Basic Information

Dataset ID:VCR08144

Dataset Title (Identity):Water Quality of Virginia Coastal Bays - Total Suspended Solids, Particulate Inorganic and Organic Matter

Dataset Contacts: Karen J. McGlathery ,

Dataset Originators (Authors): Karen J. McGlathery , Robert R. Christian Ph.D., Linda K. Blum ,

LTER Core Areas: Organic Matter, Nutrient Movements, Site Physical Characteristics

Collection Started (MM/DD/YY): 7/28/92

General Location Where Data Was Collected: Hog Island Bay (all) and Oyster to Sand Shoal Inlet (2005-)

Form of the Data: Delimited Delimiter=,

Dataset Description

The data supercedes "VCR00074 - Water Quality - Total suspended solids and chlorophyll data" which duplicates the TSS data prior to 2005 and includes additional information on chlorophyll.

Project Description and Goals

This is a monitoring program to provide a long-term record of nutrient concentrations and other water quality variables from the VCR lagoonal and tidal creek waters. This information provides background for studies in the aquatic and wetland environments.

Further this study was designed to follow up on the water quality monitoring by Lagara earlier.

Project Methods

Sites (sampled within 2 hours of either side of low tide, preferably on the falling tide ):

Machipongo Transect:

1. PCM: Mouth of Phillips Creek Creek.
2. PCH: Head of Phillips Creek (or at least where boat can reach). (retired site)
3. GC: Greens Creek near the mouth. (retired site)
4. RB: Red Bank Creek at confluence with Machipongo River.
5. CSM: Mouth of Cattleshed Creek.
6. CSH: Head of Cattleshed Creek (or at least where boat can reach). (retired site)
7. NC: Mouth of Noname Creek just south of Cattleshed on Hog Island. . was initially designated "?".) (retired site)
8. QI: Quinby Inlet.
9. PCB: Mouth of Phillips Creek on return. (Higher tide). (retired site)
10. CRm: Creek Site (formerly OH: Oyster Harbor)
11. MI: Machipongo Inlet
12. SH: South Hog.
13. SS: Shoal Site

Oyster Transect:

1. SSI: Sand Shoal Inlet
2. LC: Little Cobb
3. NM: New Marsh
4. RCC: Ramshorn Channel Creek (mouth)
5. OH: Oyster Harbor
6. CM: Cobb Mill Creek

Field sampling (assuming a vertically homogeneous water column, only surface samples are taken):

1. At station the following measures are made: time; temperature, salinity and conductivity with a YSI SCT meter; air temperature, dissolved oxygen concentrations and water temperature with a YSI dissolved oxygen meter; Secchi depth; water depth; wind speed and direction; and PAR intensity at selected depths.
2. Three separate samples of water are collected from each site.

Oyster Field Laboratory Activities:

1. Filtration of water through 0.45 um pore size membrane filters for nutrient analyses. Approximately 40 ml of filtrate is placed into individual clean and capped centrifuge tubes. Three samples are filtered per station, and the tubes are placed in freezer until being taken to ECU for analysis. (In the first years of the study ammonium and phosphate analyses were done in Oyster by methods comparable to those at ECU. Filterable reactive phosphorus samples were analyzed at both laboratories, and subsequent to 1996 ammonium analyses were conducted solely at ECU.
2. Filtration of 300 to 500 ml water through glass fiber filters (934AH or GFC) is used for chorophyll a analyses. Samples on filters are frozen until analysis. Prior to 1996, chorophyll a and phaeopigment concentrations were analyzed on site using 90% acetone extraction and spectrophotometry (Lorenzen, C.J. 1967. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12:343). Subsequently, frozen filters are taken to ECU for analysis.
3. Filtration of 300 to 500 ml of water through precombusted and weighed glass fiber filters (934AH or GFC) is done for total suspended solids and related determinations. Filters with samples are dried in the oven at 110C for at least 48 h, weighed. The difference between this mass and that of the filter is the total suspended solid mass which is corrected for volume filtered to determine concentration. The filters plus samples are then combusted for ash free dry mass. This is used to compute both organic and inorganic matter concentrations.

