Historical News
Week of April 5 - 11, 2020
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing. Precipitation totaled 0.95 inches, with most rainfall occurring later in the week. Surface salinity averaged 4.5 ppt and ranged from 0.7 ppt to 15.1 ppt, while bottom salinity averaged 15.4 ppt and ranged from 2.5 ppt to 28.5 ppt. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Water temperatures were warmer than the previous week. Surface temperatures ranged from 8.2°C to 12.7°C and averaged 10.0°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 6.9°C to 11.6°C and averaged 9.0°C. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations remained above the hypoxia threshold (2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 11.2 mg/L, with a minimum of 9.6 mg/L; bottom DO averaged 9.9 mg/L, with a minimum of 8.3 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll averaged 3.9 ug/L this week, with only sporadic readings above 10 ug/L.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach sondes were removed for the 2019 monitoring season on November 19. The 2020 deployment is tentatively scheduled for late May.
Week of March 29 - April 4, 2020
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing; sondes were changed out for routine maintenance mid-day on March 31. Precipitation totaled 1.3 inches this week, with heavy rains at the start of the week and at the end. Surface salinity was low all week, with just a slight increase mid-week when the weather was dry. Surface salinity averaged 5.6 ppt and ranged from 2.3 ppt to 12.7 ppt, while bottom salinity averaged 16.6 ppt and ranged from 3.7 ppt to 30.2 ppt. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column DO, temperature, and salinity at this location.
Water temperatures remained similar to the previous week, with some seasonal warming at the surface. Surface temperatures ranged from 7.4°C to 10.1°C and averaged 8.3°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 6.6°C to 9.1°C and averaged 7.7°C. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations remained above the hypoxia threshold (2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 11.5 mg/L, with a minimum of 10.6 mg/L; bottom DO averaged 9.9 mg/L, with a minimum of 8.3 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll averaged 2.9 ug/L this week, with a maximum of 11.1 ug/L occurring on March 29.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach sondes were removed for the 2019 monitoring season on November 19. The 2020 deployment is tentatively scheduled for late May.
Week of March 22 – 28, 2020
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing. Precipitation totaled 2.2 inches. Surface salinity decreased over the course of the week, particularly in response to rainfall occurring on March 23, when the maximum daily precipitation result of 1.73 inches of rainfall was recorded. Average salinity in both surface and bottom water was lower than the previous week. Surface salinity averaged 6.6 ppt and ranged from 1.9 ppt to 18.5 ppt, while bottom salinity averaged 18.7 ppt and ranged from 3.3 ppt to 29.0 ppt.
Water temperatures increased throughout the week; surface temperatures ranged from 5.9°C to 10.0°C and averaged 7.9°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 6.3°C to 9.5°C and averaged 7.5°C. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations continued to remain above the hypoxia threshold (> 2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 11.6 mg/L, with a minimum of 10.2 mg/L. Bottom DO averaged 10.1 mg/L, with a minimum of 8.5 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll averaged 3.4 ug/L this week, with a maximum of 8.0 ug/L. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column DO, temperature, and salinity at this location.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach sondes were removed for the 2019 monitoring season on November 19.
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing. Precipitation totaled 2.2 inches. Surface salinity decreased over the course of the week, particularly in response to rainfall occurring on March 23, when the maximum daily precipitation result of 1.73 inches of rainfall was recorded. Average salinity in both surface and bottom water was lower than the previous week. Surface salinity averaged 6.6 ppt and ranged from 1.9 ppt to 18.5 ppt, while bottom salinity averaged 18.7 ppt and ranged from 3.3 ppt to 29.0 ppt.
Water temperatures increased throughout the week; surface temperatures ranged from 5.9°C to 10.0°C and averaged 7.9°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 6.3°C to 9.5°C and averaged 7.5°C. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations continued to remain above the hypoxia threshold (> 2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 11.6 mg/L, with a minimum of 10.2 mg/L. Bottom DO averaged 10.1 mg/L, with a minimum of 8.5 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll averaged 3.4 ug/L this week, with a maximum of 8.0 ug/L. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column DO, temperature, and salinity at this location.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach sondes were removed for the 2019 monitoring season on November 19.
Week of March 15 – 21, 2020
Fixed Site Network
Phillipsdale Landing
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing. Precipitation totaled 1.13 inches for the week, with the daily maximum, 0.89 inches, measured on March 19. Sondes were changed out for routine maintenance in the early afternoon on March 17.
Surface salinity generally decreased over the course of the week, particularly in response to the rainfall. Surface salinity was lower than the previous week, averaging 7.8 ppt and ranging from 2.0 ppt to 20.6 ppt. Bottom salinity averaged 20.3 ppt and ranged from 3.4 ppt to 28.8 ppt. Water temperatures at both depths increased slightly over the course of the week; surface temperatures ranged from 6.1°C to 10.3°C and averaged 8.5°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 7.0°C to 9.9°C and averaged 7.9°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations continued to remain above the hypoxia threshold (> 2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 11.7 mg/L, with a minimum of 10.3 mg/L, while bottom DO averaged 10.4 mg/L, with a minimum of 8.8 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll averaged 5.5 ug/L this week, with a maximum of 13.5 ug/L. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column DO, temperature, and salinity at this location.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach sondes were removed for the 2019 monitoring season on November 19.
Water quality was good this week at Phillipsdale Landing. Precipitation totaled 1.13 inches for the week, with the daily maximum, 0.89 inches, measured on March 19. Sondes were changed out for routine maintenance in the early afternoon on March 17.
Surface salinity generally decreased over the course of the week, particularly in response to the rainfall. Surface salinity was lower than the previous week, averaging 7.8 ppt and ranging from 2.0 ppt to 20.6 ppt. Bottom salinity averaged 20.3 ppt and ranged from 3.4 ppt to 28.8 ppt. Water temperatures at both depths increased slightly over the course of the week; surface temperatures ranged from 6.1°C to 10.3°C and averaged 8.5°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 7.0°C to 9.9°C and averaged 7.9°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations continued to remain above the hypoxia threshold (> 2.9 mg/L) at both depths. Surface DO averaged 11.7 mg/L, with a minimum of 10.3 mg/L, while bottom DO averaged 10.4 mg/L, with a minimum of 8.8 mg/L. Surface chlorophyll averaged 5.5 ug/L this week, with a maximum of 13.5 ug/L. Note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flow greatly influence water column DO, temperature, and salinity at this location.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach sondes were removed for the 2019 monitoring season on November 19.
Week of February 23 - 29, 2020
Nutrients Sampling
Nutrient samples were collected at fourteen local and border river stations on February 27, 2020; bay sampling was not conducted this week due to a small-craft advisory. Approximately 0.94 inches of rain was recorded over the five days prior, most of which fell during the morning of sampling. The highest nitrogen concentrations occurred at the Ten Mile River at Central Avenue site. At this site, concentrations of total nitrogen (TN), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) were 1,915 ppb, 2,010 ppb, and 1,699 ppb, respectively (average of duplicates). The lowest TN (627 ppb) and DIN (197 ppb) concentrations occurred at the Coles River at Milford Road, while the lowest TDN (336 ppb) occurred at the Palmer River at Route 6.
Further nutrients sampling of the bay and rivers has been temporarily suspended in order to comply with local health and safety guidance regarding social distancing as part of the ongoing COVID-19 response.
