Everglades Restoration Boosts Florida Climate Resilience

Wetlands in southern Florida play a growing role in climate resilience and greenhouse gas reduction, but benefits are vulnerable to environmental pressures.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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A new study shows that Everglades restoration is doing more than just saving the Everglades - it's also helping make South Florida more resilient to climate change. The research found that restored wetlands across South Florida remove about 14 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year, equivalent to around 10% of the carbon dioxide emitted by Florida's transportation sector. However, the benefits are conditional and uneven across landscapes, and are vulnerable to hurricanes, sea level rise, and other environmental pressures.

Why it matters

The Everglades are a globally important carbon sink, and this study provides the most comprehensive picture to date of how freshwater marshes and coastal mangroves in South Florida respond to restoration, water management, and climate stressors. The findings can help guide future restoration and water management strategies as communities seek nature-based solutions for more resilient communities.

The details

The study combined long-term observations from Ameriflux monitoring towers with cutting-edge measurement techniques and satellite data to reconstruct daily changes in carbon uptake across the region. The results show that increases in carbon dioxide uptake were strongest in water management units closer to the coast, while inland areas showed larger increases in methane emissions. Mangrove forests proved particularly vulnerable to hurricanes, experiencing sharp declines in carbon uptake that required 4-5 years to recover.

  • The study used Ameriflux tower data starting from 2004.
  • The researchers employed 23 years of satellite data in their analysis.

The players

John Kominoski

FIU professor and researcher in the Institute of Environment, as well as the principal investigator of the federally supported Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research program.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

One of the research institutions that contributed to the study.

University of Maryland

One of the research institutions that contributed to the study.

Yale University

One of the research institutions that contributed to the study.

East Carolina University

One of the research institutions that contributed to the study.

University of Alabama

One of the research institutions that contributed to the study.

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What they’re saying

“Everglades wetlands are globally important sinks of carbon, and the regional network of Ameriflux towers used in this study represents a rare and vital infrastructure that made this study, and the knowledge gained from it, possible”

— John Kominoski, FIU professor and researcher

The takeaway

This study highlights the critical role that Everglades restoration plays in boosting Florida's climate resilience, by demonstrating how the region's wetlands can remove significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, the benefits are vulnerable to environmental pressures like hurricanes and sea level rise, underscoring the need for continued restoration and water management efforts to ensure the long-term viability of these natural climate solutions.