Sampling design optimization of a mussel watch-type monitoring program, the French Monitoring Network
- IFREMER, Nantes (France)
- Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
In the French Monitoring Network, trace element and organic concentration in biota has been measured for 15 years on a quarterly basis at over 80 sites scattered along the French coastline. A reduction in the sampling effort may be needed as a result of budget restrictions. A constant budget, however, would allow the advancement of certain research and development projects, such as the feasibility of new chemical analysis. The basic problem confronting the program sampling design optimization is finding optimal numbers of sites in a given non-heterogeneous area and of sampling events within a year at each site. First, they determine a site specific cost function integrating analysis, personnel, and computer costs. Then, within-year and between-site variance components are estimated from the results of a linear model which includes a seasonal component. These two steps provide a cost-precision optimum for each contaminant. An example is given using the data from the 4 sites of the Loire estuary. Over all sites, significant `U`-shaped trends are estimated for Pb, PCBs, {Sigma}DDT and {alpha}-HCH, while PAHs show a significant inverted `U`-shaped curve. For most chemicals the within-year variance appears to be much higher than the between sites variance. This leads to the conclusion that, for this case, reducing the number of sites by two is preferable economically and in terms of monitoring efficiency to reducing the sampling frequency by the same factor. Further implications for the French Monitoring Network are discussed.
- OSTI ID:
- 203596
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9614%%108
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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