UPDATED OYSTER FIELD AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES :

1. Nutrient Analysis: 300mL of water are filtered through a 0.45um GFC membrane filters. Approximately 250mL of the filtrate is placed into a large, sterile whirlpak bag for nitrate and phosphate analysis, the remaining 25-50mL is placed into a smaller whirlpak bag for DON analysis. Three replicates are done per site. Samples are frozen after filtration until analysis.
2. Cholorophyll-a Analysis: 300mL of water are filtered through a 0.45um GFC membrane filter. Filters are folded and placed into labeled foil envelopes, then frozen until analysis. Three replicates are done per site.
3. TSS Analysis: 0.45um GFC membrane filters are placed into pre-labeled foil envelopes then combusted for 4-6 hours at 450C. Filter and envelope packets are then weighed for “tare weight”. 300mL’s of water are filtered through these precombusted filters. Filters are then placed back into their envelopes and dried at 60C for several days until samples are completely dry. Filter packets are then weighed for “dry weight”. The difference between the “tare weight” and the “dry weight” is the total suspended solid mass, which is corrected for volume filtered to determine concentration. The filter packets are then combusted at 450C for 4-6 hours, then weighed again to determine Ash Free Dry Mass. This is used to compute both organic and inorganic matter concentrations.

1997 to 2005: Activities at East Carolina University:

1. Nitrate plus nitrite and filterable reactive phosphorus are analyzed using an Orion Scientific Instruments Corporation segmented flow analyzer ( USEPA 1979. Methods for chemical analysis of water and wastes.)
2. Ammonium analyses are done manually using the phenohypochlorite method (Solorzano, L. 1969. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25:403) modified for small sample size.
3. Data are managed by individual sampling date usng spreadsheets, and summary data organized for submission to web pages.

2005 to Current: Activities at the University of Virginia:

1. Nutrients are analyzed using a QuikChem 8500 Automated Ion analyzer. Analysis is currently conducted by Meg Miller (mtm3hq@cms.mail.virginia.edu).
2. Data are managed by individual sampling date using spreadsheets, and summary data is organized for submission to web pages.

Project Progress

The project is ongoing. Near monthly sampling has been in force since summer 1992. As a result of boat and weather problems, winter and spring 1996 were undersampled.

Starting in July of 2008, sampling went to Quarterly and was combined with Quarterly algal sampling.

Variables

Detailed Variable Information

ROWNAMES - Data row identifier

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 1
  • Format: A

YEAR - Year of data collection

• Units: Year

• Range: 1992-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 2
  • Format: I

MONTH - Month of data collection

• Units: month

• Range: 1-12

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 3
  • Format: I

DAY - Day of month of data collection

• Units: day

• Range: 1-31

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 4
  • Format: I

STATION - Station identifier

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 5
  • Format: A

  Codes for Variable STATION

  Code	Value
  CM	Cobb Mill Creek (where it crosses under Crumb Hill Road)
  CSH	Cattleshed Headwaters
  CSM	Cattle Shed Mouth
  GC	Green Creek
  LC	Little Cobb
  MI	Machipongo Inlet
  NC	Noname Creek
  NM	New Marsh
  OH	Oyster Harbor
  PCB	Phillips Creek Back
  PCH	Phillips Creek Headwaters
  PCM	Phillips Creek Mouth
  QI	Quinby Inlet
  RB	Redbank Creek
  RCC	Ramshorn Channel Creek
  SH	South Hog
  SSI	Sand Shoal Inlet

REPLICATE - Replicate number

• Range: 0-3

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 6
  • Format: I

  Methods for Variable REPLICATE

  Replicate 0 means either only one sample was taken, or replicates were averaged before reporting.

VOLFILTER - Volume of water filtered

• Units: ml

• Range: 0-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 7
  • Format: F

TAREWGT - Tare weight

• Units: g

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 8
  • Format: F

  Methods for Variable TAREWGT

  Tare weight was not reported for data prior to 2005.

