Fixed-Site Network

​Phillipsdale Landing

The sondes were deployed on May 9th as a new setup was devised to circumvent the dock. Also, please note that the depth sensor was malfunctioning for the first day of deployment. Due to the sondes being deployed on May 9th, we only have data from a portion of the month. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions this week included light rain, with a total of 0.27 inches as recorded at T.F. Green. The Blackstone River flow declined over the course of the week from its increased flow due to the May 2nd storm. Surface salinity remained well below bottom salinity. Salinity at the surface averaged 6.3 ppt and ranged from 3.4 ppt to 10.4 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 19.5 ppt and ranged from 6.9 ppt to 27.9 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 17.6°C at the surface and 14.7°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 14.2°C to 21.3°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 12.7°C to 17.9°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO did drop slightly compared to the last reading in April, averaging 9.4 mg/L and ranging 7.9 – 10.9 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 6.9 mg/L and ranged from 5.1 mg/L to 9.5 mg/L. Chlorophyll remained low, averaging 3.4 ug/L at the surface and 5.1 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 30.3 ug/L, recorded on the morning of May 13th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. 

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season.

Phillipsdale Landing

The sondes were removed this week on April 3rd after remaining deployed from March 7th due to safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the dock. The site will be suspended until further noticed due to these safety concerns.

Due to the Phillipsdale Landing sondes being removed on April 3rd, we only have data from the first 3 days of April; all three days are discussed here rather than only discussing the two days of the focal week. The first of April saw 0.47 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green, but the next two were dry. Blackstone River flows responded to the precipitation but remained below the 18-year median statistic of USGS. Surface salinity remained well below bottom salinity. Salinity at the surface averaged 3.4 ppt and ranged from 1.8 ppt to 6.2 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 14.5 ppt and ranged from 2.3 ppt to 27.3 ppt. Temperatures averaged 9.4°C at the surface and 8.3°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 7.0°C to 10.8°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 7.0°C to 10.2°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L for these days. Surface DO averaged 11.1 mg/L and ranged 10.2-13.0 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 9.9 mg/L and ranged from 8.6 mg/L to 12.4 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations were generally low (i.e., <20 µg/L), with no strong signs of phytoplankton bloom activity. Also, please note that portions of chlorophyll data from the bottom sonde from April 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are not included in the summary due to potential sediment interference which is common at this site.

Bullock Reach

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season. 

Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes remained deployed this week as there were safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the dock. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good. Weather conditions included sporadic rain events, with 0.93 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green. Blackstone River flow fluctuated as there were small but frequent rain events . Surface salinity averaged 4.6 ppt and ranged from 1.8 ppt to 12.5 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 15.6 ppt and ranged from 2.3 ppt to 28.7 ppt. Temperatures increased this week, averaging 9.3°C at the surface and ranging 6.1°C – 11.6°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 8.1°C and ranged 6.5°C – 10.4°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO average 11.3 mg/L and ranged from 9.6 mg/L to 13.1 mg/L.. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 9.9 mg/L and ranged from 8.1 mg/L to 12.8 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings remained comparable from last week, averaging 2.3 ug/L at the surface and 15.1 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 25.2 ug/L on the morning of March 27th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that isolated portions of suspect chlorophyll data from March 26th to March 31st were excluded from the summary.

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season.

Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes remained deployed this week as there were safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the dock. Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were mostly dry , with only 0.31 inches recorded at T.F. Green. Blackstone River flow decreased all week, and salinity at Phillipsdale increased . Surface salinity this week averaged 6.2 ppt and ranged from 1.8 ppt to 16.1 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 15.7 ppt and ranged from 3.8 ppt to 28.0 ppt. Temperatures increased this week, averaging 8.1°C at the surface and ranging 4.8°C – 10.1°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 7.2°C and ranged 5.7°C – 9.6°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 11.4 mg/L and ranged 9.8-13.0 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 10.6 mg/L and ranged from 9.2 mg/L to 12.7 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations slightly decreased from the previous week, averaging 3.6 ug/L at the surface and 12.2 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached just 38.5 ug/L on the morning of March 23rd. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that isolated spikes of suspect chlorophyll data, between March 19th-25th, were excluded from the summary this week.

