Autonomous Water Quality Monitoring in Biscayne Bay Using a Tide-Adjusted Sensor Platform Conference

Cavalcanti, A, Roa, C. (2025). Autonomous Water Quality Monitoring in Biscayne Bay Using a Tide-Adjusted Sensor Platform . OCEANS 2017 - ABERDEEN, 10.23919/OCEANS59106.2025.11245147

cited authors

  • Cavalcanti, A; Roa, C

authors

abstract

  • High-frequency dissolved oxygen (DO) monitoring is essential for understanding hypoxia dynamics and anticipating fish mortality and harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in subtropical estuarine environments. This study deployed autonomous platforms across Biscayne Bay, collecting highresolution measurements of temperature, salinity, turbidity, and water level to evaluate the influence of tidal fluctuations on DO variability. Random Forest models were developed using two configurations: a full model (including temperature, salinity, turbidity, and time of day) and a simplified model (using only temperature, tidal stage, and time of day). The models achieved high predictive accuracy, with validation R2 values exceeding 0.9 in most cases. While tidal stage contributed modestly as a direct predictor, its indirect influence on DO through salinity was evident, particularly at sites near freshwater discharge zones. The strong performance of the simplified model highlights the potential of using water level as a practical proxy for salinity in predictive frameworks. These findings demonstrate the value of combining high-frequency in-situ monitoring with machine learning to advance hypoxia and HAB early warning capabilities in Biscayne Bay and similar estuarine systems.

publication date

  • January 1, 2025

published in

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)