WATER QUALITY MONITORING
WHY DO WE MONITOR WATER QUALITY?
Water quality is extremely important not only to the plants and animals within the IRL, but also to the health of the citizens within the Lagoon communities. The best way to understand the quality of water is to monitor it closely. Water monitoring technologies allow us to monitor the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the Lagoon, which can point to signs of trouble, expand our knowledge base regarding the Lagoon ecosystem, and aid us in making informed decisions that lead to actionable steps improve the overall quality of life for all organisms within the Lagoon.
FAU-HARBOR BRANCH IRL OBSERVATORY NETWORK (IRLON)
The Indian River Lagoon Observatory (IRLO), based at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, is conducting long-term, multi-disciplinary, ecosystem-based research regarding the Lagoon. Their research is being enhanced by the Indian River Lagoon Observatory Network of Environmental Sensors (IRLON), an estuarine observation and prediction network that provides real-time, high-accuracy and high-resolution water quality/weather data.
THE ORCA KILROY WATER MONITORING SYSTEM
The Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA) created the water monitoring technology known as Kilroy™. Hardly larger than a football, at a fraction of the cost of other sensors, Kilroy™ nimbly monitors the water’s speed, direction, temperature, depth and has the ability to work with other manufacturer’s instruments. It does so, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, monitoring the vital signs of our living waters.