CINEMar/Open Ocean Aquaculture Annual Progress Report for the period 1/01/04 through 12/31/04

Principal Investigator: Larry G. Ward, Raymond E. Grizzle, David W. Fredriksson and James D. Irish

I. Accomplishments

A. Scheduled Tasks
The University of New Hampshire Open Ocean Aquaculture Environmental Monitoring Program continuing objectives and tasks include the following.

1.) Routine field monitoring of the water column and substrate at and near the OOA field site (Figure 1) to comply with permitting needs and to address environmental concerns. This includes quarterly sampling surveys to monitor: benthic infaunal characteristics (box coring); epifaunal characteristics (bottom videography); bottom sediment grain size and organic content; water quality; and physical characteristics of the water column (e.g., salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, light transmission, particulate matter concentrations, chlorophyll, and dissolved nutrients). Subsequently, use this information to determine if there are impacts to the substrate, benthic community, and water column that can be attributed to the aquaculture activities by assessing factors such as the biodiversity and abundance of infaunal and epifaunal communities, sediment organic buildup, detectable changes in dissolved oxygen levels, concentrations of particulate matter, or dissolved nutrients.

2.) Deploy, maintain and upgrade environmental monitoring instrumentation (instrumentation buoy) at the OOA field site (Figure 2). This includes instrumentation that will provide high-resolution observations of critical environmental parameters (e.g., waves, water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, or fluorescence) as required by the OOA program. In addition to the normal data collection activities, improving data quality and making deployment and recovery operations of the instrumentation buoy more routine remain as priorities. Specific project objectives for 2004 include: maintain and service the buoy, mooring and sensor systems; recalibrate all instruments at appropriate intervals; work towards building the buoy system and operations into a full time observatory; design and construct updated buoy electronics; continue data reporting and archiving; and develop web-site serving of data.

3.) Monitor occurrence of listed marine species in the OOA field area.

4) Develop and implement environmental information transfer protocols that will make the physical, biological, and water quality information readily available to all project participants, federal and state regulating agencies, and other interested parties.

5.) Develop new, streamlined, and focused monitoring programs that would comply with permitting and environmental needs and be at a scale appropriate for private OOA enterprises.

B. Progress on Tasks
1. Field Monitoring of the Benthos and Water Column
Bottom Sediments and Infaunal Benthos. The general monitoring and sampling protocol as currently permitted by the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department was followed during 2004. Briefly, monitoring of sediment grain size, organic concentration, and infaunal benthos consisted of quarterly sampling at eight permanent stations (Figure 2). Bottom sediments from each station were sampled with a box corer (Wildco) with a design sampling area of 0.0625 m². Sampling cruises were conducted on February 3, June 4, August 4, and November 9, 2004. The sediment inside each box core was subsampled onboard for infauna with a 10.4 cm ID (0.0085 m²) acrylic core tube. A subsample of the sediment was also taken for particulate organic analysis (using loss-on-ignition or LOI as an estimate) and for grain size analysis. Grain size analyses were only run on samples from two of the cruises as earlier studies at the OOA site has shown little change over time. The remaining box core contents were washed on a 5 mm mesh sieve, the residue fixed in 3-5% formalin, then preserved in 70% isopropanol. Each 10.4 cm core subsample was washed on a 0.5 mm mesh, and also fixed in 3% formalin and preserved in 70% isopropanol. In the laboratory, all invertebrates from both samples (5 mm and 0.5 mm sieves) were removed under 3x magnification, sorted by major taxa, identified (to family level in most cases), counted, and weighed (wet weight of preserved specimens). Grain size characteristics of the sediments collected during the February 3 and the August 4, 2004 cruises were determined using standard sieving and pipette analyses as described in Folk (1980). The organic content of the sediment samples for all four cruises was determined by loss-on-ignition (LOI). Each sample was dried, heated to 450° C for four hours and the weight loss determined (modified from Ball 1964).

