GBCW - News

What's happening

Great Bay Coast Watch has undergone some changes over the past couple of months. As many of you know, Ann Reid, long time coordinator of GBCW, has recently retired. Dari Ward, who is currently the UNH Marine Docent Education Assistant and Karen Diamond, Great Bay Coast Watch Program Assistant have been asked to get the 2009 sampling season up and running with the help of many volunteers.

During the months of January and February, GBCW was to have been going through an external review. Brian Doyle was responsible for gathering and leading this review team. Due to his sudden death in December that process has been delayed. The plan is to have the review take place in the near future.

Our hopes are that this review will give GBCW the fresh start and focused direction to carry our long time volunteer water monitoring group into the future and provide data which is useful in today’s world.

We look forward to the new season with great optimism. Our hopes are that you will join us for another season of monitoring on Great Bay. The long term data that GBCW volunteers have collected provides a valuable resource to those looking at the history and long term health of this important estuary.

A big thank you to all of the volunteers who have helped in the past and those who have helped to get this new season underway!
We look forward to working with all of you!!

Our 2009 sampling season is due to start April 28th. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Dari Ward at dari.ward@unh.edu or 603-749-1565

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Phytoplankton news

This program will be moving to to Great Bay Community College (GBCC) in July 2009 at the end of the current grant. Please contact candace.dolan@unh.edu know if you are interested in joining the Phytoplankton Program or just want to try it on for size.

In monitoring news

Please see the Calendar page for details on monitoring dates. The tidal times and record sheets are on the Water Quality page and in the "Volunteer Kit" on the left.

We have kept a few technique tips for you dealing with pH meters and DO titrations on the site. We are posting these tips due to the number of questions we are receiving about these issues. If you have other issues you would like addressed, contact us, so we can post the answers.

pH Meter Care

1. Keep them clean - some came back with mud and salt crusted on them. They were reading "OR". Please wash them off with fresh water before storing them.

2. Soak them for at lest 30 minuets in buffer 7 (you can use the rinse buffer) at room temperature before you use them.

3. Check the batteries BEFORE you get to the field. We have a battery tester and new batteries at Kingman Farm for you.

If you are confused about when your DO titration is done, we are here to help. Starch clumps! That is its function, and specks are inevitable at some point during titration. To minimize the specks try these tips:

1. Titrate to a light straw color before putting in the starch. The less reaction that needs to happen at this point will lessen the number of specks.

2. Shake the starch a lot then shake it some more. The less clumped up it is, the better it will go into solution. If you store it in the refrigerator (to prevent mold from growing) warm it up to room temperature too, it will break up faster. Do not filter it. You will end up with only water, and no indicator.

2. Only put in the amount of starch you need. Add 2-3 drops and stir. Add one more and stir again, if the solution does not get darker, you do not need to add more starch. If it does get darker, repeat until it does not.

3. Titrate until you see the solution go clear.

4. Stop stirring for a moment and look for specks. Estimate how many are there. Memorize how much sodium thiosulfate (titrant) you have used.

5. Put one more drop of titrant in, and stir for a few moments. Stop stirring, and look to see how many specks are there. If there are less, repeat from step 4 until the amount of specks stops changing. There may be a few left. Ignore them.

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