DRYWGT - Dry weight

• Units: g

• Range: 0-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 9
  • Format: F

ASHEDWGT - Ashed weight

• Units: g

• Range: 0-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 10
  • Format: F

TSS - Total Suspended Solids

• Units: mg/l

• Range: 0-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 11
  • Format: F

POM - Particulate Organic Matter

• Units: mg/l

• Range: 0-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 12
  • Format: F

PIM - Particulate Inorganic Matter

• Units: mg/l

• Range: 0-
• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 13
  • Format: F

TSSQUAL - Data quality code for total suspended solids

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 14
  • Format: A

  Codes for Variable TSSQUAL

  Code	Value
  NR	Missing - Not Reliable, replicates too variable
  NV	Missing - Not Valid, (negative weight recorded)
  Q	Data questionable

POMQUAL - Data quality code for particulate organic matter

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 15
  • Format: A

PIMQUAL - Data quality code for particulate inorganic matter

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 16
  • Format: A

COMMENTS - Comments

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 17
  • Format: A

PROCESSOR - Identity of researcher performing the analysis

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 18
  • Format: A

WQTRANSECT - Water quality transect identifier

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 19
  • Format: A

DATETEXT - Sampling date

• Format Information:
  
  • Start Column: 20
  • Format: A

List of Locations

Dataset Contacts

Karen J. McGlathery

Contact Information

Dataset Originators (Authors) - Details

Karen J. McGlathery

Contact Information

Robert R. Christian Ph.D.

Contact Information

Linda K. Blum

Contact Information

VCR97015 - Project Details

Students: tcannon cthomas rtarnowski

Core Areas	Sampling Methods
Primary Productivity Organic Matter Nutrient Movements Disturbance Site Characteristics	Harvest Marking Collecting

Voucher Specimen Location:

Related Datasets

Project Description and Goals

This is a monitoring program to provide a long-term record of nutrient concentrations and other water quality variables from the VCR lagoonal and tidal creek waters. This information provides background for studies in the aquatic and wetland environments.

Further this study was designed to follow up on the water quality monitoring by Lagara earlier.

Methods

Sites (sampled within 2 hours of either side of low tide, preferably on the falling tide ):

Machipongo Transect:

1. PCM: Mouth of Phillips Creek Creek.
2. PCH: Head of Phillips Creek (or at least where boat can reach). (retired site)
3. GC: Greens Creek near the mouth. (retired site)
4. RB: Red Bank Creek at confluence with Machipongo River.
5. CSM: Mouth of Cattleshed Creek.
6. CSH: Head of Cattleshed Creek (or at least where boat can reach). (retired site)
7. NC: Mouth of Noname Creek just south of Cattleshed on Hog Island. . was initially designated "?".) (retired site)
8. QI: Quinby Inlet.
9. PCB: Mouth of Phillips Creek on return. (Higher tide). (retired site)
10. CRm: Creek Site (formerly OH: Oyster Harbor)
11. MI: Machipongo Inlet
12. SH: South Hog.
13. SS: Shoal Site

Oyster Transect:

1. SSI: Sand Shoal Inlet
2. LC: Little Cobb
3. NM: New Marsh
4. RCC: Ramshorn Channel Creek (mouth)
5. OH: Oyster Harbor
6. CM: Cobb Mill Creek

Field sampling (assuming a vertically homogeneous water column, only surface samples are taken):

1. At station the following measures are made: time; temperature, salinity and conductivity with a YSI SCT meter; air temperature, dissolved oxygen concentrations and water temperature with a YSI dissolved oxygen meter; Secchi depth; water depth; wind speed and direction; and PAR intensity at selected depths.
2. Three separate samples of water are collected from each site.

