SECN Monitoring [Current]: Estuarine Water Quality Project

Starkey, Eric

Estuarine water quality is monitored using two monitoring methods. This gives a more complete picture of water quality across both time and space. Fixed-station monitoring is conducted at seven national park units. Data loggers are deployed and collect data on salinity, specific conductance, turbidity (cloudiness of the water), dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, and depth. Data are collected every 15 to 30 minutes, which shows changes in water quality across time at one location. Nutrient data (nitrogen and phosphorus) are collected once a month. Coastal assessments are conducted every five years. Sediment data are collected every ten years. In coastal assessments, about 30 random locations across a park unit are sampled in a short period of time. This method compares water-quality conditions across the park in one time frame, and can reveal problem areas that do not show up in the fixed-station data collection. By collecting water-quality data using these methods, the network can provide park managers information necessary to manage water resources in parks. For more information on the scientific methods used for estuarine water-quality monitoring, please see the Protocol for Monitoring Estuarine Water and Sediment Quality in Selected Southeast Coast Network Parks (Starkey et al. 2023). For more information about water-quality monitoring in Southeast Coast Network parks, please contact Eric Starkey.

SECN Monitoring [Current]: Estuarine Water Quality Project

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