Walkers Point
Overall, the water quality at Walkers Point was good this week. Weather conditions were dry this week, with no precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. Surface salinity averaged 20.4 ppt and ranged from 8.2 ppt to 28.5 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 26.4 ppt and ranged from 21.8 ppt to 29.5 ppt. Temperatures averaged 21.5°C at the surface and 19.1°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 16.6°C to 27.4°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 16.0°C to 21.9°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 11.3 mg/L and ranged from 4.6 mg/L to 20.8 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 6.2 mg/L and ranged from 3.5 mg/L to 10.5 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings averaged 25.48 µg/L at the surface and 11.1 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 60.96 µg/L on the morning of June 8th.
Bullock Reach
Sondes were swapped this week on the morning of June 9th. Overall, water quality was good at Bullock Reach this week. Salinity averaged 28.3 ppt, 29.2 ppt, and 30.6 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 25.7 – 30.0 ppt, middle salinity range 26.4 – 31.7 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 28.6 – 32.8 ppt. Surface temperature averaged 21.0°C and ranged from 18.5°C to 24.2°C. Middle temperature averaged 19.6°C and ranged from 15.9°C to 22.0°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 17.2°C and ranged from 14.7°C to 20.7°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 8.75 mg/L and ranged 6.61 – 12.98 mg/L. Middle DO averaged 7.27 mg/L and ranged 5.02 – 9.44 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 5.65 mg/L and ranged 4.46 – 7.24 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings ranged from low to elevated throughout the week. Readings averaged 10.82 µg/L at the surface, 12.44 µg/L at the middle, and 11.52 µg/L at the bottom. The maximum surface chlorophyll was 46.02 µg/L on the evening of June 8th.