Long-term Oceanographic Observations in Western Massachusetts Bay Offshore of Boston, Massachusetts: Data Report for 1989-2002

Site A is approximately 1 km south of the new ocean outfall that began discharging treated sewage effluent from the Boston metropolitan area into Massachusetts Bay in September 2000.

These long-term oceanographic observations have been collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in partnership with the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and with logistical support from the U. S. Coast Guard (USCG). This report presents time series data collected through December 2002, updating a similar report that presented data through December 2000 (Butman and others, 2002). The long-term observations at these two stations are part of a USGS study designed to understand the transport and long-term fate of sediments and associated contaminants in the Massachusetts Bays (see //woodshole.er.usgs.gov/project-pages/bostonharbor / and Butman and Bothner, 1997).