Fixed-Site Water Quality Monitoring Fixed-Site Water Quality Monitoring Network:Network:

Time Series Data 2001-2006Time Series Data 2001-2006 throughout Narragansett Bay throughout Narragansett Bay

By By

Heather StoffelHeather Stoffel

URI/GSOURI/GSO

October 2, 2006October 2, 2006

What is Time-Series Data?What is Time-Series Data?

• Continuous water quality monitoring of the physical conditions Continuous water quality monitoring of the physical conditions

• Parameters: temp, salinity, DO, pH, CHL, and turbidityParameters: temp, salinity, DO, pH, CHL, and turbidity

• Other Supporting Data: weather, tidal & flow dataOther Supporting Data: weather, tidal & flow data

Why is it important to Coastal Managers?Why is it important to Coastal Managers?

• Help to clarify goals – Help to define the extent of the hypoxia issue

• Describe trends– Baseline data

• Analyzing conditions – Provides information for water quality reports

• Inventing, evaluating, and selecting alternatives– Monitoring program

Data CollectionData Collection

TemperatureTemperatureSalinitySalinityDissolved OxygenDissolved OxygenpHpHChlorophyllChlorophyllTurbidityTurbidity

YSI 6600 EDS

Narragansett Bay Fixed-Site Water Quality Monitoring NetworkNarragansett Bay Fixed-Site Water Quality Monitoring Network

•Agencies: RIDEM-OWR, URI/GSO, NBNERR, NBC, NBNEP, & RWU

•Site Locations: West Passage, East Passage, Providence River, Seekonk River, West Greenwich Bay, & Mt. Hope Bay

•Monitoring Season: buoy stations (May-Oct) & land-based stations (year round)

•Funding: NOAA Bay Window Program, EPA Clean Water Act (sections 319 & 106), & NOAA National Estuary Program

How Data is Distributed to Coastal How Data is Distributed to Coastal Managers, Scientists, & PublicManagers, Scientists, & Public

• BART (RIDEM-OWR)-weekly public posting of bay BART (RIDEM-OWR)-weekly public posting of bay conditions conditions www.dem.ri.gov/bartwww.dem.ri.gov/bart

Critical Stations:Critical Stations: Bullock Reach, Conimicut Point, North Bullock Reach, Conimicut Point, North

Prudence, & Greenwich Bay MarinaPrudence, & Greenwich Bay Marina

• URI/GSO-daily observations URI/GSO-daily observations www.narrbay.orgwww.narrbay.org• NBC-instantaneous readings NBC-instantaneous readings www.narrabay.comwww.narrabay.com• NBNERR-support national SWMP NBNERR-support national SWMP www.nbnerr.orgwww.nbnerr.org• RWU-downloadable data RWU-downloadable data www.rwu.eduwww.rwu.edu• NBNEP-additional surveys & graphics NBNEP-additional surveys & graphics

www.geo.brown.edu/georesearch/insomniacs/www.geo.brown.edu/georesearch/insomniacs/

Dissolved Oxygen Criteria For Surface Waters & Waters without a Pycnocline

Waters with a DO concentration above an instantaneous value of 4.8 mg/l shall be considered protective of Aquatic Life Uses.

Greenwich Bay Marina Station: Surface DO in 2003

Dissolved Oxygen Criteria For Waters Dissolved Oxygen Criteria For Waters with a Pycnocline (Bottom Waters)with a Pycnocline (Bottom Waters)

Waters with a DO concentration above an instantaneous value of 4.8 mg/l shall be considered protective of Aquatic Life Uses. When instantaneous DO values fall below 4.8 mg/l, the waters shall not be:

1. Less than 2.9 mg/l for more than 24 consecutive hours during the recruitment season; nor

2. Less than 1.4 mg/l for more than 1 hour more than twice during the recruitment season; nor

3. Shall they exceed the cumulative DO exposure presented in Table 3.A.

Allowable Number of Days without Exceeding a Allowable Number of Days without Exceeding a 5% Reduction in Seasonal Larval Recruitment5% Reduction in Seasonal Larval Recruitment

