The Great Bay Watch Annual Report: January-December 1997

The Great Bay Estuary is one of the two major estuaries in New Hampshire. The watershed of the estuary involves eight rivers, Little Bay and Great Bay, and extends between Kingston, in Southern New Hampshire and southwestern Maine. The Great Bay Watch is a volunteer estuarine monitoring group of adults, teachers and students who sample and test several water quality parameters of the estuary, including dissolved oxygen, temperature, water transparency, salinity, pH and fecal coliform bacteria. The Watch has been in operation for the past eight years. The data in this report has been presented both numerically and graphically. Comparisons between sites have been made comparing mean values, however further statistical analysis need to be done. The Great Bay Watch intends to continue its monitoring and educational program and is actively seeking sustained funding to support its efforts.