project study design

Study Design: Planning New Projects for Different Types of Monitoring

Meiyin Wu, PhD Director, Passaic River Institute

Professor, Department of Biology

Passaic River Institute [email protected] 973-655-5423

What Should We Study?

•  What are other associations doing?

•  That is cool!

•  What does EPA/NJDEP recommend?

•  Do we have enough volunteers to do it?

•  Can we afford it?


Goal Driven Study

•  Identify study questions/problems

•  What do you wish to know?

•  What do you want to protect?

•  Determine study goals/objectives

•  What data do you need to answer your questions?


Data Driven Study Design

In order to answer the question,

•  What should samples be analyzed for?

•  When should samples be collected?

•  Where should samples be collected from?

•  How many samples should be collected?

•  What depth should samples be collected at?



•  Who will conduct the analysis?

•  How should samples be collected?

•  How should samples be preserved?

•  What are your data quality objectives?



•  How to pay for it?

•  Do you have a specific problem to clearly

communicate with stakeholders?

•  How can cost savings be incorporated

into the sampling approach?


All Data for One Goal

•  Understand the status and trend of your

ecosystem

•  Determine whether or not restoration/

management will be needed

•  Generate enough data to make data-driven

management decisions


Study Site Selection


Sampling locations: –  Grid

–  Transact –  Random

–  Area of concern

–  Historical importance

Figure 1_Sampling point locations throughout Lake Hopatcong. Blue lines indicate the transects performed at Crescent Cove (CC), Liffy Island and North End of the lake (NE), Jefferson Canals (JC), Landing and State Park (SP). Brown stars indicate the Targeted points. Pink dots indicate the Grid points.




Site specific considerations:

–  Adjacent to the point of discharge

–  Topographically down gradient

–  Sediment depositional area

–  Locations of outlets/tributaries

–  Under tidal influence?



Consider target pollution migration pathways

–  Groundwater transport (sand, clay, silt)

–  Stormwater runoffs (topography, particle size)

–  Man-made structures (ditches, dikes, canals)

–  Food chain transfer



•  Understand characteristics of your target pollution

–  Volatile?

–  Sediment binding?

–  Water soluble?

–  Bioaccumulate?

–  Biomagnify?


Study Design & QAPP


Align work plan and sampling/analysis plan with quality assurance project plan (QAPP).

If use a lab, •  Understand the lab’s QC processes

•  Make sure the lab understand your QC goals •  Expect differences in laboratory practices and

accuracy. Clearly document the changes while switching labs.

Study Design & QAPP


Specify: –  Equipment to be used

–  Equipment calibration

–  Field duplicates

–  Number of blanks, QC samples, replicates, check standards, detection limits, and reference materials.

–  Sample management (field and lab chain of custody,

sample shelf life and preservation, etc.)

–  Data acceptance criteria (>90% completeness)

–  Data QC and management

Data Analysis •  Sample along gradients

–  Topographic gradient (i.e. along a river)

–  Gradient of anthropogenic influence

–  Bedrock/sediment grain size gradient

•  What to compare with? –  Control sites

–  Reference locations

–  True natural background

–  Use your professional judgment


Figure 2: Detail of one of the shallow sampling points along the shoreline of Lake Hopatcong

What happen when something goes wrong?

•  Prepare for the worst

•  Have a contingency plan

•  Collect additional samples

•  Reconnaissance to make sure sampling plan will work

•  Identify access points

•  Identify potential health and safety hazards


What happen when something goes wrong?

•  Perform a dry run

•  Do field verification within short time frame of actual sampling –  Climate/weather (rain and drought)

–  Access location during/after a flood

–  Tidal cycles

–  Wind patterns


Data Driven Management Decision

•  Use all available data

•  Desktop vs. laboratory vs. field

•  Statistical consideration

–  Hypothesis testing

–  Sample size


Data Driven Management Decision

•  How well did the sample represent the conditions?

•  Clearly document and use field notes in the evaluation

•  Consider strengths and weaknesses of various pieces of

information

•  Include both qualitative and quantitative aspects

•  Make a decision among competing alternatives


Restore or Not?

•  Cost Benefit Analysis

•  Does the pollution affect the health of the aquatic

community?

–  Example: Is there a difference in benthic community compared to

upstream locations?

–  Example: Is toxicity observed in biota?


You are not alone!

•  Agencies are available to provide guidance

•  Equipment loan programs

•  Universities can serve as resources


Meiyin Wu Director, Passaic River Institute

Montclair State University

[email protected]

973-655-7117

project study design

Environment