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season. 

​Phillipsdale Landing

Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was fair to good this week. Weather conditions were  wet this week, with a total of 2.93 inches recorded at T.F. Green, and the majority of rainfall occurring on the 13th and 14th. Blackstone River flow increased during the 13th and 14th and remained above the 18-year daily median for the majority of the week. Surface and bottom salinity dropped dramatically after the 13th -14th storm and increased river flows. Salinity at the surface averaged 4.7 ppt and ranged from 0.3 ppt to 13.0 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 14.4 ppt and ranged from 0.4 ppt to 29.5 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 6.3°C at the surface and 5.9 °C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 4.3°C to 9.1°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 4.4°C to 7.3°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 12.4 mg/L and ranging 10.4-14.1 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 11.0 mg/L and ranged from 8.1 mg/L to 13.7 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations rose from the previous week, averaging 4.5 ug/L at the surface and 12.4 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 56.0 ug/L, recorded in the morning of March 13th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that portions of chlorophyll data from the surface sonde on March 13th and from the bottom sonde on March 14th and 16th were excluded from the summary this week due to suspected sediment interference.

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season.

​Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes were swapped for routine maintenance on the morning of March 7th.   Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions were mostly dry, with only 0.29 inches on March 11th, recorded at T.F. Green. Blackstone River flow declined over the course of the week from its increased flow due to the March 4th storm (0.81 inches). It remained above the 18-year daily median for the majority of the week. Surface salinity remained well below bottom salinity. Surface salinity this week averaged 9.1 ppt and ranged from 3.8 ppt to 15.1 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 22.0 ppt and ranged from 5.6 ppt to 30.3 ppt. Temperatures increased this week, averaging 5.8°C at both the surface and bottom . Surface temperatures ranged from 3.7°C to 7.9°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 4.5°C to 7.1°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 11.8 mg/L and ranged 10.8 – 13.6 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 10.0 mg/L and ranged from 8.3 mg/L to 12.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings rose from the previous week, averaging 3.1 ug/L at the surface and 11.8 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached 18.7 ug/L on March 10th. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. Also, please note that portions of chlorophyll data from the bottom sonde from March 7th and 8th are not included in the summary above due potential sediment interference which is common at this site.

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season.

​Phillipsdale Landing

Overall, water quality at Phillipsdale Landing was good this week. Weather conditions this week included moderate rain and snow, with a total of 1.6 inches as recorded at T.F. Green     The Blackstone River flow remained below the 18-year daily median for the week. Surface salinity remained well below bottom salinity. Salinity at the surface averaged 6.5 ppt and ranged from 2.5 ppt to 14.8 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 20.9 ppt and ranged from 5.7 ppt to 29.5 ppt. Temperatures this week averaged 4.5°C at the surface and 5.3°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 2.3°C to 6.9°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 4.0°C to 6.2°C.

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO did rise slightly compared to the previous week, averaging 12.1 mg/L and ranging 11.0-12.9 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 9.7 mg/L and ranged from 7.4 mg/L to 12.3 mg/L. Chlorophyll remained low, averaging 2.2 ug/L at the surface and 3.9 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum surface chlorophyll readings reached 8.6 ug/L, recorded on the morning of March 2nd. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. 

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season. 

Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes were swapped for routine maintenance on the morning of February 23rd. Depth data had been lost by the sondes on February 15th but was restored with the deployment of new sondes at the swap. Data in this week’s summary should be interpreted with caution due to the lack of depth data to confirm sonde positioning for most of the week. 

