The data above came from a HydroCAT-EP multiparameter probe moored in an estuary near Savannah, Georgia. The highlighted section shows a sudden change in the temperature and salinity data that lasted for approximately 4 days, and continued with smaller effects for days after. What could have caused this turn, and what do you think happened to the other parameters measured by the instrument?
These data were collected in 2016 as Hurricane Matthew swept across Georgia’s coast. On March 7, 2016, heavy weather struck the monitoring site where a HydroCAT-EP was installed. Because this sensor simultaneously measures several parameters (temperature, conductivity, pressure, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll fluorescence, and turbidity), the instrument captured the unique signals of the hurricane. The most notable features include a sudden drop in salinity that barely rose with tidal inflow, and increased turbidity for several days after the hurricane.