Monitoring Program Design - Coastal Lagoons: Ecosystem Processes and Modeling for Sustainable Use and Development - page 310

flows, and backflows. More than one flow in different directions may occur in the
water column at one time. These flows may be subject to considerable temporal
variation and have a tremendous influence on lagoon hydrodynamics (e.g., for tidal
lagoons).
The equipment needed includes standard meteorological and hydrological equip-
ment; furthermore, a number of new technical developments should be applied to
measuring hydrodynamic parameters, including the use of unattended equipment on
buoys which relay continuous data records and remote sensing techniques. In fact,
hydrodynamic modeling has been made possible due to technical development of
measuring equipment.
Hydrodynamic modeling is a crucial component for the development of most
types of emergency decision support systems. Currently, considerable effort is being
devoted to developing hydrodynamic models for operational aspects in oceanography
such as the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the High Resolution
Operational Model of the Baltic Sea (HIROMB).

7.2.2 M ONITORING FOR P HYSICAL P ARAMETERS

Physical parameters are usually related to identification of three-dimensional properties
of water masses. These properties usually include parameters defining water density
structure (water salinity and temperature), which should be measured as vertical pro-
files at the lagoon entrances and at monitoring points given in the above section.
In addition, monitoring of the following optical parameters may be necessary
for some modeling aspects at the entrances and inside the lagoon:

• Depth attenuation of solar radiation
• Secchi depth
• Water turbidity
•

Inorganic suspended matter

Methodology for measuring these physical parameters is discussed in various
guidelines for monitoring programs. 7-9
Remote sensing is a useful tool applied for such parameters as water temperature,
turbidity, surface water color, and ice cover.

7.2.3 M ONITORING FOR C HEMICAL P ARAMETERS

Chemical parameters given below relate to eutrophication and contamination of
water masses and are usually recorded as:

• Oxygen
• Hydrogen sulphide (under anoxic conditions)
•pH
• Alkalinity
• Total inorganic carbon
• Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds and sometimes silicates)
• Particulate and dissolved organic carbon