Mendenhall Fellows Noa Randall and Rachel Allen Do Fieldwork

Noa Randall and Rachel Allen are installing an optical turbidity sensor on the mudflats in Wellfleet harbor, to pair with the altimeter run by the Center for Coastal Studies.  The Herring River, which drains into Wellfleet Harbor, is slated to have its 100-yo dam removed in the next 6 months, with the potential to dramatically increase the sediment load and suspended sediment concentrations in Wellfleet Harbor.  The shallow parts of Wellfleet Harbor (where this sensor is located) have commercial oyster beds; an increase in sediment in the Harbor could negatively impact the farms and the oyster industry in Wellfleet.  The hope with this work is to observe the change in sediment dynamics in the tidal flats sea-ward of the Herring River in response to the modification of the dam.