Other ID: Marsh Island New Bedford 2024 - CED/AIM/EG
Status: Completed
Organization(s): USGS, Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center
Funding Program(s): Aerial Imaging & Mapping (AIM) (LQ000GU1400), Biochemical Processes & Budget (LQ00.U0D01), Estuarine Processes, Hazards, and Ecosystems ?mid-Atlantic (LQ00UHB)
Contact(s): Sandra Brosnahan, Meagan Eagle, Neil Kamal Ganju Information Specialist(s): Emily Tacke, Robert Bales, Jennifer Cramer, Meagan Eagle Data Type(s): Location-Elevation: Navigation, Time Series: Mooring (physical oceanography), Sampling: Chemistry, Sampling: Geology, Time Series: Geochemical Monitoring, Imagery: Photo, Location-Elevation: Transects, Location-Elevation: LIDAR Scientific Purpose/Goals: Monitor the hydrodynamics and sediment supply to a newly engineered system. Buzzards Bay Coalition and their partners have just completed Phase I of this project to create an engineered salt marsh on a former fill area. Sediment supply is a key factor in salt marsh sustainability with rising sea-level, this site provides a unique opportunity to study the establishment of the engineered system under the natural forcing of the tides and water flow. Vehicle(s): Start Port/Location: Fairhaven, MA End Port/Location: Fairhaven, MA Start Date: 2024-01-23 End Date: 2024-12-31 Equipment Used: Emlid RS3, YellowScan Mapper +, Skydio X10, Bottom platform, Water sampler, Sampling scoop, In-Situ AquaTroll 200 (CTD), Altum-PT, Aeropoint targets, RTK Information to be Derived: Time-series data of water level, currents, flow/discharge, waves, turbidity, and other water-quality parameters (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, pH, fDOM, blue-green algae). Supplemental water samples will be collected and analyzed for total suspended-sediment concentration and loss-on-ignition. Grain-size distribution will be determined from sediment samples collected the marsh creek bed. Aerial mapping will provide full elevation coverage and multispectral orthoimage data. Biochem time-series sensor data are groundwater well CTD measurements. Summary of Activity and Data Gathered: We have deployed three instruments, on two fence-post mounted platforms and one bed-mounted platform, under the footbridge in the center of the channel on the seabed. The first fence-mounted platform contains a Sontek IQ+, which measures water velocity and flow every 15 minutes. This yields a volumetric water flux over each tide, and any net flux in/out during storms and rainfall events. Adjacent to this, connected with a power cable, is a submersible battery on a bed mounted fiberglass grate, weighted down with ~ 60 lbs.
On the second platform, we have a YSI EXO2, which measures water depth, turbidity, salinity, pH, oxygen, fluorescent dissolved organic material, and chlorophyll every 15 minutes. Along with water samples, we can convert the turbidity signal to suspended sediment, and with the flow data, compute sediment fluxes in/out of the system. This platform also has an RBR Dwave, which measures wave height and period.
These instruments will remain on-site for the duration of the experiment, which ideally will last until the system is completely vegetated and in a quasi-equilibrium. We will conduct site visits every 1-2 months to collect water samples, check the instruments, download data, and add battery power. Disturbance at the site will be minimal as the platforms will stay in place and the instruments will be temporarily removed. Water sampling will be conducted from the footbridge with a handheld sampler.
We installed 2 wells at the site (Site A: 41.652024, -70.915786, depth below surface 72.5 cm; Site B: 41.651435, -70.914968, depth below surface 37 cm) to determine water levels in the subsurface. Installation was done with a sediment auger. During install we noted that sediments at Site A were sandy with phrag root chunks, underlain by a clay layer and Site B had heaving (liquified) sand at depth. Each well has a CTD (In-Situ AquaTroll 200) measuring conductivity, temperature and depth. A barometer was installed on the observation platform. All instruments are recording at 15 minute intervals.
Aerial surveys using sUAS (small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems) will provide a bare earth elevation model using structure from motion photogrammetry and lidar technology to map the surface of Marsh Island. Vegetation models will be constructed from information collected from a micaSense Altum multispectral camera also flown over the newly constructed marsh. Ground control targets were placed to georeference the imagery. Surveys will be conducted at a minimum of twice per year to capture changes in topography and vegetation seasonally and on an annual time scale. Notes: This will be an ongoing study and would like it to be an event type field activity.
Multiple Information specialists due to group overlap.
Entries for this field activity are based on entries from Field Activity 2023-025-FA.
Location:
Marsh Island site New Bedford Harbor, Acushnet River, Fairhaven, MA..
| Boundaries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| North: 41.6531785 | South: 41.64949085 | West: -70.91820717 | East: -70.91380835 |
Platform(s):
 on foot |
| Survey Equipment | Survey Info | Data Type(s) | Data Collected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emlid RS3 | --- | Navigation | August GPS Points for UAS flights (GPS ground check points taken in August during UAS flights to ground truth the bottom of the creek. ) |
| YellowScan Mapper + | --- | LIDAR | April YellowScan Mapper + Images (RGB images taken with the SONY module on the YellowScan Mapper+ in April) August YellowScan Mapper + Images (RGB images taken with the SONY module on the YellowScan Mapper+ in August) April Lidar products (Lidar data collected with YellowScan Mapper+ and provided as a point cloud and gridded terrain and surface model. Images from the YellowScan Mapper+ were used to create an orthomosaic.) August Lidar products (Lidar data collected with YellowScan Mapper+ and provided as a point cloud and gridded terrain and surface model. ) |
| Skydio X10 | --- | Navigation Other Imagery Photo | July Skydio Images (Skydio X10 thermal and RGB images taken in July.) August Skydio Images (Skydio X10 thermal and RGB images taken in August.) August Skydio Orthomosaics (The Skydio images were made into a thermal and RGB orthomosaic using structure from motion. ) July Skydio Orthomosaics (The Skydio images were made into digital surface model and a thermal and RGB orthomosaic using structure from motion.) |
| Bottom platform | --- | Mooring (physical oceanography) | |
| Water sampler | --- | Chemistry | |
| Sampling scoop | --- | Geology | |
| In-Situ AquaTroll 200 (CTD) | --- | Geochemical Monitoring Conductivity Depth Temperature | |
| Altum-PT | --- | Photo | Multispectral Orthomosaic (A 5-band pansharpened multispectral orthomosaic (R,G,B,NIR, Red-edge).) Multispectral Imagery (Multispectral aerial imagery collected from UAS (DJI Matrice 600) equipped with the Altum-PT. Image locations are provided in a CSV. Bands include (RGB, NIR, Red-Edge, Thermal). ) |
| Aeropoint targets | --- | Navigation Transects Profiles | August AeroPoint Data (AeroPoints used as ground control points for the UAS data) July AeroPoint Data (AeroPoints used as ground control points for the UAS data) April AeroPoint Data (AeroPoints used as ground control points for the UAS data) |
| RTK | --- | Transects Benchmarks |
