An alligator crosses a path at night in the Shark Valley area of Everglades National Park, Fla., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.

EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) -- In a region of Florida known as the River of Grass, John Kominoski plops into hip-deep waters. Blobs of brown periphyton - a mishmash of algae, bacteria and other organisms - carpet the surface.

The air is thick and sticky as Kominoski, a Florida International University professor, pushes a rod to secure a tube that collects timed and continuous water samples that will help his team investigate the impacts of climate change and freshwater flows in this unique, sensitive ecosystem.