Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Water-Quality Measurements in the Cape Fear River, multiple locations, North Carolina, 2020-2021

Dates

Publication Date: 2023-12-21
Time Period: 2020-10-27
Time Period: 2021-09-15
Time Period: 2021-09-21
Time Period: 2021-09-23

Citation

Bodkin, L.J., 2023, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Water-Quality Measurements in the Cape Fear River, multiple locations, North Carolina, 2020-2021: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9VJ9P4D.

Summary

The Cape Fear River Basin was added to a nationwide program called The Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP) in 2016. SRP is a joint program between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to improve the health of rivers by analyzing how the Corps operates their infrastructure, such as the release of water out of dams. The SRP attempts to analyze the effects from dams and use reservoir operations to enhance and manage downstream (and sometimes in lake) ecosystems. Once a river is in the program, it goes through a formal process to consider e-flows for a basin. This includes gathering technical stakeholders to discuss the issues and potential solutions in the basin, compiling a literature review to gather information [...]

Summary

The Cape Fear River Basin was added to a nationwide program called The Sustainable Rivers Program (SRP) in 2016. SRP is a joint program between The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to improve the health of rivers by analyzing how the Corps operates their infrastructure, such as the release of water out of dams. The SRP attempts to analyze the effects from dams and use reservoir operations to enhance and manage downstream (and sometimes in lake) ecosystems. Once a river is in the program, it goes through a formal process to consider e-flows for a basin. This includes gathering technical stakeholders to discuss the issues and potential solutions in the basin, compiling a literature review to gather information about pre- and post-dam conditions, hosting an e-flow (environmental flow) workshop to draft e-flow prescriptions, modeling the e-flow prescriptions, testing an e-flow, studying the outcomes, and eventually finding a way to make the e-flow part of regular operating procedures. The Cape Fear River Basin was chosen because of its complex human-ecology relationships, the expert stakeholders in the basin, and because the Corps-owned B. Everett Jordan Dam (Jordan Dam) has potential to influence fish and wildlife habitat, water quality, and other natural resources. The Cape Fear River Basin contains over two million people (2010 census), one-fifth of the state’s population. This includes growing urban areas of Durham, Greensboro, Pittsboro, Fayetteville, Wilmington and other cities, which contribute urban runoff into the river, but many of which also get a portion of their drinking water from this waterbody. The basin also supports 95 species of recreational fish, 42 rare aquatic species, as well as streamside habitat containing some of the oldest trees east of the Rocky Mountains; some of which are over 2000 years old (Stahle and others, 2012). Natural and human environments rely on the Cape Fear River, making its water quality and water quantity of the utmost importance.

This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release presents water-quality and bathymetric data measured with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) during spatial surveys in the Cape Fear River near Lock and Dam 1 near Riegelwood, NC in 2020 and at the confluence of the Haw and Deep Rivers near Moncure, NC in 2021. The Cape Fear River Basin is contained entirely within North Carolina and has a drainage area of 3,464 square miles. Four data collection trips were conducted that included 21 surveys. Data from each survey are presented in a CSV file, named with the survey date, time, and location. Data were measured by the AUV and logged at 0.25-second intervals. The AUV was equipped with a YSI EXO1 multiparameter sonde with sensors to measure the following water-quality parameters: water temperature (degrees Celsius; YSI Sensor 599870), specific conductivity (microSiemens per centimeter at 25 degrees Celsius; YSI sensor 599870), phycocyanin fluorescence (relative fluorescence units; YSI sensor 599102-01), chlorophyll fluorescence (relative fluorescence units; YSI sensor 599103-01), dissolved oxygen (milligrams per liter; YSI sensor, 599100-01), and turbidity (formazin nephelometric units; YSI sensor 599101-01) (YSI, 2019). Sensors were calibrated before and checked after, each data collection trip per USGS water-quality sampling protocols (YSI, 2019; Wagner and others, 2006; U.S. Geological Survey, 2018). See Data Quality section for additional information related to calibration and checks. Bathymetric data were measured with an on-board depth sounder and pressure transducer. Parameters include depth from surface, depth to bottom, and total water column. See Data Quality section for additional information related to positional accuracy and corrections.

Contacts

Point of Contact :: Lee J Bodkin
Originator :: Lee J Bodkin
Metadata Contact :: Lee J Bodkin
Publisher :: U.S. Geological Survey
Distributor :: U.S. Geological Survey - ScienceBase
SDC Data Owner :: South Atlantic Water Science Center
USGS Mission Area :: Water Resources

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AUV_metadata_v5.xml Original FGDC Metadata	View	154.76 KB	application/fgdc+xml
File_Info_ver_3.xlsx		14.9 KB	application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
20201027-102853-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		347.57 KB	text/csv
20201027-112037-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		287.29 KB	text/csv
20201027-113753-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		292.79 KB	text/csv
20201027-115433-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		278.59 KB	text/csv
20201027-121607-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		303.33 KB	text/csv
20201027-124005-UTC_-4-Elwell_to_Lock#1_v2-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		1.72 MB	text/csv
20210915-123026-UTC_-4-Confluence_DS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		858.16 KB	text/csv
20210915-133258-UTC_-4-HAW_DS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		920.78 KB	text/csv
20210915-143533-UTC_-4-DEEP_DS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		1.31 MB	text/csv
20210921-091318-UTC_-4-HAW_Confluence_surface-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		886.93 KB	text/csv
20210921-095717-UTC_-4-DEEP_Confluence_surface-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		947.96 KB	text/csv
20210921-104550-UTC_-4-DEEP_Confluence_1mBS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		926.96 KB	text/csv
20210921-120027-UTC_-4-HAW_Confluence_1mBS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		879.56 KB	text/csv
20210921-163956-UTC_-4-Elwell_to_Lock#1_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		1.35 MB	text/csv
20210921-174030-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v3-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		330.44 KB	text/csv
20210921-175633-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v6-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		132.53 KB	text/csv
20210921-180508-UTC_-4-Lock#1_surface_v6_dive-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		124.41 KB	text/csv
20210923-110439-UTC_-4-HAW_Confluence_1mBS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		849.4 KB	text/csv
20210923-115033-UTC_-4-DEEP_Confluence_1mBS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		837.87 KB	text/csv
20210923-131330-UTC_-4-HAW_Confluence_1mBS-IVER3-3086_processed.csv		877.4 KB	text/csv

Purpose

These datasets were created from operating an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), on multiple locations of the Cape Fear River, NC. during October 2020 and September 2021. This effort is a part of the larger Nature Conservancy Sustainable Rivers Program effort on the Cape Fear River, NC. These data provide insight on the processes occurring in the river and various water-quality parameters.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Water-Quality Measurements in the Cape Fear River, multiple locations, North Carolina, 2020-2021

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