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The moorings collect real-time data on water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, chlorophyll fluorescence, and turbidity every 15 minutes. Further details regarding the equipment and specifications of the active mooring stations can be found by selecting the Mooring specifications link. Definitions of common water quality terms found on this site can be found on this glossary page. Note that the mooring data are provisional, see the Disclaimer for more details.

Advances in automated sampling and sensor technology make automated data collection an integral part of water quality monitoring programs. In addition, automated data collection systems create collaborative opportunities for multiple entities working together to characterize a large waterbody. The high-quality data collected by King County through its routine marine monitoring program have provided insight into natural variability and long-term trends in Puget Sound water quality. The frequency of monthly sampling, however, does not adequately capture the high variability in, and the relationships between, marine water quality parameters.

King County partnered with the Seattle Aquarium in November 2007 to deploy its first high-frequency, real-time, marine water quality data collection system in Elliott Bay. Since that time, three additional systems are currently deployed: a piling-mounted system at Dockton Park in outer Quartermaster Harbor, a dock-mounted system in Quartermaster at the Yacht Club (our monitoring partner), and a buoy mounted system off of Point Williams in Central Puget Sound.