BOURNE – A continuous particle imaging classification system (CPICS) is being installed on Tuesday in the Cape Cod Canal.
The next generation system will be installed on the Bourne Tidal Test Site (BTTS) structure by members of Coastal Ocean Vision and MRECo.
It will take samples of the water to identify, quantify and characterize species of phytoplankton and zooplankton and possible microplastics that are flowing through the canal.
Once installed, the sensor will be on the test structure for up to a year.
Data will be aggregated at the BTTS and transmitted in near real time.
It will then be available on the Coastal Ocean Vision web site.
The installation is part of a project that has to quantify and characterize plankton community structure at the BTTS and to track microplastics coming from the Deer Island Sewerage Treatment plant located in Boston Harbor as they transit the canal and make their way into Buzzards Bay.
NOAA Sea Grant is funding the project to better understand the retention efficiency of microplastics by waste water treatment facilities.
The sensor will also be able to detect and classify Harmful Algal Bloom Species that cause the red tide.
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