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The article discusses the study which determines the dynamic changes in phosphorus release from ash or tissues of cattail and sawgrass species to wetlands and water systems. The experiment uses incubation and water-extraction of cattail and sawgrass samples from the impacted zones in Florida Everglades and it indicates that total phosphorus is released within 24 hours after burning. The study implies that prescribe burning accelerates phosphorus release from cattail and sawgrass and it suggests to keep the water stagnant in the first 24 hours to optimize the benefits of prescribed burning in Everglades.

The article discusses research investigating the effect of burn temperature on ash nutrient forms and availability from cattail (Typha domingensis) and sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) in the Florida Everglades. Researchers note that plant ash derived from fire plays an important role in nutrient balance and cycling in ecosystems with factors, including fire intensity, plant species, and habitat nutrient enrichment, determining the composition and availability of ash nutrients. Researchers used laboratory simulation methods to evaluate temperature effects on nutrient composition and metals in residual ash of sawgrass and cattail samples collected from Water Conservation Area 2A in the northern Everglades, particularly post-fire phosphorus (P) availability in plant ash.

Seasonality is often the major exogenous effect that must be compensated for or removed to discern trends in water quality. Our objective was to provide a methodological example of trend analysis using water quality data with seasonality. Selected water quality constituents from 1979 to 2004 at three monitoring stations in southern Florida were evaluated for seasonality. The seasonal patterns of flow-weighted and log-transformed concentrations were identified by applying side-by-side boxplots and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (p < 0.05). Seasonal and annual trends were determined by trend analysis (Seasonal Kendall or Tobit procedure) using the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Estimate TREND (ESTREND) program. Major water quality indicators (specific conductivity, turbidity, color, and chloride), except for turbidity at Station C24S49, exhibited significant seasonal patterns. Almost all nutrient species (NO(2)-N, NH(4)-N, total Kjeldahl N, PO(4)-P, and total P) had an identical seasonal pattern of concentrations significantly greater in the wet than in the dry season. Some water quality constituents were observed to exhibit significant annual or seasonal trends. In some cases, the overall annual trend was insignificant while opposing trends were present in different seasons. By evaluating seasonal trends separately from all data, constituents can be assessed providing a more accurate interpretation of water quality trends.