Before we started monitoring the water quality of Casco Bay, no one knew how healthy or polluted the Bay actually was. Thanks to the data we have been collecting at dozens of shoreside and offshore sites, we can state that the water temperature of Casco Bay has risen by 2.5°F, on average, since 1993.
Our long-term data set is enhanced by our Continuous Monitoring Station that has been monitoring the health of the Bay hourly, 365 days a year, since 2016. Anchored below a pier in Yarmouth, it provides the frequent, high-volume stream of data necessary to accurately track changes that may impact the oysters, clams, lobsters, and eelgrass within the Bay.
“Climate change is happening so rapidly, we needed to add to the way we collect data,” observed Research Associate Mike Doan. Since July 20, 2016, our Continuous Monitoring Station has been gathering data around the clock, all year long. Each month, we post information on 10 measures that document water quality at our monitoring site in Yarmouth, near the coastal midpoint of Casco Bay.
Our Monitoring Station is fondly nicknamed the “Cage of Science” because its high-tech sensors are housed inside a converted lobster trap. These instruments measure temperature, salinity, oxygen, pH, carbon dioxide, and more.
These data help us gain new insights—and new questions–on the health of the Bay. Others are finding these data useful, too. Scientists use our data to inform their own research. Policy makers refer to our data to support legislative action on climate change. Classroom teachers have their students analyze our data to launch discussions on what humans can do to improve water quality. Recently, we discovered that young visitors to the Children’s Museum & Theatre of Maine measure the temperature and salinity of the Museum’s touch tank and compare their readings to our real-world data on Casco Bay.
We have posted our data online for all to see. Visit cascobay.org to see for yourself how Casco Bay is changing month by month.
The news media have recently reported on our plan to expand our array of Continuous Monitoring Stations to get a better understanding of the dynamics of Casco Bay:
The Maine Ocean Climate Collaborative Provides a Model to Move Maine Forward
May 11, 2023Studying changing coastal ecosystems comes with unique challenges – Friends of Casco Bay and our partners are taking them on. Friends of Casco Bay is facilitating the newly formed Maine Ocean Climate Collaborative, a coalition of scientists and marine organizations from the University of New Hampshire to the border of… Read more
Nab Data Suggest Land-Based Sources Contribute to Nitrogen Pollution
April 27, 2023166 volunteers collected water samples from Portland Harbor to help measure and address nitrogen pollution. Here is what we found. It was a sweltering summer morning on August 7, 2022 when 166 volunteers descended on Portland Harbor to collect water samples for nitrogen analysis. After sending the 178 samples collected… Read more
Mike’s Field Notes: Warm Winter Waters in Casco Bay
April 7, 2023In this 4 minute video, Staff Scientist Mike Doan breaks down the data from our Continuous Monitoring Station in Yarmouth that show this past winter was unusually warm for Casco Bay. In addition to watching Mike’s video, you can read about these data and the many impacts of warming waters (such… Read more
“Staggering” loss of eelgrass habitat in Casco Bay
March 24, 2023More than half of the critical and federally protected seagrass meadows in Casco Bay disappeared between 2018-2022. Eelgrass meadows in Casco Bay have declined in size by 54 percent over the past four years, a loss described as “staggering” in a new report from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). This… Read more
Continuous Monitoring Station Data Show Warm Winter
March 2, 2023If you were to swim in Casco Bay on a winter day, you would probably be thinking one thing: cold! But for marine life, it’s a different story. Especially this winter. Data from our Yarmouth Continuous Monitoring Station show Casco Bay is about 4°F warmer than the past seven winters,… Read more
Water Reporters document historic flooding
January 12, 2023On Friday, December 23, Water Reporter Brian Beckman looked out the window from his home in Phippsburg to see the West Point Wharf flooded at high tide. That day, the combination of an astronomically high tide and strong, southeasterly winds had the potential to cause much damage to the wharf.… Read more