Phillipsdale Landing
The sondes were removed this week on April 3rd after remaining deployed from March 7th due to safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the dock. The site will be suspended until further noticed due to these safety concerns.
Due to the Phillipsdale Landing sondes being removed on April 3rd, we only have data from the first 3 days of April; all three days are discussed here rather than only discussing the two days of the focal week. The first of April saw 0.47 inches of precipitation recorded at T.F. Green, but the next two were dry. Blackstone River flows responded to the precipitation but remained below the 18-year median statistic of USGS. Surface salinity remained well below bottom salinity. Salinity at the surface averaged 3.4 ppt and ranged from 1.8 ppt to 6.2 ppt. At the bottom, salinity averaged 14.5 ppt and ranged from 2.3 ppt to 27.3 ppt. Temperatures averaged 9.4°C at the surface and 8.3°C at the bottom. Surface temperatures ranged from 7.0°C to 10.8°C, while bottom temperatures ranged from 7.0°C to 10.2°C.
Dissolved oxygen (DO) at Phillipsdale Landing remained above the hypoxia threshold of 2.9 mg/L for these days. Surface DO averaged 11.1 mg/L and ranged 10.2-13.0 mg/L. Bottom water DO concentration averaged 9.9 mg/L and ranged from 8.6 mg/L to 12.4 mg/L. Chlorophyll concentrations were generally low (i.e., <20 µg/L), with no strong signs of phytoplankton bloom activity. Also, please note that portions of chlorophyll data from the bottom sonde from April 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are not included in the summary due to potential sediment interference which is common at this site.
Bullock Reach
Bullock Reach sondes will be deployed later this spring for the 2023 monitoring season.