Phillipsdale Landing
Overall, water quality was good at Phillipsdale Landing this week. There were 0.16 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green this week and Blackstone River flow was slightly higher than normal for this time of year. Surface salinity averaged 13.7 ppt and ranged from 3.7 ppt to 22.6 ppt. Bottom salinity averaged 22.9 ppt and ranged from 11.8 ppt to 28.3 ppt. Temperatures were slightly lower than last week, averaging 10.4°C at the surface and ranging from 7.9°C to 12.4°C. At the bottom, temperatures averaged 12.4°C and ranged from 10.5°C to 14.0°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L at both the surface and bottom all week. Surface DO remained similar to the previous week, averaging 8.9 mg/L and ranging from 6.7 to 11.0 mg/L. Bottom DO averaged 6.8 mg/L and ranged from 5.4 mg/L to 8.8 mg/L. Chlorophyll readings remained low, averaging 0.6 ug/L at the surface and 1.3 ug/L at the bottom. Please note that tidal fluctuations and Blackstone River flows greatly influence water column salinity, temperature, and DO at this location.
Bullock Reach
The sondes at Bullock Reach were retrieved on the morning of November 14th for the 2023 season. For the two and half days of data this week before retrieval, water quality was good. Salinity averaged 25.7 ppt, 27.9 ppt, and 29.8 ppt at the surface, middle, and bottom sondes, respectively. Surface salinity ranged 23.5 – 27.9 ppt, mid salinity ranged 25.1 – 29.7 ppt, and bottom salinity ranged 29.0 – 30.4 ppt. Surface temperatures averaged 11.4°C and ranged from 10.2°C to 12.4°C. Mid temperatures averaged 12.4°C and ranged from 11.3°C to 13.2°C. Bottom temperatures averaged 13.2°C and ranged from 12.5°C to 13.7°C.
DO concentrations at Bullock Reach remained above the hypoxia threshold all week. Surface DO averaged 8.0 mg/L and ranged 7.4 – 8.8 mg/L. In the mid waters, DO averaged 7.5 mg/L and ranged 7.1 – 8.1 mg/L. At the bottom, DO averaged 7.1 mg/L and ranged 6.7 – 7.5 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations were low, averaging 1.2 ug/L, 1.9 ug/L, and 1.3 ug/L at the surface, mid, and bottom waters, respectively.