Real-time and Continuous Seawater Monitoring System
This project, which started in 2023, provides long-term data on water quality (depth, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH, and total algae) in the marine environment near the FSU Coastal and Marine Laboratory (CML). The monitoring sites were selected to support the mission of the CML and to be complementary to similar monitoring conducted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
There are four stations:
- Seawater Intake System (FSUCML) - Data collection since June 28, 2023
- Alligator Harbor (in the oyster leases) - Data collection since June 29, 2023
- Oyster Bay (in the oyster leases in Spring Creek) - Data collection since May 18, 2023
- St. Teresa - Coming Soon
Data collected for this seawater monitoring system can be observed on the HydroSphere website linked below, and include real-time (every 15 minutes) water quality data obtained via multi-parameter sondes (YSI EXO3 units). This data is taken in Eastern Standard Time, not accounting for daylight savings. We encourage the use of these data to identify temporal and seasonal trends and spatial variability between St. George Sound, where FSUCML is located, and other regional water monitoring stations operated by the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) in the adjacent Apalachicola Bay. This project supplies chemical, physical, and ecological data required for the assessment of marine environmental conditions and the land-ocean interface where FSUCML is located for use by scientists, resource managers, educational groups, and members of the public.
We thank the Chris and Jennifer Lazzara Family Student Success Fund and an FSU Equipment & Infrastructure Enhancement Grant (EIEG) for the generous financial support of these stations.
Beatriz Mejia-Mercado, Ph.D., is the principal investigator (PI) and the information manager (IM) responsible for data quality and management.
Data Usage Application
To access downloadable data files from our Seawater Monitoring System, please fill out the form below. Contact Beatriz Mejia-Mercado at bmejiamercado@fsu.edu for any questions or comments.