Biological monitoring: General guidelines for quality assurance.

Abstract

These guidelines have been prepared by the ICES/OSPAR Steering Group on Quality Assurance of Biological Measurements in the Northeast Atlantic (SGQAE), as part of its role to encourage the production of biological data of consistent quality by member countries.

The biological measures covered are: chlorophyll a, phytoplankton, macrozoobenthos, and macrophytobenthos, reflecting the initial remit of the Steering Group to address eutrophication- related studies according to the specifications of the OSPAR Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme (JAMP). Tables of critical quality assurance (QA) factors and priority QA actions for these measures are presented. However, the guidelines for developing effective QA/AQC (analytical quality control) procedures governing field and laboratory work will be found to have a more general relevance to laboratories engaged in biological studies in the marine environment.

QA guidelines are presented across the full range of monitoring activities, i.e., from the objective-setting and sampling design stages of field surveys, to the generation, analysis, and archiving of data. Attention to all these activities is necessary in order to ensure the production of good quality information that continues to meet the purpose of scientific assessments.

In the preparation of these guidelines, every effort has been made to ensure compatibility with the recently revised ICES/HELCOM guidelines contained in the HELCOM Cooperative Monitoring in the Baltic Marine Environment (COMBINE) manual, and there has been free exchange of drafts between the respective QA Steering Groups.

Where possible, illustrative examples of good practice in relation to QA of biological measures are included, to aid in practical applications of the guidelines document, and to provide an indication of the likely direction of future QA developments for biological studies.