Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Marina Lipizer, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale–OGS Dipartimento OCE Kick-off Meeting, June , Trieste, Italy

EMODnet Pilot Project: QA/QC: what has been done so far Quality assurance is the end-to-end process, that ensures that the data is captured, processed, analysed and harmonized according to a predetermined set of conditions that are consistently applied Quality control is the system of activities aimed to control the quality of measurements so that it meets the needs of users. It can be applied at a particular point during the process of acquiring (sampling-laboratory), processing, analysing and harmonizing data Why? To ensure data consistency within a single data set and within a collection of data sets and to ensure that the quality and errors of the data are apparent to the user who has sufficient information to assess its suitability for a task (IOC/UNESCO Manual, 1993). M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot

QA/QC: what has been done so far? M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Challenge of 8 groups of compounds, 17 selected parameters in 3 matrices “Survey” of existing QA/QC protocols Identification of lacking QA/QC protocols Definition of EMODnet QA/QC Guidelines EMODnet Pilot Project:

Matrices From: Chemical lot Pilot Project – Survey of existing QA/QC Protocols Time 0 M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot SedimentWater Biota ✔ Fertilizers ✔ Partial pressure dissolved gases (e.g.O 2 ) ✔ Silicates ✔ Chlorophyll ✔ Organic matter ✔ Acidity ✔ Heavy metals ✔ Hydrocarbons ✔ Pesticides & biocides ✔ Antifoulants ✔ Pharmaceuticals ✔ Radionuclides ✔ Plastics SeaDataNet Parameter groups Identification of lacking QA/QC protocols

From SDN QC Protocols: AUTOMATIC QUALITY CONTROL CHECKS: On Metadata: Date and time (valid format) Latitude and longitude (valid format) Position must not be on land! M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Water For: Temperature, Salinity, fertilizers, dissolved oxygen On Data: Global range (expected extremes encountered in the oceans) Regional range (expected extremes encountered in particular regions) Deepest pressure (…profile does not contain pressures higher than the bottom bathymetry) Spike (…large differences between adjacent values) Gradient (vertically adjacent salinity and temperature data not too different) Density inversion (…density normally increasing with increasing pressure in a profile) Pressure increasing (Pressures from the profile monotonically increasing).

From SDN QC Protocols: “SCIENTIFIC/VISUAL” QUALITY CONTROL CHECKS: On Data (with important contribution from Regional Experts): Property-property plot (e.g. TS, N:P, nutrients-salinity,...) Compare with climatology Comparison with min-max ranges for the regions Tools used: ODV visual inspection (broad range check) M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Water For: Temperature, Salinity, fertilizers, dissolved oxygen Example from the Adriatic Sea: Nutrients in the water column: with the use of ODV tool: outliers detection. Surface distribution Vertical distribution

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Definition of EMODnet QA/QC Guidelines

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Meta-data requirements ➢ Purpose of monitoring ➢ Station names ➢ Sampling method and instrument ➢ Method of analysis ➢ Method of filtration for trace metals ➢ Method of chemical extraction ➢ Limit of detection/limit of determination Controlled Vocabularies ➢ Parameters ➢ Units Normalisation (by sampling matrix) ➢ Sediment ➢ Biota ➢ Water Data guidelines General to all matrices ➢ Missing values ➢ Use of CAS numbers ➢ Intercalibrations ➢ Reference Materials ➢ Uncertainty ➢ Code list ➢ Cruise ID's ➢ Basis (of determination:i.e.specific matrix) ➢ Depth Biota ➢ Species (ERMS or ITIS) ➢ Number of individuals ➢ Tissue Water ➢ Method of filtration for trace metals ➢ Suspended Particulate Matter Sediment ➢ Method of chemical extraction ➢ Grain size ➢ Normalisers

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Definition of EMODnet QA/QC Guidelines Further outcomes: Guidelines for: Hydrocarbons, pesticides, heavy metals (Water & Sediment) Guidelines for: Fertilizers and Dissolved gas (Water) – reference for Black Sea Guidelines for: Antifoulants (Biota)

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot user name: emduser password: 91L07G207 From: Chemical lot Pilot Project

Matrices From: Chemical lot Pilot Project – Survey of existing QA/QC Protocols Time =End of Pilot Project M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot SedimentWater Biota SeaDataNet EMODnet Guidelines ✔ Fertilizers ✔ Silicates ✔ Partial pressure dissolved gases (e.g.O 2 ) ✔ Chlorophyll ✔ Organic matter ✔ Acidity ✔ Heavy metals ✔ Hydrocarbons ✔ Pesticides & biocides ✔ Antifoulants ✔ Pharmaceuticals ✔ Radionuclides ✔ Plastics EMODnet Regional QA/QC Procedure (BS) Parameter groups ICES-Report 47

For “Exotic (not SDN)” parameters and contaminants it was highlighted that: ➔ Difficult to fit SDN classic QC protocol! ➔ Sediment and biota (missing in SDN) ➔ How to apply Range checks? Not enough data availability for a climatology; ➔ How to apply Spike checks?  The contaminants are more related to an “event” logic… high-values could be related to events, not necessary to errors (sampling/analytical)! ➔ Often data below detection limits… (not specified!!!) M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot …some of the lessons learned… The complexity of the measurements covering 8 groups of parameters collected on 3 matrices → need to have improved metadata description and continue with adapting process of SDN standards; The “exotic parameters” → need an ad hoc QC protocol (no spikes, difficult to apply ranges); Open issues form Chemical lot PP:

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Verify MSFD requirements Mantain and possibly implement SDN Protocols (for other matrices, contaminants) Improve inventory of existing QA/QC Protocols (any others?) Hopefully new data harvesting will supply enough data to calculate ranges for exotic parameters; Involvement of all Marine Conventions highly required, in particular increase contact with Mediterranean and Black Sea (MEDPOL, Black Sea Convention...) to obtain local ranges; Consider proposal of a 2 levels QF scheme from IODE workshop ( &docID=5109) Future:

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot EMODnet 2: WP3: QA/QC – Validation – MSFD Interaction WP Leader: ISPRA (Italy) ➢ Guidelines with MSFD requirements ➢ Quality Control and Quality Assurance ➢ Inventory of analytical methods

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot New big challenge: Inventory of analytical methods Why? Expected outcomes: Inventory of analytical method descriptions for sample analysis Particular requirements: Limit of detection for synthetic pollutants (pesticides, antifoulants, PAHs,...) (is zero really absence of contamination?) (Background concentration of synthetic pollutants has to be zero, but sometimes it is “below detection limit” (is this stated?) To collect detailed information on analytical method, uncertainty and detection/quantification limit for each parameter and different datasets …..High quality data products published! To better assess intercomparison among datsets (tests with certified reference standards? Long term data consistency?)

M. Lipizer - Guidelines for QC/QA from EMODNet Chemistry pilot Data of known quality are more useful than data of unknown quality Thanks for your attention!