Tide Pool Water Quality Monitoring (2013)
Water quality measurements have been conducted on three of the island’s larger tide pools. Each of the tide pools are exposed during low tide and are located in different elevations in the intertidal zone. Tide pool #1, the largest (surface area and volume) of the three tide pools, is located highest in the intertidal zone and generally only floods during spring high tides. In contrast, tide pool #3 is the shallowest of the three tide pools (high surface area:volume ratio). Both tide pools #2 and #3 flood during each high tide.
Tide Pool #1
Tide Pool #2
Tide Pool #3
Graduate students from Southern Connecticut State University monitor the water quality of Outer Island tide pools each year in July. Monitoring occurs during the daylight hours (morning-afternoon) on a single day. Measurements are taken hourly during a rising or descending tide. Water quality parameters monitored included: water temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and pH.
