In the second year of a joint project with Mass Bays, Salem Sound Coastwatch, and SeaTrac, ACASAK Consulting continued to provide sensor technology consulting expertise and data analytics in the second phase of testing the water quality monitoring capabilities of SeaTrac's autonomous vessel. Mass Bays and Salem Sound Coastwatch are interested in monitoring the impact of two sewer outfalls on water quality and eelgrass. SeaTrac's autonomous vessel was outfitted with a multi-parameter sonde and then programmed to autonomously navigate the Danvers River, Salem Sound, and Manchester Bay collecting continuous water quality data. SeaTrac collected salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity. We also collected manual grab samples at key points along the SeaTrac transect. The full transect was repeated 4 times between July and September, 2019. The SeaTrac vessel performed perfectly in navigating the routes. One of the key benefits of using this autonomous vessel is its ability to follow a predefined route exactly (within 20 feet). This makes it easy to line up and compare data from multiple runs.
Samples of data analyses:
