Bird Monitoring Protocol for Agate Fossil Beds …

Bird Monitoring Protocol for Agate Fossil Beds … Stream and Lake Monitoring Protocol SOP 16 – Quality Assurance and Quality Control, v. 1.0, Page 1 of 4 Stream and Lake Monitoring Protocol Arctic Network National Parks and Preserves, Alaska Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) # 16 Quality Assurance and Quality Control Version 1.0 (November 2007) I Revision History Log: Prev. Revision Author Changes Made Reason for Change New Version # Version # Date This SOP provides the procedures for quality assurance and quality control for water quality of streams and lakes in the Arctic Network (ARCN) under this protocol. Many aspects of the ARCN QA/QC program are discussed in the Stream and Lake Limnology Monitoring Narrative. Detailed information regarding the target population, representativeness, and completeness as well as information regarding data comparability can be found in the narrative. Because it is essential that QA/QC be implemented at every phase of the program additional QA/QC information regarding particular methods can be found in individual SOPs. SOPs specifically related to water quality include SOP 8: Continuous Lake Monitoring, SOP 17: Water Chemistry Field Data and Sample Collection, and SOP 21: Field Processing of Water Samples. These three SOPs explain in detail several aspects of QA/QC including: measurement sensitivity, measurement precision, systematic error and blank controls. We also have outlined QA/QC procedures in several other SOPs not directly related to water quality (see individual SOPs for in lake sampling.) The information outlined here represents the preliminary phase of developing a complete Quality Assurance Project Plan. Because many of the SOPs for shallow lake monitoring are subject to review and revision a detailed plan has not been developed. Once the general plan for sampling has been accepted and revised we intend to develop (adopt) a detailed QAPP. We expect to begin developing this plan in fiscal year 200? and will have completed it by the summer 200? (our first non-pilot field season). Arctic Network November, 2007 Stream and Lake Monitoring Protocol SOP 16 – Quality Assurance and Quality Control, v. 1.0, Page 2 of 4 II Approach An extensive review of literature revealed that little work has been conducted on shallow lakes in the boreal forest, and surprisingly little is known about shallow lake ecosystems in Alaska. The work that has been done typically reported incomplete methodology or used methods that are inappropriate to the broad-scale and remote nature of the ARCN vital signs monitoring project. Because of these factors, we were required to combine elements of multiple study designs into a model we felt best suited the logistic and budgetary restraints of the program, yet maintained scientific integrity. As a result we were unable to simply adopt a developed QA/QC program. To compensate for this, the ARCN has been using a variety of established QA/QC programs to build a sound monitoring program these programs include: 1. Guidelines and Standard Procedures for Continuous Water-Quality Monitors: Site Selection, Field Operation, Calibration, Record Computation, and Reporting Water-Resources Investigations Report 00-4252 By Richard J. Wagner, Harold C. Mattraw, George F. Ritz, and Brett A. Smith 2. Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Fish and Game Additionally we have relied heavily on Part B of the Vital Signs Long-Term Aquatic Monitoring Projects document generated by Roy Irwin with WRD. III Representativeness, Target Population, and Completeness There are two target populations for monitoring water quality in shallow lakes of the ARCN. The first population of lakes is the six lakes that will be selected by parks to continuously monitor water quality. The monitoring procedures used for tracking change in these lakes are detailed in SOP 8 (Continuous Lake Monitoring). Data collected from this small number of lakes will be used to track seasonal changes in water quality and to compare patterns of variation in water quality among years. These data will also be used to assess the validity of monitoring lakes at the landscape scale, synoptic sampling, and the suitability of using an index time period. These three issues are closely tied to the second component of the ARCN water quality monitoring program for shallow lakes. The second population of lakes is the randomly (SOP 7) selected set of lakes that will be monitored to detect landscape scale changes in water quality. Lakes included in this population are a subset of all shallow lakes within the ARCN that are larger than > 1 Ha < 50 Ha. The process by which we identify these lakes is detailed in SOP 5 (Delineation of Closed-Basin Water Bodies) and the method by which the sample of lakes is drawn is discussed in SOP 7 (Sampling Frame and Lake Selection). These lakes will be monitored using a one time/season sampling technique. Each lake selected (SOP 7) for sampling will be sampled for two Arctic Network November, 2007 Stream and Lake Monitoring Protocol SOP 16 – Quality Assurance and Quality Control, v. 1.0, Page 3 of 4 consecutive years and re-sampled 8 years later. The sampling frame was constructed in this way to provide some information regarding inter-annual variation in water quality and other important factors such as vegetation, macroinvertebrate composition, water level etc. We have not determined the number of lakes to be sampled at this extensive scale. The number is dependent of several variables including cost, logistical accessibility and our power/ability to detect differences among years and lakes. In fiscal year 2005 we will be drawing the sampling frame. At this time we will also use the data collected during the pilot study to estimate the number of lakes required to detect change on a decadal scale. It is important to understand that we do not expect to detect small amounts of change rather major shifts in water quality and the other biological components we are monitoring. IV Data Comparability To maintain the quality of data collected within this program we intend to minimize changes and or alterations to the sampling methodologies once they are finally employed (expected fiscal year 2006). Given the long term nature of this program, there is no question that methodologies will change over time. These changes may be due to changes in manufacture of instruments, laboratory methods that are beyond our control, funding of this program or access to sites. To overcome these changes in methodologies/accessibility/funding we will collect data using the older method alongside the new method for a season to ensure that the new methods result in comparable data or if the data are not equivalent develop a method to correlate the measurements. Water Chemistry methods are similar to those used by the state of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Department of Fish and Game on studies reported from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough area (OASIS 2004; Edmundson 2002). Methods could not be exactly mimicked due to transportation, number of lakes to monitor, sizes of lakes monitored, and monitoring objectives. However, these data should be largely compatible with that collected by those state agencies. The methods adopted here are compatible with pilot study data collected to date by ARCN personnel. We are working with several local agencies and institutions to ensure that our data are comparable. We have been consulting with USFWS (Kanuti and Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuges) for the past three years to share our methods and data to better understand shallow lake dynamics in interior Alaska. We will also be working with the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory to ensure that our data will be comparable with their water quality program. We have a cooperative agreement with the University of Alaska Fairbanks to maintain data comparability in regards to remote sensing and evaluation of lake surface area a critical component to our water quality monitoring program. Arctic Network November, 2007 Stream and Lake Monitoring Protocol SOP 16 – Quality Assurance and Quality Control, v. 1.0, Page 4 of 4 Measurement Sensitivity See SOPs SOP 17: Water Chemistry Field Data and Sample Collection SOP 21: Field Processing of Water Samples V Measurement Precision See SOPs SOP 17: Water Chemistry Field Data and Sample Collection SOP 21: Field Processing of Water Samples VI Measurement Systematic Error/Bias/Percent Recovery See SOPs SOP 10 and SOP 11: Water Chemistry Field Data and Sample Collection SOP 12: Field Processing of Water Samples VII. References Edmundson, J.A. 2002. Limnological Information Supporting the Development of Nutrient Criteria for Alaskan Lakes: water quality monitoring and trophic assessment of seven lakes in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.. Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, Anchorage Alaska. Regional Information Report No. 2A02- 24:72p. OASIS Environmental, Inc. 2004. Big Lake and Lake Lucille Water Quality Monitoring, Final Report, QAPP. AK DEC. df Arctic Network November, 2007