Fixed-station water quality monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument: 2011 data summary.
Wright W , Gregory MB, Rinehart A. 2012. Fixed-station water quality monitoring at Fort Pulaski National Monument: 2011 data summary.. Natural Resource Data Series. NPS/SECN/NRDS—2012/392. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado. https://doi.org/10.36967/2190461
In 2006 the National Park Service (NPS) Southeast Coast Network (SECN) Inventory and Monitoring Program began collecting water-quality data in the estuarine waters near Fort Pulaski National Monument (FOPU) as part the NPS Vital Signs monitoring program. 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. Information collected by this monitoring program will be used to help managers make better-informed decisions by understanding trends and variability related to water-quality conditions in park waters. This report contains data from January through December 2011. High levels of total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) were the most common cause of poor water-quality ratings across all sites and months based on monthly water quality samples. Total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) levels were all within the range considered good whereas chlorophyll levels rated as good to fair. Dissolved oxygen concentrations measured during monthly sampling were all good except for a single month (August) where levels indicated fair conditions. Dissolved oxygen readings made at the continuous recording station ranged from 2.1 mg/L in May to 10.9 mg/L in January. Mean monthly dissolved oxygen concentrations ranged from 9.7 mg/L in January to 4.8 mg/L in August. Mean daily dissolved oxygen levels commonly fell below 5 mg/L in the vicinity of this site between May and October. Water clarity conditions were good on all monthly sampling dates during 2011. Turbidity readings made at the continuous recording station ranged from near 0 NTUs in the late fall and winter months to 360 NTUs in February. The highest daily mean turbidity levels tended to occur in the late summer. Salinity readings ranged from 11.1 to 35.3 parts per thousand (ppt) with the lowest values occurring April to May and the highest salinity occurring during August. Mean monthly values ranged from 20.9 ppt in April to 28.2 ppt during August. pH values ranged between 7.1 and 8.7 throughout the year with the most acidic conditions occurring episodically throughout the summer months. Mean monthly pH values fluctuated from 7.6 to 8.6 trending to lower levels during the summer months.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Wright, Wendy; Gregory, M.; Rinehart, Aaron
- Date of Issue
- 2012-10
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.36967/2190461
- Units
- FOPU , NRSS , SECN
- Keywords
- chlorophyll a, Depth, Dissolved Oxygen, Fort Pulaski National Monument, Marine Water Quality Monitoring, pH, Salinity, Southeast Coast Network, specific conductance, Temperature, total dissolved nitrogen, total dissolved phosphorus, Turbidity, Water Quality
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Water | Water Quality | Water Chemistry