United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Environmental Monitoring
Systems Laboratory
Research Triangle Park NC 2771'
Research and Development
EPA/600/S4-88/004 Apr. 1988
&ER& Project Summary
Quality Assurance
Support for the National
Atmospheric Deposition
Program and National Trends
Network Monitoring Activities:
1984-1987
David S. Bigelow
The full report is a summary of quality
assurance activities in the NADP/NTN
monitoring network between the years
1984-1987. The report presents the
accomplishments and recommenda-
tions for the network.
The recognized accomplishments of
the network are: implementation of a
Quality Assurance Plan; expansion of
the network data base; evaluation of
the effectiveness of procedures, and
intercomparison of data sets with other
networks.
Recommendations emphasized
expansion of the role of the network
Quality Assurance Manager and exten-
sion of collocated sites with other
networks.
The report incorporates six other
NADP/NTN quality assurance reports
and procedures which had been pre-
viously released by the Coordinator's
office.
This Project Summary was devel-
oped by EPA's Environmental Monitor-
ing Systems Laboratory, Research
Triangle Park, NC, to announce key
findings of the research project that is
fully documented in a separate report
of the same title (see Project Report
ordering information at back).
Introduction
The National Atmospheric Deposition
Program (NADP) monitoring network
began operation in July 1978. The
network is comprised of local, state and
federal agencies as well as private
industry. The NADP additionally
coordinates and manages the National
Trends Network (NTN). Because the NTN
had incorporated the majority of the
current NADP sites and had adopted the
operating procedures and protocols at
the NADP network, the resulting
cooperative effort became known, in
1983, as the NADP/NTN deposition
monitoring network.
The NADP is unique in its structure
and mode of operation because it
represents hundreds of interested
individuals and many agencies that
cooperate voluntarily to operate
monitoring sites and to pool data and
research efforts under the aegis of the
NADP. Committees made up of scientists
from all the cooperating agencies
oversee the various areas of network
operations (siting, analysis, data
management, and quality assurance) to
ensure that data will be of the highest
quality and be available for a wide variety
of research needs.
Much of the network quality assurance
documentation has been reported in the
scientific literature, at professional and
technical meetings, or in various agency
reports. A comprehensive Quality Assur-
ance (QA) Plan has been developed to
cover all aspects of network operation.
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The plan recommended the establish-
ment of the position of a QA Manager.
Accomplishments
Initial efforts focused on gathering and
completing documentation necessary to
coordinate and evaluate existing and
proposed quality assurance efforts in
order that an evaluation of data quality
might be made.
Implementation of the QA Plan started
with a cataloging of quality assurance
programs that were currently in use.
Documentation for each of the programs
in Table 1 was sought along with the
standard operating procedures for the
network. Some of the more important
documents that were incorporated into
the network standard operating
procedures are listed in Table 2.
Expansion of the network data base
incorporated information generated by
the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's Site Visitation Program, the
U.S. Geological Survey's Intersite
Comparison Program and the summary
statistics containing the data
completeness coding developed by
NADP.
Four major reviews were undertaken
to evaluate the effectiveness of the
procedures used in the NADP/NTN
monitoring effort and to identify areas
where improvements could be made.
These included two reviews of the
implementation of the Acid Deposition
System for Statistical Reporting (ADS),
a systems audit of the U.S. Geological
Survey's Intersite Comparison Program
and External Quality Assurance
Program, and a systems audit of the data
management practices used within the
NADP/NTN and ADS. Additionally, the
central laboratory operations were
reviewed.
Intercomparison data sets with other
networks were accomplished. Some of
these intercomparisons are listed in
Table 3.
Recommendations
• An official depository of standar
operating procedures should b
maintained in the Quality Assuranc
Manager's office.
• The Quality Assurance Manage
should evaluate and documen
network data quality and networ
procedures through the publication c
quality assurance reports.
• Sponsors should continue to suppoi
the Quality Assurance Manager'
participation in auditing, documer
reviews, and scientific meetings.
• Collocated station comparison
between NADP/NTN and othe
networks need to be expanded.
• A quality assurance program designe
to estimate network precision and bia
should be developed.
• The comparability of NADP/NTN dat
to that of other networks should b
established.
