Once a month, in the wee hours of a clear morning, a group of “citizen scientists” break into teams, set sail, and drop anchor at coordinated points in the Coles and Lees Rivers, and at the mouth of Mount Hope Bay. 

For Kevin Munroe and his son, Luke, this means boarding his 22-foot “bowrider” vessel with one of Swansea’s Conservation Commissioners Nanci Hedgcorth and working with several high-tech instruments that measure the temperature, depth, and oxygen saturation of the water.

Luke collects the brackish water one would find, or attempt to swim in, off Swansea’s coast, while Hedgcorth throws many an instrument overboard, shielding her eyes from sun as she jots copious notes. 

This summer marks the third year that volunteers have been collecting water samples to be delivered to UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology laboratories in New Bedford.

Read more at heraldnews.com.