW199| access-date = 2008-03-15}}</ref> This slow movement of a broad, shallow river is known as ''sheetflow'', and gives the Everglades its nickname, River of Grass. Water leaving Lake Okeechobee may require months or years to reach its final destination, Florida Bay. The sheetflow travels so slowly that water is typically stored from one wet season to the next in the porous limestone substrate. The ebb and flow of water has shaped the land and every ecosystem in South Florida throughout the Everglades' estimated 5,000&nbsp;years of existence. The motion of water defines plant communities and how animals adapt to their habitats and food sources.<ref>{{cite web| last = U.S. Geological Survey| title = Environmental Setting – The Natural System: Watersheds and Coastal Waters| work = Circular 1134: The South Florida Environment – A Region Under Stress| publisher = U.S. Department of the Interior| year = 2004| url = http://sflwww.er.usgs.gov/publications/circular/1134/esns/koew.html| access-date = 2008-03-15}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>