West Gabbard
West Gabbard SmartBuoy, 51°59'.0N 002°05'.0E, 28/08/2002 -
These deployments form part of the National Marine Monitoring Programme (NMMP) funded by the UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
The Gabbard SmartBuoy has been moved in August 2002 to the West Gabbard site in the southern North Sea, about 9NM closer to shore. This new position is also one of the first WaveNet locations in approximately 32 m water depth. As previously, the SmartBuoy will be used to observe the dynamics of plant nutrients and the growth of phytoplankton.
Measurements of plant nutrient concentrations are derived from two SmartBuoy instruments. 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 4 times 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
