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On The Lake

Installing a weather station on Gull Rock.Researcher Collecting samples of zooplankton from the lake. Weather stations Weather stations in and around the lake will measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind velocity, rainfall, and the amount of sunlight present. Understanding the weather is very important, as it drives or affects many aspects of the Lake George ecosystem. They measure: Wind Speed Wind Direction Temperature Humidity Pressure Rainfall Solar Irradiance Vertical profilers Vertical profilers are self-contained, floating, water-quality measurement stations. Mounted on a floating buoy are solar panels to collect energy, batteries to store the energy, a robotic winch to raise and lower sensors into the lake on a cable, computers to govern the entire system, GPS to monitor position, and communications equipment to transmit the data throughout the Jefferson Project cyber-infrastructure. The profilers are also equipped with weather stations. They measure: Conductivity Temperature pH Dissolved Oxygen Chlorophyll a (an index of phytoplankton) Dissolved Organic Matter Chloride Tributary stations Tributary stations measure many of the same water quality parameters as the vertical profilers as well as the flow and depth of the streams. Such data help researchers to understand the quality of the water flowing into Lake George. They measure: Water flow and level Conductivity Temperature pH ORP (Oxidation-Reduction Potential) Turbidity Dissolved Organic Matter Chloride Dissolved Oxygen Chlorophyll a (an index of phytoplankton) Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) are acoustic sensors that measure the direction and speed of currents within the lake in three dimensions. They are currently deployed on the lake bottom and operate using the principles of SONAR technology, by the reflection of acoustic beams from suspended particles in the water. Ecosystem Monitoring Surveying Given the critical role that organisms in a food web play in determining water quality, the Jefferson Project has initiated an effort to comprehensively sample the food web of the lake, its associated wetlands, and the largest streams that supply the lake with water. In these habitats, we are surveying the plants, plankton, invertebrate animals, and major fish species to determine their abundance and distribution around the lake and throughout the year. These surveys include the monitoring of any invasive species that are present. Lake Coring Sediments skimmed and extracted from the lake bed using cores - hollow tubes pushed several feet into the mud - can offer valuable insight into historic environmental conditions. Researchers analyze samples to determine the presence and abundance of various microscopic plants and animals, as well as information on pollen, chemical isotopes, and metal contaminants. The surface sediment details present-day conditions, while the cores provide a biogeochemical history of the lake - with sediments in the deepest sections reaching back thousands of years. Offshore Chemical Monitoring For more than 35 years, DFWI has maintained the Offshore Chemical Monitoring Program. Begun in 1980 and jointly funded by RPI and The FUND for Lake George, the monitoring program was designed to assess water quality in order to help address concerns related to nutrient loading. Sampling focuses on essential nutrients for aquatic plants (phosphorus, nitrogen and silican compounds), as well as major cations, common anions, oxygen, chlorophyll, and temperature. Measurements are made at biweekly intervals during spring and fall, and at monthly intervals during summer, at a core set of six mid-water stations. Samples are collected using a depth-integrated sampler from the surface to 10-meter depth with grab samples taken at 20-30 meter depths, typically within 1-meter off the lake bottom to characterize the hypolimnetic water. Temperature and oxygen are measured at discrete depths extending to 30-meters to characterize the density structure of the water column and its oxygen concentration. Configure Deploying a vertical profiler. IBM Research scientists examine sensor technology used in the Jefferson Project.Boat pulling a yellow ertical profiler.

Smart Sensor Network

Four types of sensor platforms are being deployed in and around Lake George. They are linked to researchers and supercomputers, providing a continuous stream of observational data on physical and chemical processes within the lake. The sensor platforms consist of multiple sensors and additional “smart technology” computational elements from IBM Research that allow the sensors to perceive their surroundings and communicate with other sensors, and adapt to changing environmental conditions. For example, a smart sensor may communicate with researchers and the sensor network if it detects an unusual reading, or take more measurements in the face of an unusual event, like a storm. The four types of sensor platforms are:

  • Weather Stations
  • Vertical Profilers
  • Tributary Stations
  • Accoustic Doppler Current Profilers

Ecosystem Monitoring

Surveying

Given the critical role that organisms in a food web play in determining water quality, the Jefferson Project has initiated an effort to comprehensively sample the food web of the lake, its associated wetlands, and the largest streams that supply the lake with water. In these habitats, we are surveying the plants, plankton, invertebrate animals, and major fish species to determine their abundance and distribution around the lake and throughout the year. These surveys include the monitoring of any invasive species that are present.

Lake Coring

Sediments skimmed and extracted from the lake bed using cores - hollow tubes pushed several feet into the mud - can offer valuable insight into historic environmental conditions. Researchers analyze samples to determine the presence and abundance of various microscopic plants and animals, as well as information on pollen, chemical isotopes, and metal contaminants. The surface sediment details present-day conditions, while the cores provide a biogeochemical history of the lake - with sediments in the deepest sections reaching back thousands of years. 

Offshore Chemical Monitoring

For more than 35 years, DFWI has maintained the Offshore Chemical Monitoring Program. Begun in 1980 and jointly funded by RPI and The FUND for Lake George, the monitoring program was designed to assess water quality in order to help address concerns related to nutrient loading. Sampling focuses on essential nutrients for aquatic plants (phosphorus, nitrogen and silican compounds), as well as major cations, common anions, oxygen, chlorophyll, and temperature. Measurements are made at biweekly intervals during spring and fall, and at monthly intervals during summer, at a core set of six mid-water stations. Samples are collected using a depth-integrated sampler from the surface to 10-meter depth with grab samples taken at 20-30 meter depths, typically within 1-meter off the lake bottom to characterize the hypolimnetic water. Temperature and oxygen are measured at discrete depths extending to 30-meters to characterize the density structure of the water column and its oxygen concentration.