Phillipsdale Landing
Sondes were swapped this week on June 3rd. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was fair to good this week. Weather conditions included moderate rain, with a total of 0.56 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring on the 7th. The Blackstone River flow peaked on the 7th, exceeding the 20-year daily median, before which flows remained near the 20-year daily median. Salinity at the surface averaged 3.6 ppt and ranged from 1.3 ppt to 7.1 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 14.6 ppt and ranged from 2.7 ppt to 28.0 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 20.6 °C at the surface and 17.8 °C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 16.3 °C to 24.7 °C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 14.2 °C to 23.2 °C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold (i.e., DO >2.9 mg/L) throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 9.0 mg/L and ranged from 6.3 -12.4 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 5.9 mg/L and ranged from 3.6 mg/L to 10.0 mg/L. Chlorophyll was low in the beginning of the week, but then increased, averaging 6.2 ug/L at the surface and 9.2 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 32.0 ug/L near midday on June 7th. 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-early summer.