I am an environmental scientist specializing in aquatic monitoring with particular skills in electronic sensor development, programming, and data analysis.  I have built and maintained scientific buoys and hydrologic monitoring installations in rivers and the near-shore environment.  I managed a network of real-time water-quality buoys in Boston Harbor as part of the Center for Environmental Sensor Networks (CESN).  I developed a low-cost wireless video monitoring system that can be deployed in remote coastal environments, and I have built and deployed this system on a contractual basis for both the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program and the Jones River Watershed Association.  I am a skilled data analyst, and I have experience doing coding in Python, R, Perl, Java, PHP, HTML, SQL, and Visual Basic.

I received a Master’s of Science in Marine Science and Technology from the University of Massachusetts Boston in May 2014.  In my graduate studies, I worked on improving water quality monitoring technologies and analytical methods, and I tested many different sensor applications around Boston Harbor.  My thesis research was focused on using real-time hydrometeorological data and regression models to predict unhealthy fecal bacteria levels in river or beach water.  I presented this research at the National Water Quality Monitoring Council Conference in 2014, and the model I developed for the Charles River is currently being used by the Charles River Watershed Association to notify the public about water quality conditions.  As an independent consultant to CRWA, I helped them set the model up to automatically update online.  I have also worked with Save the Harbor / Save the Bay to develop new water quality models for Boston Harbor beaches.  We worked with the EPA, MA DCR, and MA DPH to prove these models and to make plans for transitioning to these models in 2015.

I am now an independent consultant designing and deploying real-time environmental sensors for clients in eastern Massachusetts.  My recent projects include real-time video cameras in Essex Bay for studying green crab activity, web automation of the real-time Charles River water quality model, and construction of 3 networked water quality monitoring buoys for studying correlations between satellite optical backscatter and CDOM in Boston Harbor.  I am available for environmental sensor projects of any size. My company website can be found at www.coastalsensors.com .

I am an avid sailor, canoer, and kayaker, and I am passionate about protecting the marine environment.

Benjamen Wetherill

Contact:  bwetherill (at) coastalsensors.com