Weather conditions this week included light to moderate rain or snow every day, totaling 0.62 inches as recorded at TF Green. The largest rain event was on February 23rd with 0.32 inches. Blackstone River flows showed a slight increase after this rain event but remained below the 18-year median flow rates. Surface salinity this week averaged 12.6 ppt and ranged from 4.1 ppt to 22.9 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 21.0 ppt and ranged from 8.7 ppt to 27.5 ppt. Temperatures at the surface averaged 5.6°C, ranging 2.9°C – 8.0°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 5.8°C and ranged 4.1°C – 6.7°C. 

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO averaged 10.8 mg/L and ranged 9.2 – 12.4 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 10.0 mg/L and ranged from 8.9 mg/L to 11.6 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings generally remained low, averaging 1.5 ug/L at the surface and 4.2 ug/L at the bottom. The maximum chlorophyll reading this week was 35.5 ug/L at the bottom on February 23rd. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. 

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season. 

Phillipsdale Landing

The surface sonde deployed on February 7th failed to log data internally, and so there is a data gap until DCP communications were restored this week on February 15th. Unfortunately, restoration of this connection resulted in lost depth data for both sondes through the end of the deployment on February 23rd. Data in this week’s summary should be interpreted with caution due to the gap in surface data and lack of depth data to confirm sonde positioning at both depths. 

Weather conditions this week were mostly dry, with just 0.25 inches of rainfall on February 17th and trace rainfall on the 13th and 16th. Blackstone River flows continued to decline all week and fell below the 18-year median flow rates for this time of year. Surface salinity from the latter half of the week averaged 7.4 ppt and ranged from 2.0 ppt to 20.3 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 20.6 ppt and ranged from 5.2 ppt to 29.8 ppt. Temperatures at the surface (latter half of the week) averaged 6.4°C, ranging 4.4°C – 8.1°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 5.4°C and ranged 4.6°C – 7.0°C. 

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO (latter half of the week) averaged 11.3 mg/L and ranged 10.1 – 12.4 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 9.9 mg/L and ranged from 8.8 mg/L to 12.3 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings generally remained low, averaging 0.8 ug/L at the surface (latter half of the week) and 2.9 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached just 6.8 ug/L in the data available this week. At the bottom, chlorophyll hit an isolated maximum of 25.1 ug/L on February 17th, though this does not appear to be related to phytoplankton activity as there were no concurrent changes to pH or DO. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. 

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season. 

Phillipsdale Landing

Sondes were swapped for routine maintenance on the morning of February 7th. The surface sonde continued to exhibit unusual buoyancy as began with the cold snap on February 3rd; for this week, approximately 27 hours of surface data were excluded from February 5th and 6th when the sonde was out of position. In addition the new surface sonde deployed on February 7th failed to log data, and so there is a data gap from this point through the end of the week. For these reasons, there are very limited surface data included in the following summary. 

Weather conditions this week were mostly dry, with just 0.05 inches of rainfall on February 7th and trace rainfall on the 8th and 9th. Blackstone River flows continued to decline all week, but overall remain above the 18-year median flow rates for this time of year. Surface salinity from the limited data available early in the week averaged 5.0 ppt and ranged from 1.4 ppt to 9.3 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 18.4 ppt and ranged from 3.6 ppt to 29.5 ppt. Temperatures at the surface (limited data) averaged 1.7°C, ranging -0.4°C – 2.9°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 3.8°C and ranged 0.5°C – 6.0°C. 

Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L throughout the week. Surface DO (limited data) averaged 13.0 mg/L and ranged 12.3 – 14.2 mg/L. Bottom DO concentrations averaged 11.0 mg/L and ranged from 9.2 mg/L to 14.2 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings remained low, averaging 1.5 ug/L at the surface (limited data) and 7.4 ug/L at the bottom. Maximum chlorophyll at the surface reached just 2.3 ug/L in this limited dataset. Chlorophyll at the bottom was elevated early in the week, though this does not appear to be related to phytoplankton activity as there were no concurrent changes to pH or DO; the spikes may have been related to the very cold temperatures or sediment interference. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location. 

Bullock Reach 

Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season.