Week of October 22 - October 28, 2023
Surface Mapping
Surface chlorophyll data were collected on October 25, 2023 while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting nutrient samples in the Providence and Seekonk River estuaries. The average chlorophyll concentrations were categorized Good in the areas surveyed. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 0.91 µg/L to 4.06 µg/L with an average of 1.73 µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation. 
Week of October 15 - October 21, 2023
Surface Mapping
Surface chlorophyll data were collected on October 18, 2023 while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting nutrient samples in the Providence and Seekonk River estuaries. The average chlorophyll concentrations were categorized Good in the areas surveyed. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 0.99 µg/L to 34.57 µg/L with an average of 5.52µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation.
Week of October 8 - October 14, 2023
Surface Mapping
Surface chlorophyll data were collected on October 11th, 2023 while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting nutrient samples in the Providence and Seekonk River estuaries. The average chlorophyll concentrations were categorized as good in all areas except Edgewood Shoals which was fair. Overall, chlorophyll ranged from 129.37 µg/L to 1.02 µg/L with an average of 10.12 µg/L. The chlorophyll concentrations from this date are presented in the map below using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation.
Month of September, 2023
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
The Phillipsdale Landing sondes have been deployed for the season since May 9th, 2023 utilizing a new setup allowing staff access to the equipment from the boat instead of standing on the dock. During the month of September, sondes were changed out for routine maintenance on September 14th and 27th.
Surface DO remained above the hypoxia threshold all month. The bottom waters were hypoxic periodically throughout the month, with the longest sustained hypoxic periods (10 hours) occurring in the early morning of September 10th and again on the afternoon of the 10th and the morning of the 11th. DO averaged 8.2 mg/L at the surface with a minimum of 3.2 mg/L, while bottom waters averaged 4.4 mg/L with a minimum of 0.0 mg/L.
Chlorophyll readings were frequently elevated during the first half of the month, suggestive of phytoplankton blooms, but went back down in the second half of the month. The surface and bottom readings averaged 12.0 µg/L and 6.1 µg/L, respectively.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach buoy was deployed June 1st for the 2023 season. During the month of September, sondes were changed out for routine maintenance on September 7th and 21st.
Surface DO remained above the hypoxia threshold all month. There were a few brief periods of hypoxic conditions in the middle waters, with the longest duration at 1.5 hours on September 24th. The bottom waters were hypoxic periodically throughout the month, with the longest sustained period of hypoxic conditions at 26 hours between the 13th and 14th. Surface, middle, and bottom DO averaged 7.3 mg/L, 5.4 mg/L, and 4.0 mg/L, respectively.
Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated, with evidence of moderate phytoplankton blooms occurring throughout the month. Readings averaged 11.7 µg/L at the surface, 9.6 µg/L at mid-depth, and 3.5 µg/L at the bottom.
Month of August, 2023
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
The Phillipsdale Landing sondes have been deployed for the season since May 9th, 2023 utilizing a new setup allowing staff access to the equipment from the boat instead of standing on the dock. During the month of August, sondes were changed out for routine maintenance on August 1st, 16th, and 29th.
Surface DO remained mostly above the hypoxia threshold, dropping briefly below the threshold for approximately an hour and a half on August 2nd and again on August 3rd. The bottom waters were hypoxic periodically throughout the month, with the longest sustained hypoxic periods (11 hours) occurring overnight between August 16th and 17th, and again overnight August 17th to 18th. DO averaged 6.4 mg/L at the surface with a minimum of 1.6 mg/L, while bottom waters averaged 3.0 mg/L with a minimum of 0.6 mg/L.
Chlorophyll readings were generally low with intermittent periods of elevated readings through the month, suggestive of minor phytoplankton blooms. The surface and bottom readings averaged 4.3 µg/L and 4.1 µg/L, respectively. The maximum surface reading of 43.6 µg/L occurred on August 8th and the maximum bottom reading of 30.0 µg/L occurred on August 24th.
Bullock ReachThe Bullock Reach buoy was deployed June 1st for the 2023 season. During the month of August, sondes were changed out for routine maintenance on August 8th and 22nd.
Surface DO remained above the hypoxia threshold all month. There were a few brief periods of hypoxic conditions in the middle waters, with the longest duration at 2 hours on August 18th. The bottom waters had hypoxic conditions on and off all month, with the longest sustained period of hypoxic conditions at 2.5 days between the 16th and 19th. Surface, middle, and bottom DO averaged 7.3 mg/L, 5.1 mg/L, and 3.5 mg/L, respectively.
Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated, with evidence of moderate phytoplankton blooms occurring throughout the month. Readings averaged 13.8 µg/L at the surface, 11.1 µg/L at mid-depth, and 3.3 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum surface reading of 70.0 µg/L occurred on August 21st. Please note that data gaps occurred between the 1st and 2nd and between the 28th and 29th on the middle sonde due to equipment failure.
