In addition to effects of sea-level rise in Cape Sable and the saline glades, changes also exist outside of Everglades National Park. Northwest of Everglades National Park in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, mangroves have expanded and grown inland into what were previously freshwater environments9. And in the southernmost Florida Keys, freshwater pine forests are shrinking and are being replaced by plants that live in saltwater10.
In both cases, plants are responding to the conversion from freshwater to saltwater environments because of sea-level rise9,10. These observed changes are important because they show that the consequences of sea-level rise are occurring throughout south Florida and may indicate what these coastal habitats will be like in the future. From these changes, already observed, scientists may learn how to best manage our coastal ecosystems over the long term.