Thanks to a collaborative project between the SCCF Marine Lab and the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, researchers from both organizations will soon have easier access to water quality data from the waters of the refuge.

“Even during the current pandemic, our two organizations have been able to work together to continue vital monitoring activities within the refuge,” said Marine Lab Research Assistant Kevin Jones.

The National Wildlife Refuge maintains two remote water quality monitoring stations near Wildlife Drive, the popular and scenic drive that traverses four miles of Sanibel’s backwaters and mangrove swamps and gives visitors a chance to see the refuge’s unique wildlife. 

When it was built in the 1970s, this drive cut across parts of the refuge’s backwater habitats, turning them into impoundments with the water level determined by adjustable water control structures underneath the road rather than natural tidal flushing.

“The goal of the water quality stations is to study the effects that this artificial control of the impoundment water levels might be having on water quality in the refuge,” said Jones.

While the National Wildlife Refuge owns these two stations, they rely on the expertise of SCCF Marine Lab staff to keep them up and running. Both stations use a YSI sonde, a compact device that measures multiple water quality parameters simultaneously.

The marine lab uses the same type of instruments for our field sampling projects. Data from the stations is transmitted by a cellular modem, and over the last few weeks Marine Lab Manager A.J. Martignette and Jones have been working on installing new and improved data loggers at both sites. Using the old system, data was transmitted to a single computer in the wildlife refuge offices, making it difficult to access.

The new data loggers will broadcast data to a website where refuge and marine lab staff can view it at any time, even while working from home. One station is currently up and running on the new system, and the other station will be upgraded soon”.

“While all of us at SCCF and the refuge are eager for the day when we can return to business as usual, we are grateful that technology like these water quality stations allows us to continue our research from home,” said Martignette.

To learn more about the marine lab’s work visit http://www.sccf.org/our-work/marine-laboratory.