Anita Milman and Team Find an Underreporting of Low-Oxygen Events in Buzzards Bay
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Scientists in Buzzards Bay, off the coast of southern Massachusetts, are using new, high-tech sensors that measure oxygen levels in the water. Early findings are revealing that the bay’s water quality is significantly worse than previously recorded by manual sampling.
Data from 20 low-cost sensors, which take readings every 10 minutes, suggest that a major monitoring program has been missing 40% to 50% of low-oxygen events. These events can suffocate marine life, disrupt food webs, and lead to "dead zones" where few organisms can survive.
While scientists hope to expand the use of these sensors, they’re also working to understand how this technology can complement the long-standing efforts of local volunteers who’ve monitored the bay weekly each summer for decades.
The New Bedford Light recently examined this work, and describes how UMass scientists such as Anita Milman, a professor in the College of Natural Sciences’s Department of Environmental Conservation, are involved in the effort:
"The researchers collaborated with UMass-Amherst data scientists to develop systems for managing the data. They analyzed the results, and compared them to the data they got from Baywatchers.
The Woodwell team also analyzed 30-plus years of Baywatchers data for trends in dissolved oxygen levels. Anita Milman, a UMass-Amherst professor of environmental conservation, and her research team also surveyed Baywatcher volunteers in the fall about their motivations for participating in the program."
— The New Bedford Light
Click here to learn more in The New Bedford Light.