Bullock Reach Bottom Oxygen Levels: 2001-2006Bullock Reach Bottom Oxygen Levels: 2001-2006

DO mg/L

DO Criteria (4.8 mg/L)

min daily limit (2.9 mg/L)

North Prudence Bottom Oxygen Levels: 2001-2006North Prudence Bottom Oxygen Levels: 2001-2006

Mount View Bottom Oxygen Levels: 2004-2006Mount View Bottom Oxygen Levels: 2004-2006

DO mg/L

DO Criteria (4.8 mg/L)

min daily limit (2.9 mg/L)

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North Prudence (DO mg/L)DO Criteria (<2.9 mg/L for 24hrs.)DO Criteria (< 1.4 mg/L)

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Greenwich Bay Marina (DO mg/L)DO Criteria (<2.9 mg/L for 24hrs.)DO Criteria (< 1.4 mg/L)

Hypoxia Event: August 15-25, 2003Hypoxia Event: August 15-25, 2003

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Conimicut Pt. (DO mg/L)DO Criteria (<2.9 mg/L for 24hrs.)DO Criteria (< 1.4 mg/L)

Hypoxia Event : June 30-July 14, 2006Hypoxia Event : June 30-July 14, 2006

Total Number of Days Below DO Criteria of 4.8 Total Number of Days Below DO Criteria of 4.8 mg/Lmg/L

at the North Prudence Station at the North Prudence Station

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June

• * = Incomplete Dataset

• Note: Critical Recruitment Season is May 1-October 31

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2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

Year

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July

June

Total Number of Days Below DO Criteria of 2.9 Total Number of Days Below DO Criteria of 2.9 mg/Lmg/L

at the North Prudence Station at the North Prudence Station

• * = Incomplete Dataset

• Note: Critical Recruitment Season is May 1-October 31

* *

Hypoxic Event SummaryHypoxic Event Summary

20012001 7/1-7/23 (10)7/1-7/23 (10)

8/13-9/1 (19)8/13-9/1 (19)1.18 mg/L1.18 mg/L

0.68 mg/L0.68 mg/LNP/BRNP/BR S 20-25S 20-25

B 19-24B 19-24

20022002 6/28-7/10 (7)6/28-7/10 (7)

7/29-8/8 (11)7/29-8/8 (11)1.4 mg/L1.4 mg/L

1.7 mg/L1.7 mg/LNP/BRNP/BR S 22-26S 22-26

B 19-24B 19-24

20032003 6/20-8/31 (72)6/20-8/31 (72)

(8/14-8/25)(8/14-8/25)0 mg/L0 mg/L BR,CT,NP, BR,CT,NP,

GBGBS 19-28S 19-28

B 15-26B 15-26

20042004 7/19-7/25 (6)7/19-7/25 (6)

8/14-8/20 (6)8/14-8/20 (6)1.92 mg/L1.92 mg/L

1.06 mg/L1.06 mg/LGBGB S 22-24S 22-24

B 20-24B 20-24

20052005 6/30-7/5 (6)6/30-7/5 (6)

7/30-8/18 (20)7/30-8/18 (20)3.5 mg/L3.5 mg/L

2.0 mg/L2.0 mg/LNP,MV,GB,CNP,MV,GB,CT,T,

BRBR

S 22-26S 22-26

B 21-26B 21-26

20062006 6/29-8/10 (43)6/29-8/10 (43)

(7/30-8/10)(7/30-8/10)0 mg/L0 mg/L

0 mg/L0 mg/LBR,CT,NP,BR,CT,NP,

MV,GB,QP,PMV,GB,QP,PPP

S 22-25S 22-25

B 19-24B 19-24

YEARYEAR DURATIONDURATION DO MIN.DO MIN. SITESITE TEMP RTEMP R

Hypoxia Trivia for Narragansett BayHypoxia Trivia for Narragansett Bay

1. Hypoxia Season: June 12-September 28

2. Minimum Hypoxia Surface Temperature: 18.5 C

3. Minimum Hypoxia Bottom temperature: 15 C

4. River Flows were above the 10 year average: 2001, 2003, & 2006