Liverpool Bay
LIVBAY Coastal Observatory, 53°32'.0N 003°21'.8W, 13/11/2002 -
These deployments are funded by the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
This new SmartBuoy location in Liverpool Bay is part of the Coastal Observatory study being undertaken in the Irish Sea, coordinated by Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (POL). The site is also a WaveNet location in approximately 22 m water depth. As with other SmartBuoy deployments, the data collected will be used to assess nutrient status and ecosystem response as part of the National Monitoring Programme. In the near future, the data will be used to validate and test ecosystem models.
Measurements of plant nutrient concentrations are derived from two SmartBuoy instruments. Two-hourly measurements of nitrate concentration are made by the NAS2E in situ nutrient analyser, while lower frequency (daily) measurements of nitrate and silicate concentration are derived from laboratory analysis of water samples collected and preserved by the AquaMonitor.
Phytoplankton concentration (biomass) is measured twice per hour using a fluorometer measuring chlorophyll fluorescence.
To aid interpretation of these data, SmartBuoy also takes measurements of conductivity, temperature, suspended sediment concentration and light penetration.
Summary Data
