A cutting-edge monitoring buoy will be deployed in Lake Rerewhakaaitu this year.
The next-generation "profiler" buoy uses an automated, solar-powered winch to record water-quality data. Developed by the University of Waikato in collaboration with Del Monte and iQuest, it advances their current monitoring buoys which are used as far afield as China as well as in Lakes Rotorua, Rotoiti, Rotoehu, Tarawera and Okaro.
The buoys use electronic sensors to measure climate and water-quality variables such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, algae and suspended matter affecting clarity in the water column. Data is recorded every 15 minutes and displayed live on the Bay of Plenty Regional Council website.
University of Waikato technician Chris McBride said the buoys allowed more in-depth analysis.
"By measuring lake conditions much more frequently than would be possible by manual sampling methods, we greatly improve our understanding of how lakes respond to the environment in both the short and long-term," he said.