Overview of Water Quality Monitoring Program

Amy Costa Center for Coastal Studies Monitoring Nantucket Sound: Previous and On-going Efforts

• Lightships – water temperature data – 1878-1956 • Division of Marine – Fish trawl surveys with concurrent bottom temperatures – 1978 to the present • Energy Project – biological, physical and geological data – 2001-2005. • Nantucket Soundkeepers Program – 2005-2010 • Barnstable County Bathing Beach Water Quality – 2002 to the present • Estuaries/embayments/ponds studies – WEBNERR – Massachuestts Estuaries Project Cross Rip Lightship

August Water Temperature 24

23 22 21 20 Temperature (C) Temperature 19 18

Year Total Nitrogen

Average: July-August SMAST

0.35 CCS 0.3 0.25

0.2 0.15 TN (mg/L) 0.1 0.05 0 07 08 11 12 13 Year Partners

• Center for Coastal Studies • Waquoit National Estuarine Research Reserve • Commercial Fishermen’s Alliance • University of Massachusetts, Boston – School for the Environment – Nantucket Field Station • Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group • Three Bays Preservation • Falmouth Associations Concerned with Estuaries and Saltponds • Coalition • Friends of Chatham Waterways • EPA • Underwriters Laboratories • Silent Spring Institute • Barnstable County Department of Health • Cape Cod Commission • Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative • Martha’s Vineyard Commission • Edgartown Shellfish Department • Harwich Water Quality Task Force 2011-present 2014

Harwich Water Quality Task Force

Three Bays Preservation

WBNERR

Buzzards Bay CCS and CCCFA Coalition

UMB-Nantucket Field Stn

Martha’s Vineyard Commission Edgartown Shellfish Department Parameters Monitored

In Situ Laboratory • Temperature • Nutrients • Salinity – Nitrate+nitrite • Dissolved Oxygen – Ammonium – Ortho-phosphate – Silicate – Total nitrogen – Total phosphorus • Plant Pigments – Chlorophyll a – Pheophytin • Turbidity

Profiles

May June July Aug Sep Oct Temperature

May July October C

Salinity

May July October psu Nitrate+Nitrite

May July October µM

Chlorophyll

May July October µg/L May 2014: Chlorophyll a

µg/L

Acknowledgements

• Massachusetts Environmental Trust • Cape Cod Water Protection Collaborative • Commonwealth of Massachusetts • Partners and Collaborators