Click here for details
Past RECON News Stories
New RECON Website
Over the coming weeks will be transitioning to a brand new RECON website! The new site will still provide all of the near real-time data RECON has become known for, but it will do it in a much better capacity. The new site will be fully responsive, meaning it will work on a desktop computer and well as tables and smartphone with ease. The graphs will be interactive rather than static images, meaning you will be able to easily zoom in for more detail. In addition to the standard data the new site will provide contextual context for the data, helping to better convey how the values RECON is measuring affect the local ecosystem.
During this upgrade process the current RECON website may be offline at random times. Additionally data from the RECON sensors may be delayed by several days, as the sensors are reprogramed to send data to the new website. We apologize for any inconveniences during this process, but we know the new website will be wort it!
New RECON Site
A new RECON Site has been established at the mouth of McIntyre Creek, in the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. This station replaces the old Blind Pass site, which was discontinued due to logistical problems in 2013.
GCOOS Highlights RECON
The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) provides timely information about the environment of the United States portion of the Gulf of Mexico and its estuaries for use by decision-makers, including researchers, government managers, industry, the military, educators, emergency responders, and the general public. SCCF is a member and contributing data partner of GCOOS and was recently highlighted by them in this great ARTICLE
New RECON River Site
We have established a new RECON site in the Caloosahatchee River. The sensor that had previously been deployed in Moore Haven, has been relocated down the River off of Beautiful Island, approximately one mile downstream from the I75 overpass. This new location will help fill in a data gap for conditions in the upper estuarine section of the River.
RECON to Add Meteorological Sensors to Network
Thanks to a grant from the West Coast Inland Navigation District (WCIND) we will be adding meteorological sensors to three of the RECON sites, starting in late 2011. Once installed these sensors will be the first meteorological sensors in the county located on the water. The data collected from these sensors will complement the underwater RECON sensors and help link atmospheric conditions to changes in water conditions. The data will be easily accessible from the RECON website and available in an optimized format for viewing on mobile devices; allowing easy access by boaters while out on the water!
RECON Grows
SCCF has expanded RECON! With the installation of a new sensor at the mouth of Tarpon Bay, on Sanibel, RECON now receives real-time water quality data from seven locations in and around Southwest Florida.
RECON’s Mobile Website
RECON launches a new and improved mobile website. In addition to the latest data table view, users now have easy access to data in a graphical form. For more information click here: http://www.recon.sccf.org/wireless/index.shtml.
RECON and Crude Oil Detection
RECON's CDOM fluorometer is very sensitive to crude oil. It can detect anything that fluoresces blue when excited by UV light, which would include crude oil, colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) as well as hydrocarbons. The RECON turbidity sensor would also be able to detect the presence of droplets of oil because oil scatters light similar to particles in the water.
The RECON units stationed upstream would likely not be able to distinguish crude oil from CDOM and turbidity because of background interference. However, if high CDOM value appears at sites that are typically low in CDOM--such as the Gulf of Mexico and Redfish Pass sensors--it can be an indicator of the presence of hydrocarbons from crude oil. Should oil sheens or tarballs be predicted in the forecast to appear near Sanibel, SCCF's Marine Lab can deploy a mobile RECON sensor package to obtain broad geographic coverage of the oil and collect validation samples.
Since there can still be freshwater input from the Caloosahatchee bringing some CDOM and turbidity into San Carlos Bay, a high reading on the RECON Gulf of Mexico or Redfish Pass sensors does not necessarily mean oil is present, however it would alert Marine Lab scientists to collect a water sample and test it with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry to confirm whether or not it is oil.
For further information, click here for Client Advisories from the manufacturer of the fluorometer used in the RECON sensor, WET Labs:
Crude Oil Detection with WET Labs Fluorometers
Laboratory Experiments with Crude Oil Detection Using WET Labs Fluorometers
RECON Data on Your Phone
RECON data is available on any web-enabled mobile phone. Visit http://recon.sccf.org/wireless/index.shtml to learn how to quickly access summary tables optimized for viewing on a mobile device. These tables display the most recent RECON data.
Record Low Temperatures
Record low air temperatures during the first part of January 2010 have caused the water temperature to drop the coldest temperatures observed since RECON's establishment in July 2007. Click here to read more.
Blind Pass Reopening
After eight months of dredging Blind Pass has now been reopened. To view a slide show of the transition of Blind Pass click here. To learn how the marine laboratory is monitoring the effects of the opening on water quality click here.
Hypoxic Conditions Detected Using RECON in the Caloosahatchee River
Download a PDF of the story.
