Historical News
R/V Monitor's Blog
On Thursday, November 17th, the crew of the R/V Monitor was out on the upper Bay collecting nutrients and plankton samples, taking Secchi Disk water clarity measurements, conducting water column profiles using an EXO1 sonde, 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. Sara captained the boat while monitoring professionals Tyler, Mike and Amanda collected the samples and data. It was partly cloudy and chilly with winds blowing from the west, resulting in a mild chop on the water. The featured photo shows a cargo ship underway near ProvPort.
Phytoplankton Sampling
Phytoplankton samples were collected on November 2, 2022 at Bullock Reach and analyzed in the laboratory shortly after collection. It was calm, sunny, and cool on Narragansett Bay. Sondes data revealed the surface water temperature was 15.234⁰C, salinity was 25.13 psu, and chlorophyll a was 1.05 ug/L. The plankton tow net sample was filterable with a 20 micron mesh. The filtrate was a light tan color and had a quick filter time. The tow net sample was analyzed qualitatively for microorganisms using phase contrast microscopy. The whole water sample was analyzed quantitatively under 200x phase contrast microscopy. A Hensen Stempel pipette was used to accurately deliver 1ml of sample to a Sedge-wick Rafter chamber. This analysis revealed a total of 115,000 cells per Liter. The microflagellates were found at 86,000 cells/L. The most predominant phytoplankton genus was Skeletonema spp. at 23,000. Other representative genera include Chaetoceros spp. and Pseudo-nitzschia spp. (the wide species).
200x phase contrast image of Thalassionema spp.
Water Column Clarity
Water clarity was measured at four locations in the Providence River estuary on November 9. Trace precipitation was recorded at TF Green throughout the 5 days leading up to the survey. Secchi depth averaged 3.5 meters, compared to 2.5 meters on the previous survey (November 2). The lowest clarity this week (2.6 meters) was measured at Point St. Bridge, while the greatest clarity (4.2 meters) was measured at Bullock Reach. There was no clear north-to-south gradient in water clarity among the sites this week.
R/V Monitor's Blog
On Wednesday, November 9th, the crew of the R/V Monitor was out on the upper Bay collecting bacteria samples, taking Secchi Disk water clarity measurements, conducting water column profiles using an EXO1 sonde,, 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. In the afternoon, the crew serviced the Bullock's Reach buoy. Sara captained the boat while monitoring professionals Amanda, Daryll and Jeff collected the samples and data. It was partly cloudy and chilly with a light chop on the water. The featured photo taken was a tug boat observed at ProvPort.
R/V Monitor's Blog
On Wednesday, November 2nd, the crew of the R/V Monitor was out on the upper Bay collecting nutrients and plankton samples, taking Secchi Disk and Par sensor water clarity measurements, conducting water column profiles using the Seabird instrument, 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. Jeffrey captained the boat while monitoring professionals Daryll, Steven and Michael collected the samples and data. The day was sunny and warm with a light breeze and calm waters. The featured photo shows a cargo ship unloading gravel at ProvPort.
