Water Quality Monitoring
Biscayne Bay Water Watch Sampling
February 2018
On February 5, 2018, SeaKeepers participated in the Biscayne Bay Water Watch (BBWW) aboard a 28′ Cobra. SeaKeepers took water samples from Biscayne Bay, around the Venetian Causeway and Julia Tuttle Causeway. The BBWW is a citizen-science based volunteer water quality monitoring program developed and managed by the UF/IFAS (University of Florida | Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) Sea Grant Extension Program in Miami-Dade County. Participants provide data concerning water temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen while further analyses document levels of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, ammonia, silica, and chlorophyll a. The monthly data collection helps to track harmful algal blooms, changes in water quality, and provides a metric for assessing the health of Biscayne Bay.
Local volunteers collect water samples at one or more assigned locations in Biscayne Bay on a monthly schedule using personal vessels. Participants are trained one-on-one by the local Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent to collect and analyze the samples using a standardized protocol and equipment provided through the initiative. SeaKeepers has continually supported this initiative with a number of local vessels donating time aboard to collect the water samples in Biscayne Bay.
Partner Sites:
Biscayne Bay Water Watch
Miami Dade Sea Grant
Fleet Miami
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