Calibration of the transparency tube for estimating turbidity in estuarine systems

Abstract

Turbidity, quantified in turbidity units (nephelometric or formazin), is a common and valid measure of water quality related to transparency. A transparency tube (TT) is an economical tool developed to estimate water clarity as an alternative to the Secchi disk, but it is also frequently used to estimate turbidity. Although the relationship between TT measures and turbidity is well characterized for freshwater river and lake systems, this relationship has not been tested for estuarine waters. The objective of the current study was to empirically determine the TT–turbidity relationship for estuarine waters in coastal South Carolina (SC) and compare these results with the traditional freshwater system conversions. We obtained 107 measurements of TT depth, turbidity, total suspended solids, colored dissolved organic matter absorbance, Secchi depth, and chlorophyll a at 22 estuarine locations in SC over a 1-year period. Linear regressions provide conversion equations that can be applied to SC estuarine waters. The TT–turbidity relationship for estuaries was compared with freshwater systems. Our results suggest that the slope of the relationship differs between systems (−1.11 vs. −1.41), resulting in different turbidity estimates for TT measurements for estuarine vs. inland waters. We propose a combined conversion table incorporating estuarine and freshwater (riverine and lacustrine) systems. A TT–turbidity conversion for coastal SC and similar estuarine waters significantly benefits current water quality programs and citizen science groups by producing more accurate turbidity estimates for screening and routine monitoring efforts.