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.
Location
Marsh Island site New Bedford Harbor, Acushnet River, Fairhaven, MA..
Summary
Collect time-series data and supplemental data to determine the movement of suspended sediment into and out of the creek mouth that connects the engineered salt marsh to the Acushnet River.
Info 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.
Comments
This will be an ongoing study and would like it to be an event type field activity. Emily Tacke is also staffing but not in the system.
Multiple Information specialists due to group overlap.
Installed an exo and dwave on the same fence post mount in the main marsh channel opening to New Bedford Harbor. Installed an IQ on a separate fence post mount in the same marsh channel. Both fence posts are located under the pedestrian bridge that crosses the channel. Instruments were deployed for time-series measurements of water level, currents, flow/discharge, waves, turbidity, and other water-quality parameters (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen, pH, fDOM, blue-green algae).
Collected three sediment samples from the channel bank sand, channel bank peat, and channel bed. Grain-size distribution will be determined from sediment samples collected the marsh creek bed.
Purpose: monitor the hydrodynamics and sediment supply to the marsh system.
Personnel: Neil Ganju, Steve Suttles, Robert Bales, Jenny Cramer, Emily Tacke, Jin-Si Over, Meagan Eagle
2023-10-26
2023-10-26
S. Brosnahan, J. Over, and J. Cramer visited site with UAS equipment and flew the M600 with the Altum PT (multispectral data) and YellowScan Mapper+ (lidar and RGB camera) attached. AeroPoints were deployed as ground control.
2023-12-18
2023-12-18
Water sampling during high winds to catch an event resuspending sediment. 21 water samples collected on same sampling interval as optical turbidity measurements from the deployed exo. Water samples were collected 30 cm above bed from the pedestrian bridge crossing the main marsh channel the exo is deployed in.
Purpose: NTU to SSC (mg/l) calibration for the optical turbidity measurements from the deployed exo.
Personnel: Neil Ganju, Robert Bales
