Transects of near-surface continuous water-quality data and vertical profiles of the same parameters were collected over a 24-hour period from September 7 to September 8, 2023 in the Arthur Kill. The Arthur Kill is a tidal strait located between Staten Island, New York, and Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey, and connects Newark Bay to the north and Raritan Bay to the south. It is a major shipping channel for the Port of New York and New Jersey surrounded by industrial and highly developed land. Transects were collected using a Yellow Springs Instruments (YSI) EXO2 series water-quality sonde with a 5-second data collection interval while the boat was in motion. Vertical profiles of water-quality parameters were collected using a YSI EXO2 series water-quality sonde with 1-second data collection interval. A stationary YSI EXO2 series water-quality sonde collecting 5-minute data at a depth of approximately 1 meter was deployed in the waterway during this time as a point of reference. Data are stored in three zip files: 1) the near-surface continuous transect data, 2) the vertical profile data, and 3) the stationary sonde data. In addition, the continuous transect data can be viewed as an online webmap: https://ny.water.usgs.gov/maps/arthurkillwaterquality