Epifauna and Videography. Benthic epifauna was monitored using a bottom camera system (UNH Hubbard Camera) composed of a video camera mounted on a frame with synchronized strobe lights and an integrated positioning system (GPS). Data recording and power supply was located onboard the research vessel. Bottom videography was obtained during three cruises in 2004 (March 1, July 7 and December 3). Poor sea conditions precluded a fourth cruise. During each cruise the camera was suspended near the bottom (within 50 cm) and 6 to 10 minutes of downward looking video taken at each monitoring station. Depending on sea conditions and water clarity, images of the surficial sediments, sediment texture, bedforms, epifauna, burrows, tracks, trails, crabs, lobsters, and occasionally fish were obtained.

Water Quality. Water samples for water quality analyses were collected quarterly on the same dates as the benthos sampling (February 3, June 4, August 4, and November 9, 2004). During each cruise water samples were taken at two locations (adjacent to the instrument buoy and close to the mussel line, Figure 2) with 5-liter Niskin bottles at two depths (5 meters and ~45 meters). Each water sample was analyzed in the laboratory for total suspended sediment concentration, organic particulate content (estimated by LOI after Ball 1964), and dissolved nutrients using standard, EPA-approved methods (APHA 1992; Merriam et al. 1996). In addition, a new protocol involving sampling upstream and downstream of the fish cage containing 32,000 cod was conducted in 2004 in an attempt to characterize the movement of dissolved materials outside the cage. Each series consisted of sampling upstream of the cage, ~10 meters downstream and outside the cage, then at ~50 meter, ~100 meter, and ~400 meter downstream. Samples were taken with a 5-liter Niskin bottle lowered from the ship to the approximate depth of the fish in the cage (15 m below the water surface). Station locations were determined by following a drogue as it drifted away from the cage. The first series of samples was taken just before feeding occurred, the second approximately 1 hour after feeding, and the third about 3 hours after feeding. The intent was to sample as accurately as possible the water/waste stream as it moved through the cage, and characterize the dispersion of any detected wastes.

Physical Characteristics of the Water Column. During each monitoring cruise water temperature, salinity, light transmission, fluorescence, and PAR (photosynthetically available radiation) profiles were measured at the same stations water samples were collected to determine the physical characteristics of the water column. These physical parameters were measured with a SeaBird SBE-25 CTD data logger with associated integrated sensors. Although the primary mechanism for monitoring dissolved oxygen levels at the OOA field site in 2004 was the sensor on the moored observation buoy (discussed below), additional dissolved oxygen observations were made using several techniques. On August 18th and November 9th, dissolved oxygen profiles from the surface to a depth of ~25 meters were done at the OOA field site with a YSI 85 sensor. On November 9th water samples were also retrieved with a 5-liter Niskin bottle from 1-meter, 22-meters, and ~45 meters below the surface and dissolved oxygen determined by chemical analysis (Winkler titration method after Strickland and Parsons 1968). From August 31st to September 7th, a YSI 6600 Multi-Purpose Water Quality Monitor with an integrated dissolved oxygen meter was deployed in situ near the center (inside) the largest fish cage which holds approximately 32,000 cod.

2. Moored Instrumentation Buoy
Maintenance and Service of the System. During the past year the instrument buoy was deployed three separate times. The deployment and recovery dates are provided on Table 1 and represent data sets 9 through 11 since the system was first deployed in December 2001. (A typical deployment period is approximately three months.)

The individual instruments deployed during 2004, along with the position in the water column, sample rate and real-time transmission capabilities are provided in Table 2. These instruments have been used nearly continuously for over the past thee years.

Recalibration of Instruments. The instrumentation buoy was recovered at the end of the year on December 5, 2003. The SBE37, SBE16p, the Seapoint Turbidity meter, the SeaPoint Flourometer, the SBE 43 (DO meter) and the SBE16 were all sent back to the manufacturers for recalibration. Sea Bird Electronics (SBE) took over 6 weeks to check out the instruments. Further delay due to weather resulted in a relatively late redeployment date (February 20, 2004).

Observation Work. A substantial amount of work was performed in 2004 toward obtaining an entire second set of components so the monitoring buoy can be used as a full time observatory. The schematic shown on Figure 3 shows nearly all of the equipment including hardware and instruments that need to be obtained in duplicate to allow full time observatory operation.

The operational plan is to have two full systems so one can be deployed on the same day the other is recovered to provide data continuity. This will provide a continuous record approaching the 24 x 7 requirement of an observatory. To support this goal, in the past year, the following secondary components have been purchased:

• Surface buoy: A complete second surface buoy was purchased this year. We were able to take advantage of lower costs by combining with a large order from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The buoy included a new aluminum electronics pressure case, foam flotation collar, aluminum super structure with solar panels, guard light, radar reflector, air temperature sensor and GPS, and a mast with antenna and PAR sensor. The solar panel mounts were also modified to provide for easier servicing. The buoy system also included new internal electronics and an accelerometer to measure surface wave characteristics.
• SBE16P: A SBE16p was purchased to collect temperature and salinity as well as allow plug-in instruments such as dissolved oxygen, turbidity and fluorescence sensors. The SBE16p was deployed at a depth of 22 meters.
• Mooring Hardware: In addition to the instruments, mooring hardware was purchased including an entire new set of elastic tethers. The tethers will be attached to bridles obtained at no cost from a completed WHOI project.

Design and Construction of Updated Electronics. A substantial amount of work was conducted to update the electronics used in the hull of the surface buoy. The new electronics board has these features:

• Dual input to enable the “plugin” for either a Summit Instrument or Crossbow brand of three-axis accelerometer. The accelerometer is used for the wave measurements.
• An air temperature and PAR signal conditioning circuit was incorporated in the electronics board with clipping electronics to prevent damage to the A/D converter in the Persistor microcontroller.
• A logic “Latch-On” radio power circuit was included, which will enable an operator on shore to log into the buoy system to reset or change software.
• A spare FET power switch was added with signal conditioning circuits, which will allow for future expansion.
• Modification to the bottom end cap and wiring to set up the serial input port on the Persistor microcontroller to communicate through the bottom end cap to additional instruments like the mid-water instrument or an ADCP mounted just below the buoy.
• The microcontroller was changed from a Persistor CF1 to a CF2 that provides better timing and control, and the shoreside development environment was upgraded to a newer version of the Code Warrier C++ development system.
• A digitizer test program was also developed to aid in trouble shooting and testing system operation.
• A change was made in the new system A/D board design to have each component separate and all logic levels used to control the system were attached by connectors, so that easy servicing of the system can be done by swapping out boards or connectors without having to solder components onto the microcontroller development board.
• The Compact Flash cards used for internal data storage in the systems were increased to 256 MB (doubled) so that the systems can run for nearly nine months without loosing data, or additional data can be recorded and still maintain our nominal 3 to 4-monthlong deployment plan.
• Modifications to the software were made to allow the user to “Control-C” into the system just before or after the telemetry of data.

3. Monitoring of Listed Marine Species
During 2004, the monitoring of marine mammals and sea turtles in the vicinity of the OOA site consisted of a collaborative effort by UNH and the Newburyport Whale Watch Company. This collaboration was successfully used in 2002 and 2003 as well. Briefly, from May through October 2004 trained naturalists on whale watch cruises identified and recorded locations (using handheld GPS units) and other data on the species sighted. Species distribution maps were produced using ArcGIS software.

4. Environmental Monitoring Information Transfer
The environmental monitoring and site description information and databases have been synthesized in project progress reports (e.g., Ward et al. 2001, 2002, 2003), an internal technical report (Ward et al. 2001), and outside publications. The internal reports are available on the OOA web site. In addition, a data archive has been constructed for the environmental monitoring and site description program that will be made available in early 2005 to other investigators, permitting agencies, and the general public via the Internet. In addition, initial discussions have been held to make components of the instrument buoy data available in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire Center of Excellence in Ocean Observation and Analyses (COOA). This progress is below.

5. Refinement of Monitoring Protocols
No major changes in sampling protocols occurred during the reporting period; all continued as per the New Hampshire Fish and Game permit requirements. We will review and alter the environmental monitoring program as needed after planned discussions occur with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

C. Important Results or Findings
1. Benthos and Water Quality
Bottom Sediments. In general, the bottom sediments at the OOA field site are largely composed of low organic (usually <3% LOI), muddy sands (Table 3). A number of bedrock outcrops occur in and around the field site that range in size from 10 to 100 meters across with elevations usually less than 5 meters. Gravel and cobble often surround the bedrock outcrops. In addition, extensive bedrock outcrops occur to the south and west of the field site (see Figure 2). However, most of the area in the immediate vicinity of the fish pens and the grid are the muddy sands.

During 2004, grain size characteristics of the bottom sediments of the eight monitoring stations were determined for winter (February 3rd) and for summer (August 4th) in order to assess if any changes between the higher energy winter conditions and the calmer summer conditions occurred (Table 3). In addition, the analyses were done to determine if longer-term changes had occurred in the substrate since the beginning of the monitoring activities. Comparison of the winter and summer sediment grain size characteristics shows little variation between the two time periods with all samples but one ranging from 70 to 86% sand and mean grain sizes ranging from 3.1 to 4.5 phi (0.117 to 0.044 mm). Organic contents as estimated by loss-on-ignition (LOI) determined on all samples from all four cruises (Table 3) range from 1.1 to 4.8%, and normally are less than 3%, with the exception of one station (Station 5 on August 4th).

The results of the grain size and LOI analyses are consistent with the previous monitoring work in this region with the exception of a sample collected on August 4, 2004 at station 5, which is located several hundred meters to the east of the fish pens (Figure 2). The sample recovered from Station 5 on August 4th was a very poorly sorted, fine-grained silty clay with a mean grain size of 7.9 phi (0.004 mm) and a LOI value of 8.9% This sample was finer and had a higher LOI value than the samples collected in this area previously. However, during the November 9, 2004 cruise this same station was reoccupied and the organic content (measured as LOI) and grain size (based on visual examination) had returned to expected values. It appears that the August 4th results are anomalous and are not a result of a change in bottom conditions.

Infaunal Benthos. In all previous reporting periods, the number of fish in the cages was relatively low (< 5,000 fish total), and no detectable impacts on the seabed as measured by changes in benthos had been expected or observed (see previous progress reports). However, a third cage was added to the OOA site in 2003, and 32,000 cod were introduced in September 2003. For the present report, benthic infaunal data are available for samples taken during August and December 2003, and February and June 2004. Hence, the present report emphasizes comparisons between infaunal community characteristics for pre- and post-September 2003 data to determine if changes in infaunal communities occurred after the large increase in fish densities in the cages.

Figure 4 shows the spatial patterns for three infaunal community characteristics based on samples collected from July 1999 through August 2003 at the eight permanent sampling sites. As discussed in the 2003 annual report (Ward et al. 2003), no impacts on the seabed were detectable. Figure 5 is a plot only of the three quarterly datasets (December 2003, February and June 2004) after the third cage was stocked with 32,000 cod. As organic input initially increases to the seabed in areas with relatively low organic content (such as the present study site), total community density and wet weight (biomass) typically will increase as a result of increased energy flow through the community (Pearson and Rosenberg 1978; Grizzle and Penniman 1991; Diaz and Rosenberg 1995; Nilsson and Rosenberg 2000). Hence, if organic waste deposition from excess fish food and feces was affecting the benthos, a pattern of increased densities and biomass would be expected at all or some of the four potential "impact" sites (3, 4, 5 and 7) nearest the permit site (Figure 2). As already noted, no such trends were evident before September 2003 (Figure 4), and no discernable patterns are evident in the data collected after the increase in fish densities (Figure 5).

As in previous reports, the infaunal data also were plotted over time after segregation into two groups: potential "impact" sites (3, 4, 5 and 7) and "control" sites (1, 2, 6 and 8). In nearly all cases for all three community characteristics, from July 1999 through June 2004 the means from the impact and control sites had overlapping 95% confidence intervals (Figure 6). This suggests no significant differences between the impact and control sites during the entire 5-year monitoring period. Other temporal trends probably not related to aquaculture activities, such as strong seasonal pulses of recruits in spring and fall most years, continued during 2003 and 2004 and were discussed in previous reports.

In addition to community-level assessments, changes in taxonomic composition of the infaunal communities were examined. For this analysis, the 5-year dataset was divided into two groups: July 1999 - October 2001 (when few fish were present), and February 2002 - June 2004 (when more fish were present). The intent was to determine if the relative rankings of taxa at the study sites had changed during recent months when more fish were present. Eight of the top ten taxa were the same for the two periods (Table 4). The relative orders had changed for some taxa, but otherwise the same families of polychaetes, mollusks, and crustaceans have dominated the infaunal communities for the entire 5-year sampling period. This suggests that there has been no shift in community taxonomic composition associated with the aquaculture activities thus far.

During 2004, a preliminary analysis of the infaunal data from the 5 mm mesh sieve was initiated; this was the first assessment of the 5 mm data. This component was added to the infaunal monitoring program in October 2001 but it was not a permitting requirement. The 5 mm mesh was added so we could use the entire box core contents; only a 10 cm core tube subsample is taken and sieved on a 0.5 mm mesh. The intent was to get quantitative data on larger taxa (e.g. ocean quahogs and burrowing anemones) known to be in the area but not adequately sampled by the 10 cm tube. This would allow an assessment of the potential impacts on the larger macrofauna, and to provide information on the dominant species (as opposed to only family-level data from the 0.5 mm samples) present at the OOA site Table 5 is a rank ordering of the dominant taxa arranged by family (and genus or species when available) for all 5 mm samples collected from October 2001 through June 2004.

A comparison of Table 4 and Table 5 shows some interesting differences that may be relevant to future assessments of seabed impacts. For example, the polychaete family Spionidae has consistently dominated the 0.5 mm community at the eight monitoring sites (Table 4), but ranked only 10th in the 5 mm community (Table 5). Most spionids are small, near-surface dwelling species capable of quickly responding to organic enrichment and typically dominant in early successional stages (Grassle and Grassle 1974; Zajac and Whitlatch 1982; Grizzle 1984; Whitlatch and Zajac 1985). In contrast, the dominant taxa in the 5 mm community were mainly larger, deep-burrowing polychaetes (e.g. maldanids and nephtyids) that are characteristic of minimal to moderately enriched mud-bottom habitats and late successional stages (McCall 1977; Rhoads and Germano 1982; Maurer et al. 1993). Hence, data from the two size classes of organisms potentially provide complementary information on changes in community structure related to organic enrichment. We propose to continue to monitor both during 2005.

Videography and Epifauna. Bottom video was obtained at all eight monitoring stations during three cruises in 2004 (March 1st, July 7th, and December 3rd) (Figure 7). To date a total of 11 videography cruises have been undertaken since 2002 (Figure 8). A number of the problems that occurred during the earlier cruises have been resolved and we can now obtain good quality video of the seafloor on relatively consistent bases. The major limiting factor is sea conditions. Placement of the camera near the bottom requires relatively low to moderate sea conditions limiting the periods when cruises can occur. However, this problem can be overcome by flexibility in cruise days. The protocol for the quantitative analyses of the video has been developed and we are presently processing the video from the previous cruises. These efforts include capturing images of key sites, quantifying information on bottom habitat and epifauna, and displaying the results. Initial inspections of the video images from 2004 indicate that the habitats and epifauna at the eight monitoring stations show some variability between stations (Figure 9), but no major changes in bottom characteristics have occurred at a station over the period we have obtained video. However, these observations will have to be verified.

Water Quality. Water quality monitoring during 2004 included two components: the routine quarterly monitoring, and an intensive effort aimed at characterizing dissolved wastes from the new fish cage with 32,000 cod. The quarterly data compared well with chemical data from other studies in the western Gulf of Maine (e.g. Benway 1997; Townsend and Christensen 1992). The 2004 data also fell within the ranges reported for each parameter from previous years. This strongly suggests no detectable impacts from the fish cages (Table 6). Most of the data from the intensive sampling effort also indicated no impacts. Samples taken just before the fish were fed showed uniformly low concentrations similar to data collected from the routine monitoring sites (compare data in Table 6 with "Before Feeding" graphs in Figure 10). However, there were instances of strong peaks (most of which, however, also were within the range of ambient concentrations shown in Table 6) in some of parameters from samples taken 1 hour and 3 hours after feeding. There did not, however, appear to be any consistent trends in the data. Hence, at this time it is concluded that this study possibly detected releases of dissolved nutrients from the fish cage, and further studies of similar design are warranted.

Physical Characteristics. Vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, light transmission, flourescence and PAR were taken during the monitoring cruises on February 3, June 10, August 4 and November 9, 2004 (Figures 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15). In general, the water column in winter was cold (<5° C), salty (~33 psu), relatively clear (>75% light transmission) and vertically mixed as indicated by salinity, temperature, and transmissometer profiles on February 5th (Figure 11, 12, and 13). By June 10th the surface salinity decreased to less than 31 psu and the surface temperature had increased to over 10° C resulting in the water column becoming stratified. Also, in summer the clarity of the water column decreased with depth, likely the result of increase phytoplankton productivity as indicated by the flourescence profile (Figure 14). The flourescence profiles were not calibrated in the field and the absolute values are not confirmed. However, the relative trends are considered reliable. By August 4th, the heating of the surface water continued resulting in temperatures exceeding 15° C. By November 9th, the water temperature had cooled to ~10° C, the salinity had increased to ~32 psu, and the water column had become relatively vertically mixed.

Dissolved Oxygen. As stated previously, the primary mechanism for measuring dissolved oxygen at the OOA field site for 2004 was the sensor on the instrument buoy that offers long-term time series observations near the fish pens from a depth of 22 meters (see discussion below). However, the additional measurements conducted during several of the shipboard cruises and the deployment of a data logger with an integrated dissolved oxygen sensor inside the fish cage with the highest density of animals provide insights into the range and variability of the dissolved oxygen levels. In general, dissolved oxygen levels observed in the upper ~27 meters of the water column on August 18th with the YSI 85 sensor were high with saturation values ranging from ~ 90% at ~27 meters to supersaturated near the surface (Figure 16). On November 9th, lower saturation values were observed with values nearer 90% from the surface to a depth of ~25 meters (Figure 17). Dissolved oxygen concentrations determined by chemical analysis on November 9th were slightly higher than the profile determined with the YSI 85 with saturation values of 93% at the surface and a depth of 22 meters (Table 7). A water sample from ~48 meters was 84%. Dissolved oxygen concentrations determined by chemical analysis (Winkler titration) are considered the most reliable. The deployment of the YSI 6600 sensor in the fish pen showed significant variation ranging from near saturation to ~80% over a single day (Figure 18). However, no water samples from this deployment were analyzed for dissolved oxygen using the chemical analysis. Comparisons with other data buoys in the region are presently being conducted (e.g., GoMOOS buoys in Massachusetts and Casco Bays).

2. Observations From The Instrumentation Buoy
Temperature and Salinity. During the 2004 deployment period, temperature and salinity information was obtained from the depths of 1-m, 22-m and 50-m in the water column from the buoy system (Figure 19). In general, the data shows that the water column was well mixed from December to the beginning of March. In March, the winter subsides and the surface waters become warmer with a lower salinity and the water column becomes stratified. The surface waters continue to warm until August when maximum stratification is reached. Then the waters cool from the surface, down until the mixed layer reaches the 22-meter temperatures, and the upper part of the water column continues to cool until the full water column becomes well mixed in November. The bottom temperature continues to warm, until November when the water column becomes well mixed, and then it decreases with the winter cooling and overturning. Salinity will vary seasonally due to winter melt and runoff of fresh water from the Piscataqua and other rivers in the region, and by advection of water around the Gulf of Maine from the Scotian Shelf. The surface waters freshen more then bottom waters, and the strong freshwater spikes in the 1-m data are most probably runoff events from the Piscataqua extending out past the mooring. By mid-July, the water column is fully stratified. Toward the end of the record, there is an indication of a rise in salinity, or return to winter values.

Fluorescence and Turbidity. The SBE16p at 22 meters recorded the optical backscatter (turbidity) and chlorophyll-a fluorescence information from the Sea Point instruments. The data sets obtained from both the Sea Point fluorometer and turbidity sensors are shown on Figure 20. Some discrete fluorescence samples were taken at 5 and 45-meter depths and are also shown on Figure 20 and on Table 8. The techniques to measure fluorescence and turbidity in the water column are not as straightforward and robust as those for temperature and salinity. Since both of these measurements are performed using optical techniques, any growth (bio-fouling) and/or obstructions of the optical path can affect the measurement. An example of bio-fouling on the instrument is shown on Figure 21. It is difficult to correct for this kind of measurement with post-cruise calibrations. Typically in-situ field calibration is required to obtain quantifiable results, and this is often difficult because of the temporal and spatial variability of the water in the coastal Gulf of Maine.

Dissolved Oxygen. The dissolved oxygen instrument is deployed in the middle of the water column at a depth of approximately 22 meters and connected to one of the channels of the SBE16p. It was calibrated by the manufacturer on January 16, 2004. The instrument inherently has an approximate 1% drift per month after the calibration date. It is imperative that this adjustment is made in the post-processing procedures. Code has been written in MATLAB to accommodate the drift. The data sets acquired from the three deployments over the last year were corrected for the 1% drift and are shown in Figure 22.

Also this year, a sampling program has been initiated to obtain discrete samples of water for Winkler titration analysis to determine DO concentrations. On November 9, 2004 a sample was taken from the buoy at a depth of approximately 22 meters (similar to the DO instrument). Two samples were taken but only one was analyzed because the replicate contained air bubbles in the bottle. After the titration analysis, it was found that the sample had a concentration of 8.60 mg/l with a saturation level of 93% (also shown on Figure 22). The corresponding concentration and saturation measured with the instrument was 8.28 mg/l and 89.4%, respectively. The percent difference between the discrete sample and instrument measurement was 3.72%.

Acoustic Doppler Current Profiles. Also included on the mooring for the past year was an upward looking, 300 kHz, RD Instruments (RDI) Workhorse, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). The ADCP was programmed to measure Northgoing and Eastgoing (and Vertical) velocities at 2-meter bins ranging from the depth of 3.3 to 49.3 meters. The basic statistics including the maximum, minimum, mean and standard deviation for each of the Eastgoing and Northgoing components at each depth are provided on Table 9. Notice that the top 6 bins show data sets that were “noisy”. Keep in mind that the individual data sets can be edited, however, so not all of the information is lost. A major source of the “noise” is side lobe reflections off the water surface and buoy which can contaminate the Doppler velocity estimations. Also, the range of the instrument is dependent on the tides that go up and down relative to the instrument, which is somewhat fixed relative to the bottom.

Surface Waves. Accelerometers, located in the well of the buoy, are used to infer surface characteristics of the waves assuming that the buoy of the system follows the wave in the vertical direction (see Ahern, 2002). The accelerometer measurements are processed in a similar manner as the data sets obtained from the wave buoys of the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). This year, however, the electronics board in the well of the buoy had several A/D malfunctions and limited the amount of data acquired. The instrumentation details regarding the malfunctions is provided in the WHOI report “Monitoring and Control of Offshore Aquaculture Systems”. The available data are given in Figure 23.

Tidal Currents. This year, new code was written to process the ADCP data sets to obtain the tidal currents that occur at the site. The set of code to perform the procedure included a package provided by Pawlowicz et al., (2002) called “t_tide”, which can be used to predict tidal constituents from observational data sets. Using these analysis techniques, the lunar, semidiurnal tide (the M2 constituent) was predicted for the ADCP data sets for both 2003 and 2004. To process the data, the 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39 and 43 meter depth bins were analyzed for the respective northgoing and eastgoing components of the M2 tide. The data sets were then depth average for the entire year. The tidal ellipses’ produced are shown in Figure 24.

3. Listed Marine Mammals and Sea Turtles
The occurrence of listed marine mammals and sea turtles in the region and the OOA field site from mid-May to early-October 2004 are shown in Figure 25 and Figure 26. During this period, only two sightings (fin whales) of any listed species were made within 4 km of the study site. Fin and humpback whales were frequently sighted in the general area, but most sightings were 4 km or more from the aquaculture site.

4. Web Serving of Data
The buoy monitoring program is working with the UNH Center of Excellence for Coastal Ocean Observation and Analysis (COOA) to provide data from the OOA monitoring program to “WebCoast” (a Web-based Coastal and Ocean Analysis System) operated by COOA. The goal of WebCoast is to serve data obtained from the Gulf of Maine over the World Wide Web (see www.cooa.unh.edu/data-management). The OOA Monitoring group provides data obtained from the aquaculture site and COOA provides data management resources. Real-time data will still be provided hourly at the website, www.unh.edu/ooa/OOA-Monitor/data/wr. When the buoy system becomes fully operational, so there is a continuous, reliable data set, the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS), and the National Data Buoy Center have expressed interest in also serving this data up on their web sites. (see www.GoMOOS.org, and NDBC.NOAA.gov.).

D. Difficulties Encountered
Instrument Buoy. The telemetry during the past year was reliable, and problems in the past appear to have been overcome. A new radio system was installed at the Seacoast Science Center with a directional Yagi antenna on the roof with radio located in a weather tight on the antenna mast. The power and RS232 signals were then sent over standard wires to the computers in the SSC. The buoy also was updated with a new Freewaves radio and antenna. The main problems this past year were delays in deploying and servicing, some of which were caused by weather (which will not be reduced by having two complete operational systems), and by A/D problems (caused by the addition of the air temperature and PAR circuits) and the way the system evolved with time that made it extremely hard to diagnose and repair problems. These difficulties have been addressed, and upgrades to prevent this problem from reoccurring have been incorporated in the new electronics circuits that will be deployed at the end of this year.

E. Anticipated Success in Meeting Project Objectives on Schedule
We expect to accomplish all tasks and objectives of the project within the scheduled time frame.

F. Reports, manuscripts, and presentations resulting from the project
The OOA monitoring mooring team (Irish, Fredriksson and Boduch) were invited by Sea Technology to write an article on the monitoring buoy with telemetry and selected a picture to be the front cover for the May issue. A number of requests for more information from the international oceanographic community have resulted from this article cited below.

Irish, J.D., D.W. Fredriksson, and S. Boduch (2004). “Environmental Monitoring Buoy and Mooring with Telemetry,” Sea Technology, 45(5), 14-19.

II. Tasks and Activities for Next Reporting period

A. Tasks for the next reporting period
Benthos and Water Quality. The objectives and tasks discussed in section I.A. of this report will continue through the next reporting period. However, it is anticipated that all monitoring protocols will be refined within the requirements of the existing New Hampshire Fish and Game permit and new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements.

Instrument Buoy. We intend to upgrade and improve the instrument buoy. The following lists anticipated activities.

• Addition of Air temperature at 2 meters elevation in radiation shield, (this was started last year, but will be actively deployed the coming year).
• Addition of PAR down-welling irradiance sensor on the mast (this was also started last year, but will be actively deployed the coming year).
• Testing of coil cord telemetry of the 22 meter observations. This technology was started as part of a NASA funded technology development effort, but was never deployed. We will terminate the cable, and deploy it this year to collect data from the 22-m SeaCat and telemeter it to shore for display on the WWW.
• Reworking the lower ADCP frame to hold two acoustic releases, line canisters and floats, and replace midwater flotation and release package to two plastic floats providing about 150 lbs buoyancy. This will make the system easier to retrieve, reduce the mid-water drag and recovery problems, and streamline the system to improve operational efforts.
• Establish a routine procedure for checking and replacing mooring and recovery ropes, and mooring hardware.
• Start documenting the system and methodology for “going operational”
• Recalibrate all of the instruments

B. Brief work plan to accomplish tasks
The monitoring program is in the process of being reviewed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The existing program will be modified to meet any new permitting requirements.

C. Anticipated concerns or difficulties
None.

III. Expenditures
All expenditures for the reporting period were within anticipated levels.

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