As the data continues to come in, there are three observations this week that are hopeful.
- The coverage of macroalgae in Georgica Pond is quantitatively decreasing. As of this week, the surface coverage is significantly lower in the north, Eel Cove, and Georgica Cove (see below).
- The salinity remains relatively high at over 18 as of today as compare to 7 a year ago (see below); remember the blue-green algae like low salinity.
- The oxygen levels in Georgica Pond are high. A year ago, oxygen levels were dropping to near zero at night. At 10 mg/L (see below), Georgica Pond has higher oxygen levels than more than 30 sites the Gobler laboratory is currently monitoring across Long Island. One year ago, low oxygen conditions were killing fish in Georgica Pond.
The data below illustrates these trends. For the maps, brown is bottom coverage of the algae, green is surface coverage of the algae, and blue is clear of algae.
