Fixed-station water quality monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument: Data summary 2010
Gregory MB, Wright C, Dingle J, Thompson E. 2011. Fixed-station water quality monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument: Data summary 2010. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/SECN/NRDS—2011/308. National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science. Fort Collins, Colorado
The Fort Pulaski National Monument fixed-station water quality monitoring site is part of the SECN estuarine water quality monitoring program, which collects data in the vicinity of nine coastal parks located along the Southeastern U.S. coast. The continuous monitoring data station is approximately 1.5 kilometers south of the Fort entrance at a dock on Lazaretto Creek just upstream of its confluence with the Savannah River. This station collects pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, conductivity, turbidity and water level data every 30 minutes. Additional water quality measurements are made by SECN staff and include monthly measurements of water clarity conditions, nutrients, and chlorophyll a levels. Findings for 2010 include: (1) high levels of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) were the most common cause of poor water-quality ratings during 2010. Higher concentrations of both nitrogen and phosphorus—as well as poor ratings due to elevated phosphorus—were most common between June and December, (2) dissolved oxygen concentrations measured by monthly sampling indicated good conditions although continuously-collected data indicate levels below 5 mg/L from May to October when nighttime temperatures were warmest, (3) water clarity conditions ranged from good to fair on sample collection dates with most assessment indicating good water clarity. Continuous turbidity data indicated turbidity levels below 50 NTUs for most of the year with levels between 50 and 150 NTUs common throughout the summer months, (4) the range in salinity levels generally varied from 18 to 28 parts per thousand (ppt) through the spring and from 12 to 33 ppt during summer and fall periods. The increase in the variability throughout the year is due to decreased freshwater inputs during the periods of low rainfall and the tidal nature of the estuary near FOPU and (5) mean monthly pH values ranged between 7.4 and 8.6 units throughout the year with the most acidic conditions occurring episodically throughout the summer months.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Gregory, M.; Wright, Christina; Dingle, Julie; Thompson, Emma
- Date of Issue
- 2011-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science
- Units
- FOPU , NRSS , SECN
- Keywords
- chlorophyll a, Depth, Dissolved Oxygen, Fixed-station water quality monitoring, Fort Pularski National Monument, Marine Water Quality Monitoring, Nutrients, pH, Salinity, Temperature, total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, Turbidity, Water Clarity