December 9 – 15, 2024
Phillipsdale Landing
The sondes were retrieved this week on December 9th to finish up the 2024 season. Due to the Phillipsdale Landing sondes being removed, we only have data from the morning of December 9th. The sonde removal occurred before the rain reported that day (0.37 inches recorded at TF Green). Blackstone River flows remained stable and below the 20-year median statistic for the morning. Salinity at the surface averaged 22.1 ppt and ranged from 16.9 ppt to 24.6 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 25.3 ppt and ranged from 20.2 ppt to 26.8 ppt. Temperatures averaged 6.4°C at the surface and 6.9°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 5.6°C to 6.8°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 6.1°C to 7.1°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L at all depths throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 9.6 mg/L and ranged 9.0-10.4 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 9.0 mg/L and ranged from 8.7 mg/L to 10.1 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings increased since last week, averaging 10.9 µg/L at the surface and 6.7 µg/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 21.7 µg/L at 8:01 December 9th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Phillipsdale Landing sonde will be deployed again in the spring for the 2025 monitoring season.
Bullock Reach
Bullock Reach sondes were removed on November 18th and will be deployed again in the spring for the 2025 monitoring season.