The color-coded line on the interactive Google map below displays the actual transect route of the cruise made on July 21, 2010. The cruise was started close to the federal dam at Troy and terminated around Catskill. The duration of the cruise was approximately six hours.
Cruise Transect route
(using the map: + zoom in ; - zoom out)
The route line displayed in the above figure correlates with the horizontal color-coding along the top and bottom of each figures presented below. This kind of representation helps to match the observed data with the location of measurements. In addition, the solid black line in each of the figures below represents the river-bed profile.
Dissolved oxygen
The optical oxygen sensor is uses optical fluorescence technology to detect the amount of oxygen in the water. Dissolved oxygen is an important indicator of ecological health. Red means low concentration of oxygen, blue means higher concentration of oxygen.
Vertical profile of dissolved oxygen along the cruise transect route shown above
Salinity
Salinity is an indicator of the amount of salt present in the water. Red means high salt water concentration whereas blue means low salt water concentration i.e., fresher water.
Vertical profile of Salinity along the cruise transect route shown above
Conductivity
Conductivity is also an indicator of the amount of salt present in the water but expressed in different unit (μs/cm) than salinity (psu). Red means high salt water concentration whereas blue means low salt water concentration i.e., fresher water.
Vertical profile of conductivity along the cruise transect route shown above
Water temperature
In this figure, red indicates warmer water, while blue indicates colder water. Water temperature can vary with the tide and time of day.
Vertical profile of water temperature along the cruise transect route shown above
Particle volume
Total Particle concentration is a measurement of total amount of organic and inorganic particles presence in unit volume of water column. A strong current in either direction can move water and particles from bottom, and can also bring up particles from the ocean, as concentration can change with tidal forces. Normally the particle concentration is expected to be greater at bottom of the river, and less dense at the upper portions of the water column.
Vertical profile of total particle concentration along the cruise transect route shown above
Chlorophyll concentration
A three-channel flurometer (FL3) is a unique instrument that provides data on the presence of biological, physical and chemical particles in the water. Chlorophyll concentration measured by FL3 provides an indirect measure of the phytoplankton biomass (algae). At certain levels, algae can be a food source, but an overabundance can be detrimental to the ecosystem. Red shows a higher concentration of phytoplankton biomass, blue is lower.
Vertical profile of Chlorophyll concentration along the cruise transect route shown above
North Component of Water Current
The ADCP is measuring the speed and direction of the river’s current in meters per second. The figure below presents vertical profile of north component of water current along the transect route of the cruise.Positive north component velocity magnitude indicates that water is moving up the river to the north, i.e. high tide.
Vertical profile of North component of water current (cm/s) along the cruise transect route shown above
East Component of Water Current
The ADCP is measuring the speed and direction of the river’s current in meters per second. The figure below presents vertical profile of east component of water current. Positive east component velocity magnitude indicates that water is moving towards east direction.
Vertical profile of East component of water current (cm/s) along the cruise transect route shown above
Acoustic Backscatter Intensity
This figure displays the vertical profile of acoustic backscatter intensity along the transect route of the cruise. The dark red shows the higher acoustic backscatter intensity, whereas blue shows lower acoustic backscatter intensity. Once this measured raw acoustic backscatter intensity has been adjusted for the attenuation of sound intensity with distance, the higher backscatter intensity indicates higher particle concentration whereas lower acoustic backscatter intensity indicates lower particle concentration.
Vertical profile of Acoustic Backscatter Intensity (decibels) along the cruise transect route shown above
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