Air Pollution and Freshwater Ecosystems Sampling, Analysis, and Quality Assurance

A practical book for professionals who rely on water quality data for decision making, this book is based on three decades experience of three highly published water and watershed resource professionals. It focuses on the analysis of air pollution sensitive waters and the consequent effects associated with soil and water acidification, nutrient-N enrichment, or the effects of atmospherically deposited toxic substances. It also covers lake zooplankton and/or stream macroinvertebrate biomonitors. Explanations of the reasons behind various recommendations provide readers with the tools needed to alter recommended protocols to match particular study needs and budget.

Purpose and Study DesignBackground 1Study Design References Water Chemistry Field Sampling Background Where, What, and When to Sample Field Methods References Laboratory Analyses Introduction Laboratory Preparation Prior to Sample Analysis Chemical Analysis Quality Assurance/Quality Control Introduction Attributes of Data Quality QA/QC Sample TypesField QAReporting QA DataLaboratory Audits and Certification Data EntrySummary References Data AnalysisBackground and Objectives Evaluation of Data Quality Apply Procedures to Prepare Raw Data for Graphical and Statistical Analysis Conduct Exploratory Analyses Conduct, If Needed, Statistical Analyses Summary and Conclusions References Field Sampling for Aquatic Biota Background Aquatic Invertebrate Study Design Site Selection Pretrip Preparation Collection Procedures Sample Processing, Preservation, and Handling Documentation and Tracking Laboratory Analysis of Biological Samples Quality Assurance Interpretation References Transition Plan Background Transition Steps5Decision of Whether to Change Protocols Appendix A: Protocols, Guidance Documents, and MethodsManuals Reviewed Appendix B: Basic Standard Operating Procedures forStream Field-Sampling Activities Appendix C: Basic Standard Operating Procedures for Lake Field-Sampling ActivitiesAppendix D: Data Entry Forms and Labels for Field-Sampling Activities

Dr. Timothy Sullivan holds a BA in history from Stonehill College, Easton, Massachusetts (1972); an MA in biology from Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado (1977); and a PhD in biological sciences from Oregon State University, Corvallis (1983) through an interdisciplinary program that included areas of focus in ecology, zoology, and environmental chemistry. He did his postdoctoral research at the Center for Industrial Research in Oslo, Norway, on surface and groundwater acidification, episodic hydrologic processes, and aluminum biogeochemistry. His expertise includes the effects of air pollution on aquatic and terrestrial resources, watershed analysis, critical loads, ecosystem services, nutrient cycling, aquatic acidbase chemistry, episodic processes controlling surface water chemistry, and environmental assessment. He has been president of E&S Environmental Chemistry, Inc., since 1988 and E&S Environmental Restoration, Inc., since 1996. He has served as project manager or lead author for a wide variety of projects that have synthesized for diverse audiences complex air and water pollution effects science. He was project manager of the effort to draft a scientific summary and Integrated Scientific Assessment (ISA) of the effects of nitrogen and sulfur oxides on terrestrial, transitional, and aquatic ecosystems for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in support of its review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). He was author of the National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP) State of Science and Technology Report on past changes in surface water acid-base chemistry throughout the United States from acidic deposition. He served as project manager for preparation of air quality reviews for national parks throughout California and coauthored similar reviews for the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountain and Great Plains regions. He has summarized air pollution effects at all 272 Inventory and Monitoring national parks in the United States and has managed dozens of air and water pollution modeling and assessment studies throughout the United States for the National Park Service, US Forest Service, and EPA. He has published a book on the aquatic effects of acidic deposition and more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and technical reports describing the results of his research. Dr. Alan Herlihy is a senior research professor at Oregon State University in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife. His current research projects focus on developing survey design methodology, assessment approaches, and ecological indicators for assessing surface water ecological condition at large regional scales. He was a primary technical contributor to the 1990 National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program’s Integrated Assessment report to Congress, the EPA/Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) Mid-Atlantic Highlands Stream Assessment, and the Western Streams and Rivers Assessment. He was the primary author of the chapters in the EMAP stream and river field manual on water chemistry sampling, qualitative site assessment, and sample reach layout. Currently, he is involved with the data analysis and assessment of the National Aquatic Resource Surveys conducted by the EPA Office of Water. James Webb holds a BS in environmental science from Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, West Virginia (1983) and an MS in environmental science from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville (1988). He is presently a senior scientist in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia, where he served for 25 years as projects coordinator for the Shenandoah Watershed Study and the Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Study (http://swas.evsc.virginia.edu). He has authored and coauthored numerous reports and journal articles concerning watershed response to atmospheric acidic deposition in the forested mountains of the central Appalachian Mountains region. He has participated in the design and management of water quality studies and surveys, monitoring programs, and assessments related to national park, national forest, and other conservation lands in the region. He served as an academic community representative on the Technical Oversight Committee and as coauthor of the Aquatic Effects Technical Report for the multiagency Southern Appalachian Mountains Initiative. He has contributed to multiple National Park Service assessments, including participation as coprincipal investigator for the Shenandoah National Park: Fish in Sensitive Habitats project and the Assessment of Air Quality and Air Pollutant Impacts in the Shenandoah National Park. He was a coauthor of the Trout Unlimited report, Current and Projected Status of Coldwater Fish Communities in the Southeastern US in the Context of Continued Acid Deposition. He has contributed to EPA reports on status and changes in the acid-base chemistry of surface waters in the United States related to