Pictured above is YSI Xylem representatives Brock Houston and Scott Wolf showing students the YSI Xylem EXO2 Multi-Parameter Water Quality Monitoring sonde.
On October 6th and 8th, undergraduate students from University of South Florida (USF) St. Petersburg environmental science lab made a field trip to the Clam Bayou water quality and meteorological station. The Clam Bayou station is operated through a partnership with YSI Xylem and the USF Coastal Ocean Monitoring Program.
During the tour, the students learned about the YSI Xylem EXO2 Multi-Parameter Water Quality Monitoring sonde from YSI Xylem representatives Brock Houston and Scott Wolf. The sonde measures salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, water temperature, turbidity, chlorophyll, blue green algae, and fluorescent dissolved organic matter and depth. This water quality data augments the meteorological measurements from the same location which include air temperature, wind speed and gust, relative humidity, precipitation, and barometric pressure. Clam Bayou serves as a demonstration site highlighting the value of coastal environment data.
Students compared different methods for measuring water quality. The sonde provided an example of in situ autonomous water quality monitoring. The students then learned more traditional field sampling methods where they collected water and took the samples back to the lab for testing. Once testing is complete, they will compare their results to the sonde data.
Related news
SECOORA Webinar | WebCOOS and Water Levels: Web Cameras for Coastal Flood Insights
On October 21st at 12 PM ET, SECOORA is hosting a webinar with investigators from the Webcam Coastal Observation System (WebCOOS) project team and the WebCOOS Project Manager. Web cameras are a low-cost technology that can be used to document flooding impacts to coastal communities. Register here.
SECOORA Funding Opportunity Announcement: Letters of Intent Solicitation
SECOORA will submit a coordinated regional proposal in response to the anticipated FY 2026 Implementation of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) funding opportunity. Letters of Intent to be considered for inclusion in SECOORA’s full proposal are due September 9, 2025.
SECOORA Hosts the First Surface Elevation Table (SET) Community of Practice Virtual Workshop
The SECOORA SET Workshop was virtual on July 17, 2025. More than 50 Community of Practice members and stakeholders joined this collaborative workshop to discuss SET monitoring, coastal resilience, and data-driven decision making in the Southeast.