Walker Point
Overall, the water quality at Walkers Point was good this week. Weather conditions included light rain events this week, with 0.32 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. Surface salinity averaged 14.8 ppt and ranged from 4.3 ppt to 28.7 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 27.1 ppt and ranged from 17.6 ppt to 30.7 ppt. Temperatures averaged 17.4°C at the surface and 14.8°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 13.6°C to 21.3°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 13.5°C to 17.8°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Walkers Point remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO>2.9mg/L) at the surface and bottom depths. Surface DO averaged 9.0 mg/L and ranged from 6.3 mg/L to 14.0 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 5.3 mg/L and ranged from 4.0 mg/L to 7.8 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings averaged 6.01 µg/L at the surface and 3.1 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 33.09 µg/L on the night of May 27th.
Bullock Reach
The Bullock Reach buoy was deployed May 28th for the 2026 season. Overall, water quality was good at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 27.2 ppt, 22.4 ppt, and 29.7 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 22.4 – 29.7 ppt, middle salinity range 24.6 – 31.6 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 29.5 – 32.7 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 16.0°C and ranged from 13.0°C to 19.5°C. Middle temperature averaged 15.1°C and ranged from 13.9°C to 18.7°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 14.0°C and ranged from 13.1°C to 15.1°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 8.36 mg/L and ranged 7.30 – 10.95 mg/L. Middle DO averaged 7.65 mg/L and ranged 6.22 – 9.95 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 6.97 mg/L and ranged 5.81 – 7.72 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 11.06 µg/L at the surface, 10.43 µg/L at the middle, and 5.80 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum surface chlorophyll was 28.61 µg/L on the afternoon of May 31st.