Historical News

Week of February 21 - 27, 2021

Water Column Profiles

Water column profiles were measured at four locations in the Providence River using the Seabird profiling instrument on February 24, 2021. In the five days prior to the survey, precipitation totaled 0.8 inches. Moderate salinity-driven stratification was observed at the sites this week.

Surface salinities among the sites surveyed ranged from 21 psu at Pomham Rocks to 27 psu at Edgewood Yacht Club. Bottom salinities measured approximately 30 psu at all sites. Surface water temperatures ranged from 3°C at Conimicut Point to 3.5°C at the remaining sites. Bottom temperatures ranged from 3°C at most sites to 4°C at Edgewood Yacht Club.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged from a minimum of approximately 11 mg/L in bottom waters at all sites to 12.1 mg/L in surface waters at Conimicut Point. Hypoxic conditions (e.g., DO concentrations <2.9 mg/L) were not observed at any of the sites. Please note that due to a quality control issue, numerical fluorescence data are not posted at this time.

Week of February 21 - 27, 2021

Water Column Clarity

​Water clarity was measured at four locations in the Providence River on February 24, 2021; the survey day was cut short due to mechanical problems on the boat. Moderate rainfall totaling 0.81 inches was recorded in the area over the five days prior to the survey, and snowmelt also occurred over that time. Overall, Secchi depth averaged 4.04 meters, compared to 3.13 meters on January 13, 2021. The lowest clarity (3.63 meters) was measured at Bullock Reach, while the greatest clarity (4.25 meters) was measured at Pomham Rocks. Generally, water clarity was higher at the northernmost sites (Pomham Rocks and Edgewood Yacht Club) than the southern sites (Bullock Reach and Conimicut Point) this week.  ​

Week of January 10 - 16, 2021

Water Column Profiles

Water column profiles were measured at seven locations in the Providence and Seekonk Rivers using the Seabird profiling instrument on January 13, 2021. The five days leading up to the survey were dry, with no recorded precipitation. 

Surface salinities among the sites surveyed ranged from 17 psu at India Point Park to 26 psu at Pomham Rocks and Bullock Reach. Bottom salinities ranged from 28 psu at India Point Park to 29.8 psu at Conimicut Point. Surface water temperatures ranged from 4°C at Conimicut Point to 6°C at most of the remaining sites. Bottom temperatures ranged from 6°C at most sites to 7°C at Edgewood Yacht Club and Edgewood Shoal. 

Dissolved oxygen (DO) ranged from a minimum of 8.4 mg/L near the bottom at Edgewood Yacht Club to 10.9 mg/L in surface waters at India Point Park. Hypoxic conditions (e.g., DO concentrations <2.9 mg/L) were not observed at any of the sites. Please note that due to a quality control issue, numerical fluorescence data are not posted at this time.

Note – the deepest data from the Edgewood Yacht Club (4.25 m) and Edgewood Shoal (5 m) profiles are anomalous and may have been impacted by sediment or other interference at the bay floor. These results have been excluded from the discussion above. 

Week of March 28 - April 3, 2021

R/V Monitor's Blog

​On Wednesday, March 31st, the crew of the R/V Monitor was out on the upper Bay collecting bacteria samples, taking Secchi Disk and Par sensor 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. The crew conducted side by side profile tests using the new YSI EXO2 sonde and the YSI 6 Series sonde.  Sara captained the boat while monitoring professionals Daryll, Justin, and Rebecca collected the samples and data.  It was a cloudy day with a southwest wind and a slight chop on the water.  The photo taken this day was of the Conimicut lighthouse.

3-31-21.jpg 

Week of March 28 – April 3, 2021

Surface Mapping

Data were collected on March 31, 2021 while the R/V Monitor was underway collecting bacteria samples in the Seekonk and Providence River estuaries. The chlorophyll concentrations ranged from good to fair in a north to south gradient in the areas surveyed. From north to south, average chlorophyll concentrations were as follows: Seekonk River (5.07 µg/L), Upper Providence River (5.53 µg/L), Edgewood Shoals area (7.83 µg/L), Pawtuxet River area (9.55 µg/L), and Lower Providence River (11.83 µg/L). Overall, chlorophyll ranged between 1.80 µg/L and 20.60 µg/L with an overall average of 7.16 µg/L. The chlorophyll data from this date are presented in the map below:

Dataflow 2021-03-31 small.jpg

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