Overview
The data that are collected from the robots are often interesting because they tell various stories as to events that occur within the monitored systems. For example, a plot showing the maximum winds over the last 24 hours may be interesting simply because we may have observed particularly high winds and the robot’s meteorological station has quantified just how ‘windy’ it had been. Likewise, observing dissolved oxygen depletion from the lower waters of Onondaga or Otisco Lake during the summer months may be of interest. There are numerous additional uses for these data. In this section we will examine analyzes that have been automated to depict important features of these systems, that can be updated on routine basis.
Thermocline Depth
The thermocline depth is defined by the depth in the water column where the temperature changes most rapidly. We have automated the identification of the maximum thermal gradient for each profile and are routinely updating the time-series plots representing the thermocline depth, See Thermocline Depth.
Transparency Estimates
Water column transparency is important for scientific, public health and public perception reasons. Traditionally transparency has been measured with a Secchi disc which requires manual measurements. It is possible to create a surrogate measure of Secchi disc transparency using turbidity. Here we are applying this relationship to estimate transparency from data collected remotely. See Transparency Estimates.
Density
The density of water and particularly its variation with changes in temperature and salinity greatly influence the dynamics of lakes and streams. The difference in density throughout the water column establishes the stratification that is experienced in many of our local lakes. Typically, temperature has the strongest influence on density. However Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River reach below Onondaga Lake is also noticeably influenced by salinity. We set the background on how temperature and salinity effect density here.
Density Stratification
Typically density differences in the water column increase from spring into summer and decrease in the fall due to temperature changes in the water column. For plots updated routinely to show the water column density throughout the deployment season, see Density Stratification.
Density Currents
Density currents occur when an inflow enters a lake with a density greater than the surface waters and local mixing conditions are inadequate to prevent plunging. These inputs are often manifested as mid-depth discontinuities in such parameters as turbidity and specific conductivity. See Density Currents.
Suspended Solids Loading
Suspended solids entering the water column from an inflow can affect transparency as well as nutrient concentrations in the water column. In this section we are utilizing a relationship between turbidity measured by the robotic platform and total suspended solids to estimate total suspended solids loading. See Suspended Solids Loading.
Ammonia Toxicity
Ammonia toxicity refers here to the maximum allowable ammonia concentration in the water column. Above this value ammonia may be toxic to fish. The standard is defined by New York State and is largely a function temperature and pH. In this section we calculate the current toxicity level based on near-real-time measurements of temperature and pH. See Ammonia Toxicity
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