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.