Oyster Field Laboratory Activities:

1. Filtration of water through 0.45 um pore size membrane filters for nutrient analyses. Approximately 40 ml of filtrate is placed into individual clean and capped centrifuge tubes. Three samples are filtered per station, and the tubes are placed in freezer until being taken to ECU for analysis. (In the first years of the study ammonium and phosphate analyses were done in Oyster by methods comparable to those at ECU. Filterable reactive phosphorus samples were analyzed at both laboratories, and subsequent to 1996 ammonium analyses were conducted solely at ECU.
2. Filtration of 300 to 500 ml water through glass fiber filters (934AH or GFC) is used for chorophyll a analyses. Samples on filters are frozen until analysis. Prior to 1996, chorophyll a and phaeopigment concentrations were analyzed on site using 90% acetone extraction and spectrophotometry (Lorenzen, C.J. 1967. Limnol. Oceanogr. 12:343). Subsequently, frozen filters are taken to ECU for analysis.
3. Filtration of 300 to 500 ml of water through precombusted and weighed glass fiber filters (934AH or GFC) is done for total suspended solids and related determinations. Filters with samples are dried in the oven at 110C for at least 48 h, weighed. The difference between this mass and that of the filter is the total suspended solid mass which is corrected for volume filtered to determine concentration. The filters plus samples are then combusted for ash free dry mass. This is used to compute both organic and inorganic matter concentrations.

UPDATED OYSTER FIELD AND LABORATORY ACTIVITIES :

1. Nutrient Analysis: 300mL of water are filtered through a 0.45um GFC membrane filters. Approximately 250mL of the filtrate is placed into a large, sterile whirlpak bag for nitrate and phosphate analysis, the remaining 25-50mL is placed into a smaller whirlpak bag for DON analysis. Three replicates are done per site. Samples are frozen after filtration until analysis.
2. Cholorophyll-a Analysis: 300mL of water are filtered through a 0.45um GFC membrane filter. Filters are folded and placed into labeled foil envelopes, then frozen until analysis. Three replicates are done per site.
3. TSS Analysis: 0.45um GFC membrane filters are placed into pre-labeled foil envelopes then combusted for 4-6 hours at 450C. Filter and envelope packets are then weighed for “tare weight”. 300mL’s of water are filtered through these precombusted filters. Filters are then placed back into their envelopes and dried at 60C for several days until samples are completely dry. Filter packets are then weighed for “dry weight”. The difference between the “tare weight” and the “dry weight” is the total suspended solid mass, which is corrected for volume filtered to determine concentration. The filter packets are then combusted at 450C for 4-6 hours, then weighed again to determine Ash Free Dry Mass. This is used to compute both organic and inorganic matter concentrations.

1997 to 2005: Activities at East Carolina University:

1. Nitrate plus nitrite and filterable reactive phosphorus are analyzed using an Orion Scientific Instruments Corporation segmented flow analyzer ( USEPA 1979. Methods for chemical analysis of water and wastes.)
2. Ammonium analyses are done manually using the phenohypochlorite method (Solorzano, L. 1969. Limnol. Oceanogr. 25:403) modified for small sample size.
3. Data are managed by individual sampling date usng spreadsheets, and summary data organized for submission to web pages.

2005 to Current: Activities at the University of Virginia:

1. Nutrients are analyzed using a QuikChem 8500 Automated Ion analyzer. Analysis is currently conducted by Meg Miller (mtm3hq@cms.mail.virginia.edu).
2. Data are managed by individual sampling date using spreadsheets, and summary data is organized for submission to web pages.

Progress

The project is ongoing. Near monthly sampling has been in force since summer 1992. As a result of boat and weather problems, winter and spring 1996 were undersampled.

Starting in July of 2008, sampling went to Quarterly and was combined with Quarterly algal sampling.

Impact on Site

Products

This project has been largely designed as a service to the others. Research summaries have been made in 1994 (Castadelli et al.) and 1997 (Thomas et al.). Also, Christian has presented results to the Eastern Shore Water Quality Consortium.

Presentation and Abstract at ERF 2001.

Daniel, DA, RR Christian, LK Blum. 2001. Water quality in a "protected" coastal lagoon. Abstracts of 2001 Estuarine Research Federation Conference. p. 32.

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