Phillipsdale Landing
Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of May 14th. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were wet this week, with a total of 3.18 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring on May 15th. The Blackstone River flow increased during the 16th and 17th and remained above the 19-year daily median for the week. Salinity at the surface averaged 3.1 ppt and ranged from 0.7 ppt to 6.7 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 12.0 ppt and ranged from 1.7 ppt to 29.0 ppt. Temperatures continued to increase this week, averaging 16.9°C at the surface and 14.9 °C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 15.3°C to 19.2°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 11.4°C to 18.1°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO remained similar to the previous week, averaging 8.9 mg/L and ranging 7.8-10.0 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 7.6 mg/L and ranged from 5.5 mg/L to 9.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations remained low, averaging 2.2 µg/L at the surface and 2.7 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 5.0 µg/L, recorded in the morning of May 15th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach Buoy remains out of the water for the winter. EM will coordinate with RIDEM to redeploy the buoy in late spring.