What does Secchi depth tell you?

A Secchi disk is an 8-inch (20 cm) disk with alternating black and white quadrants. It is lowered into the water of a lake until it can no longer be seen by the observer. This depth of disappearance, called the Secchi depth, is a measure of the transparency of the water.

How is Secchi depth calculated?

Secchi Disk Protocol:

1. Slowly lower the Secchi disk into the water on the shady side of the boat until it is no longer visible.
2. Slowly raise the disk until it just becomes visible once again.
3. Average the depths from steps 1 and 2 to get the Secchi depth.
4. This may be repeated for a measurement of precision.

What ecological factor is measured with Secchi?

Turbidity: Is measured by slowly sinking a weighted white disc called a secchi disc into the water, noting the depth at which it just cannot be seen anymore.

Is there a relationship between turbidity and Secchi depth?

The secchi depth is the depth of water beyond which a high-contrast pattern on a submerged disk is no longer visible. where Secchi Depth is in feet, Tbdy is turbidity in FNU, the “x” is the sympol for multiplication, and the “^” is the symbol for exponentiation.

How does the depth of Secchi depth affect the algal concentration and lake productivity?

Algae and suspended particles from erosion make the water cloudy and decrease the Secchi transparency in a lake; therefore, the lower the Secchi depth, the higher the algal concentration and lake productivity.

How does Secchi disk measure turbidity?

A Secchi Disk is a simple way to measure turbidity. The Secchi disk is lowered into the water until it is no longer visible, and that depth is measured. Secchi depth values that are high indicate clearer water, and low Secchi depths indicate high turbidity.

How do you measure turbidity?

The best way to measure turbidity in a wide variety of samples is with a nephelometer, also known as a turbidity meter. Turbidity meters utilize a light and photo detector to measure light scatter, and read out in units of turbidity, such as nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) or formazin turbidity units (FTU).

Are FNU and NTU the same?

For example, a Formazin Nephelometric Unit (FNU) is similar to a Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU) in that both measure scattered light at 90 degrees from the incident light beam, but the FNU is measured with an infrared light source according to the ISO 7027 method whereas the NTU is measured with a white light …

How important does the Secchi disc in measuring water transparency?

Regularly recording Secchi disk measurements indicate water clarity trends before and after management. They help monitor management success and can be useful for determining whether and when any additional treatments are necessary.

How does a Secchi disk measure water turbidity?

How do you calculate turbidity?

How Do We Measure Turbidity? Turbidity is commonly measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU). The nephelometric method compares how light is scattered in a water sample against the amount of light scattered in a reference solution. An electronic hand-held meter is often used to measure turbidity.

How does the depth of Secchi disk affect the algal concentration and lake productivity?