Alternative Text Description for Swallets

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MAP OVERVIEW

This map displays the distribution of swallets across northern and central Florida. Swallets are stream-to-sink features where surface water concentrations disappear underground through sinkholes. The map shows point locations of swallets that were documented through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Swallet Survey, a mapping program funded by the Florida Springs Initiative.

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT

The map covers a large portion of northern and central Florida, extending from the panhandle region near Dothan in the northwest to the Tampa Bay area in the southwest, and across to Jacksonville in the northeast. Major cities labeled on the map include Tallahassee in the north-central area, Gainesville in the north-central region, Ocala in central Florida, and Tampa and St. Petersburg in the southwest coastal area. The map also shows Valdosta, Georgia, at the northern edge. The Gulf of America coastline is visible along the western and southern portions of the mapped area, shown in gray. Homosassa Springs, Clearwater, Lakeland, and Sarasota are also labeled in the southern portion of the map.

KEY INSIGHTS

Swallets show a distinct east-west trending distribution across northern Florida, forming a broad corridor that extends from the panhandle region through the Tallahassee area and eastward toward Gainesville and beyond. The highest concentration of swallets appears in the region between Gainesville and Jacksonville, particularly in a cluster northeast of Gainesville. Additional notable concentrations occur around the Tallahassee area and in the region south and southeast of Gainesville. The distribution pattern extends southward along Florida's peninsula, with clusters near Ocala, in the Homosassa Springs area, and scattered points extending toward the Tampa area. Swallets are notably absent from the immediate coastal areas and the southern portion of the mapped region near Tampa and Sarasota.

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Swallets

This layer represents individual swallet locations where surface streams disappear underground through sinkholes.

Swallet Point Features (bright cyan/turquoise squares with dark centers)

Appearance:

Small square symbols in bright cyan or turquoise color with dark centers, appearing as uniform markers across the map.

Distribution:

Swallets are distributed primarily across northern and central Florida, with the densest concentrations in the north-central region. The features span from the western panhandle eastward across the northern tier of the state and extend southward along the peninsula to the Tampa Bay region.

Notable locations:

The most significant concentrations appear northeast of Gainesville, around the Tallahassee area, in a cluster near Ocala, and in the Homosassa Springs region. Additional groupings occur in the western panhandle and scattered throughout the area between Tallahassee and Jacksonville. Smaller isolated clusters appear near Tampa and south of Ocala.

Spatial patterns:

Swallets display a clear east-west linear pattern across northern Florida, suggesting geological control of their distribution. The features tend to cluster in specific areas rather than appearing uniformly distributed, indicating concentration in zones with particular hydrogeological characteristics. The pattern shows a general decrease in density toward the coastal areas and southern regions of the mapped extent.

SYMBOL GUIDE

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This map represents only those swallets that were within the scope of the Florida Springs Initiative / Florida Swallet Survey project and is not comprehensive of all Florida swallets. The survey focused on documenting stream-to-sink features where there is a contribution area that concentrates runoff into identifiable streams (either intermittent or continuously flowing) that disappear underground at a specific point through a sinkhole. The absence of swallet symbols in an area does not necessarily indicate that swallets do not exist there, only that they were not included in this particular survey effort.

DATA CONTEXT

Data Source:

Data was collected by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida Geological Survey, Florida Swallet Survey as part of the Florida Springs Initiative mapping program. Collection methods included GPS points using a Trimble ProXR and TSC-1 Data Logger, measurements of pool and basin dimensions using a range finder, pool depth measurements using hand-held sonar depth finders where possible, water quality observations using secchi disks, photographic documentation, and written assessments of geology, topography, vegetation, and features within a 150-meter radius of each swallet. Data source layer name: SWALLETS_JAN24.

Definition Query:

No definition query or filter criteria was provided for this view.

Scale Information:

The map shows a regional-scale view appropriate for understanding the overall distribution pattern of swallets across northern and central Florida. Individual swallet features are represented as point symbols.

Coordinate System:

NAD_1983_HARN_Florida_GDL_Albers (WKID 3087)

Time Period of Content:

The dataset is dated January 2024 (SWALLETS_JAN24), indicating the data represents swallets documented through that time period.

Limitations:

This dataset is not comprehensive and represents only those swallets that were within the scope of the Florida Springs Initiative / Florida Swallet Survey project. Many Florida swallets may exist that are not included in this dataset. The survey focused on specific features meeting the definition of stream-to-sink characteristics and may not include all similar hydrogeological features in the state.

Map Coverage:

The map extends across northern and central Florida from the panhandle region in the northwest to the Gulf of America coast in the west and south, northward to the Georgia border, and eastward to the Atlantic coastal region near Jacksonville, with southern coverage extending to the Tampa Bay metropolitan area.

The alternative text description of this map was AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies.