Historical News
Water Column Clarity
Water clarity was measured at eight locations in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers on November 6, 2019. Approximately 0.49 inches of rainfall occurred the day prior to the survey. The average Secchi depth decreased since the last survey on October 24, from 3.3 m to 2.9 m. Three sites exhibited decreased clarity since the previous survey, with the greatest decrease (down 1.3 m) observed at Conimicut Point. Two sites exhibited increased clarity, the greatest of which was seen at Pomham Rocks (up 0.4 m). The remaining sites exhibited unchanged clarity or had not been surveyed recently. Water clarity ranged from 1.5 m at Phillipsdale Landing to 3.9 m at Edgewood Shoal. While the Seekonk River sites exhibited the lowest clarity this week, the overall north to south gradient in increasing clarity was weak, with variable clarity throughout the Providence River.
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing. The sondes were changed out for routine maintenance mid-day on November 13. A portion of the data, approximately 2.5 hours late night November 11 into early morning November 12, was affected by a buoyancy issue and has been excluded from the summary written below. Approximately 0.8 inches of precipitation was recorded on November 12, but salinity did not appear to be impacted greatly. Surface salinity averaged 12.7 ppt and ranged from 2.5 ppt to 22.5 ppt while bottom salinity averaged 22.9 ppt and ranged from 8.1 ppt to 28.5 ppt. Compared to last week, water temperatures at both the surface and bottom cooled this week, with surface temperatures averaging 8.5°C and bottom temperatures averaging 11.2°C. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations this week were good, remaining above the hypoxia threshold (2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 9.6 mg/L with a minimum of 7.6 mg/L and bottom DO averaged 7.5 mg/L with a minimum of 6.0 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll-a remained low all week, averaging 2.4 ug/L with a maximum of 5.7 ug/L. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column DO, temperature, and salinity at this location.
Bullock Reach
Due to remote data transfer issues, there are no current Bullock Reach data available for this week. The data are being internally logged by the sondes, and will be updated to the blog as they become available.
Surface Mapping
Data were collected on November 14, 2019 while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting bacteria samples in the Seekonk and Providence River estuaries. The chlorophyll concentrations were good. From north to south, average chlorophyll concentrations were as follows: Seekonk River (1.47 µg/L), Upper Providence River (0.95 µg/L), Edgewood Shoals area (0.77 µg/L), Pawtuxet River area (1.06 µg/L), and Lower Providence River area (0.96 µg/L). Overall, chlorophyll ranged between non-detectable and 4.00 µg/L with an overall average of 1.12 µg/L. The chlorophyll data from this date are presented in the map below:
R/V Monitor's Blog
On Thursday, November 14th, the crew of the R/V Monitor was out on the upper Bay collecting bacteria samples, taking Secchi Disk water clarity measurements, and conducting real-time surface mapping of water quality parameters, including dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, water temperature, salinity, and pH, all in an effort to document water quality improvements associated with NBC construction projects. Water column profiles and Par measurements were not done this day, as the equipment is being calibrated. Sara captained the boat while monitoring professionals Steve and Amanda collected the samples and data. It was a cold and cloudy day with no wind and glass-like waters. Today's photo features a US Coast Guard vessel observed on the Bay.
Nutrients Sampling
Nutrient samples were collected at fourteen river stations and in surface waters of one bay station on October 9, 2019. Bay sampling by boat was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. In the five days prior to sampling, 0.32 inches of precipitation was recorded.
Among the river stations sampled, highest nitrogen concentrations occurred at Ten Mile River at Central Ave, with results of 2180 ppb total nitrogen (TN), 2070 ppb total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), and 1847 ppb dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN). Lowest TN, TDN, and DIN concentrations occurred at Runnins River at River Road, Pawtuxet River at Broad Street, and Warren Reservoir/Kickemuit River, respectively. One bay station, Phillipsdale Landing, was sampled at the surface of the water column. Nitrogen results from this sample were 965 ppb TN, 649 ppb TDN, and 484 DIN.
Results from sampling on October 23, 24, and November 6 are pending laboratory analysis. The next scheduled sample date is November 20.
