• System-wide Monitoring Program
  •   Phase 1 (Abiotic)
    • Water Quality
      • Site Selection
      • Hydrographic
      • Nutrients
    • Meteorological
      • Introduction
      • Site Selection
      • Methods
    •   Real Time data
      • CDMO
      • YSI
  •   Phase 2 (Biodiversity)
  •   Phase 3 (Land Use)
  • Fact Sheets
•   Current Projects
  • Ecology of Salt Panne Habitats
  • Winter Ecology of Marshbirds
  • Winter Ecology of Shorebirds
  • Diamondback Terrapin Population Surveys
  • ECSC Partnership
• Past Projects
• Graduate Research Fellowships

Phase 1 (Abiotic)

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Water Quality

Four long-term monitoring stations have been established across the Grand Bay NERR in order to collect essential baseline water quality information to improve our understanding of the tidal dynamics and freshwater inputs into this system. Specifically, the Grand Bay NERR system wide monitoring program stations collect continuous data to address the following objectives: (1) track short-term variability and long-term changes in estuarine water parameters within three different regions within the reserve and (2) provide bayou-specific water quality data to be applied towards the development of a hydrologic model for the Grand Bay NERR.

The Grand Bay NERR is part of the Grand Bay coastal streams watershed which consists of three primary sub-watersheds that provide much of the freshwater inputs into the system. The Bayou Heron site, located in the upper reaches of the Bayou Heron sub-watershed, monitors water quality for a semi-pristine area with no development and serves as a reference site for the reserve. The Bayou Cumbest site monitors water quality for the Bayou Cumbest sub-watershed which is a moderately impacted area with some residential housing development and non-point source pollution issues related to failing septic tanks (i.e., elevated levels of fecal coliforms). Located towards the southern end of the Bangs Lake sub-watershed, the Bangs Lake site monitors water quality for a second impacted area with minimal residential development. Although this sub-watershed has less development than the Bayou Cumbest sub-watershed, a recent study found extremely elevated levels of fecal coliforms. Subsequent investigations of the Bangs Lake area showed a small drainage ditch running directly into the northern end of the sub-watershed from several residential housing units with failing septic systems. The fourth water quality monitoring site was located at Crooked Bayou, near the south-central boundary of the reserve. During 2005, this site was relocated to Point Aux Chenes Bay, near the southern boundary of the Reserve. Both of these sites provide baseline data of the relative influence of marine inputs and tidal influence from the East Mississippi Sound.

Current and future research projects will be developed around this monitoring program. The four sites identified here monitor areas with varying degrees of human disturbance and impacts, providing an excellent framework for developing reserve-wide research projects. The four water quality monitoring sites within the Grand Bay NERR have a tidal range of approximately 2 feet. Additional site specific characteristics are provided under each station name.