High-Frequency Water Quality Measurements from Lough Neagh Buoy

NIEA's Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment Team deployed a multiparameter sonde on a buoy at Rea's Wood, Antrim, as part of a long-term water quality monitoring project. The dataset includes water temperature, dissolved oxygen, phycocyanin, turbidity, and specific conductivity, recorded every 30 minutes and uploaded with a short delay. Data is provisional and non-validated, with sensor accuracy ranges and maintenance schedules provided.

Use Cases

• Modeling algal bloom dynamics based on phycocyanin and turbidity measurements.
• Analyzing diurnal and seasonal dissolved oxygen patterns in a freshwater lake.
• Calibrating water quality models using high-frequency temperature and conductivity data.
• Developing anomaly detection algorithms for sensor malfunction using the provided accuracy ranges.

Strengths

• High temporal resolution with data recorded every 30 minutes.
• Specific sensor accuracy ranges are provided for each measured parameter (e.g., temperature accuracy +/- 0.1°C).
• Probe maintenance occurs every 4-6 weeks, suggesting regular data quality checks.

Limitations

• Data is explicitly non-validated and provisional, subject to revision.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment Team, via OpenDataNI.

Collection Method

Recorded by a multiparameter sonde deployed on a buoy.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-18 11:22:41.978443; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Rea's Wood bathing water site, Lough Neagh, Antrim, Northern Ireland.