Evolution of long-term water quality monitoring buoys to ground truth Landsat 7 and 8 satellite observations in Boston harbor.

Francesco Peri, Robert F Chen, George B Gardner, Patrick Sheldon and Benjamen R Wetherill, University of Massachusetts Boston, School for the Environment, Boston, MA, United States
Abstract:
As part of a funded project aimed at developing a model for the forecast of water quality in Boston Harbor utilizing solely satellite observations from Landsat 7 and 8, we have developed a small network of water quality monitoring buoys designed for long-term deployment and minimal maintenance.

Based on a previous version of custom-built water-quality buoys that have been successfully used in Boston harbor for four consecutive years by the center for Coastal Environmental Sensing Network (CESN), the new buoy platforms have added sensing capabilities and greatly improved resistance to bio-fouling. Also ameliorated are the energy harvesting and power management systems, as well as the overall cyberinfrastructure and data presentation layer.

We will describe in greater detail the advances and the lessons learned during the development and first deployment of these buoys. We will also present preliminary results from long term series from the buoys, in-situ observations and transects from an undulating towed vehicle deployed in coincidence with Landsat 7 and 8 overpasses, and discrete samples collected during such surveys.

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