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The LPA Sonde Initiative is made possible by:
Generous financial support from West Chop Community Fund, The Edey Foundation, and capital donations from our members. Generous resource and technical support Eureka Water Probes (Austin, TX) and the United States Geological Survey, New England Water Science Center. The dedicated volunteerism of our Board Members for infrastructure and technical/scientific expertise.
LPA WATER QUALITY MONITORING DEVICE
LPA is excited to announce that, with help from grants, capital gifts, LPA funds and Board volunteerism, we have purchased and deployed a water quality monitoring device in Lagoon Pond. This device is called a “sonde”, which houses multiple sensors and is submerged underwater. Each sensor measures a specific water characteristic (e.g., temperature, depth, oxygen, plant pigment). Our sonde is connected to telemetry, so the sonde’s data recorded at a set time interval are then transmitted every hour. These real-time values display on gauges that you can view on our website at any time. These water quality data will allow us to trend the health of the pond both in the summer and in the off-season. The LPA sonde is a Eureka’s Manta+ F35 with 10 sensor probes. At this time, it is in a fixed position in the Upper Basin to examine seasonal changes in the shallows.
HOW IT WORKS
The LPA sonde is a Eureka’s Manta+ F35, has 10 probes
- Temperature – shown in Fahrenheit
- Depth of sensors below the surface in feet
- Dissolved oxygen (shown both in mg per liter and % saturation) – extremely important for fish and aquatic life
- Turbidity – the relative clarity of the water. High turbidity reduces the amount of light penetrating the water, which negatively impacts eelgrass, fish gills, fish eggs and larva.
- Chlorophyl – a measure of green algae. Some level of algae is healthy, however, “blooms” can occur when too many nutrients enter the water, which is unhealthy to other organisms including people and pets.
- pH/acidity – where less than 6 is acidic. Each whole number change represents a 10-fold change in the acidity/basicity of the water.
- Conductivity – which is an indicator of salinity. Seawater is generally 50.
- Phycoerythrin pigment – a measure of blue-green algae.
- Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) – a measure of the ability of the Lagoon to cleanse itself or break down waste products (e.g., decaying plants). When the ORP value is high, there is abundant oxygen.
