Connecting Forests, Estuaries, and Oceans: Building an Integrated Monitoring Network at the University of New England

Understanding how coastal ecosystems respond to climate change requires observing entire watersheds, from forests through estuaries to the open ocean. To support this work, the University of New England has built an integrated, real-time monitoring network spanning the coastal portions of the Saco River watershed into Saco Bay in southern Maine.

In this webinar, Dr. Will Kochtitzky of the University of New England's School of Marine and Environmental Programs will present the design, deployment, and early findings from this monitoring network. The system integrates HOBOnet wireless weather and aquatic stations, BlueSonde water quality sensors, and Sofar Ocean Spotter buoys into a unified data infrastructure, providing near real-time dashboards that support research, student training, and municipal decision-making throughout southern Maine.

Webinar topics include:

• Architecture of a multi-environment sensor network spanning terrestrial, estuarine, and coastal ocean settings
• Deployment and maintenance of HOBOnet wireless weather and aquatic stations, BlueSonde water quality buoys, and Sofar Spotter wave buoys in dynamic coastal environments
• Using LI-COR Cloud® dashboards for near real-time monitoring, visualization, and community data access
• Early findings from the highly dynamic Saco River Estuary, including wave climate, water quality gradients, and storm impacts
• Lessons learned in building an integrated monitoring network that serves teaching, research, and municipal stakeholders simultaneously

Whether you're developing a new environmental monitoring program or expanding an existing one, this webinar will provide practical strategies for integrating multiple sensor platforms, leveraging cloud-based data visualization, and delivering real-time environmental information across connected watershed and coastal ecosystems.