Table 1. NADP/NTN Monitoring Network Quality Assurance Activities and Their Sponsoring Agencies
Task No. Task Name Operating Agency*
Program Name
Field Site Operations:
1. Quality Control of Field Operations
2. Quality A ssurance of Field Operations
3.
4.
Systems and Performance Audit of
Field Operations
Quality Assurance of Site Chemical
Analysis
Laboratory Operations:
5. Laboratory Quality Control
6. Laboratory Quality Assurance
7. Laboratory Systems Audit
Data Management:
8.
9.
10.
Quality Control of Site/Chemical
Analysis Data through Data
Management
Quality Control of Site/Chemical
Analysis Data through Data
Management
Quality Control of Data Management
Quality Assurance of Network Data
Management
Network Operations:
11.
Performance A udit of Field and
Laboratory Chemical Analysis
CAL
CSU
EPA (RTI)
USGS
CAL
CAL
NADP Subcommittee 2
CAL
CSU
PNL
QA Steering Committee
USGS
CAL Site Interactions
Across Site Network Analysis
NADP/NTN Site Visitation Program
Intersite Comparisons
CAL QA program
Interlaboratory Comparisons
Data Screening and Coding
Data Screening, Coding and
Summary Reporting
Acid Deposition System (ADS) for
Statistical Reporting
Systems and Performance Audit of
the Data Management Program
Blind A udit Program
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'able 1. (Continued)
Task No. Task Name Operating Agency" Program Name
12. Laboratory duality Assurance USGS- Interlaboratory Comparisons
13. Performance Audit of the Network CSU Network Intercomparison's with
CANSAP/CAPMoN
14. Special Studies which assess various ALL Published Scientific Research
components of Network performance Results
15. Systems Review of Deposition TASK GROUP 4 NAPAP Annual Review
Monitoring Network
15. Systems Review of the Deposition QA Steering Committee IR-7 Annual Review
Monitoring Network
*CAL—Central Analytical Laboratory. Illinois State Water Survey
CSU—Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory. Colorado State University
EPA—Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory. Environmental Protection Agency
PNL—Battelle's Pacific Northwest Laboratory
RTI—Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC
USGS—National Water Quality Laboratory. U.S. Geological Survey
Task Group 4—National Acid Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP)
QA Steering Committee—National Atmospheric Deposition Program
Table 2. NADP/NTN Quality Assurance Related Publications
No. Type Publication
Field Site Operations:
/. SOP Semonin and Volchok, 1979. Site Selection and Certification. North Central Regional
Project NC-141.-Atmospheric Deposition (National Atmospheric Deposition Program).
2. SOP Bigelow, 1984. Instruction Manual: NADP/NTN Site Selection and Installation.
3. SOP Semonin and Volchok, 1978. Field Observer Instruction Manual, North Central Regional
Project NC-141-.Atmospheric Deposition (National Atmospheric Deposition Program).
4. SOP Bigelow, 1982. Instruction Manual: Site Operation.
5. SOP Dossett, 1984. Aerochem Metrics Precipitation Collector Maintenance Manual.
6. SOP EatonandTew. 1985. WorkPlan for Quality Assurance Assistance to the National
Atmospheric Deposition Program and the National Trends Network Deposition
Monitoring Program.
7. SOP Stensland et al., 1983. NADP Quality Control Procedures for Wet Deposition Sample
Collection and Field Measurements.
8. Report Stensland and Bowersox, 1982. Evaluation of Dry Wet-Side NADP Samples.
9. Report Schroder et al., 1985. Comparison of Daily and Weekly Precipitation Sampling
Efficiencies Using Automatic Collectors.
10. Report Bigelow. 1986. Quality Assurance Report NADP/NTN Deposition Monitoring; Field
Operations.
11 • Report Schroder and Brennan, 1985. Precision of the Measurement of pH and Specific
Conductance at Naitonal Atmospheric Deposition Program Monitoring
Sites. October 1981-November 1983.
12. Report Schroder and Brooks, 1987. Results of Intercomparison Studies for the
Measurement of pH and Specific Conductance at National
Atmospheric Deposition Program National Trends Network Monitoring Sites,
October 1981-October 1985.
Laboratory Operations:
13. SOP Peden et al., 1979. Precipitation Sample Handling, Analysis, and Storage.
14- SOP Peden etal., 1986. Methods for the Collection and Analysis of Precipitation.
3
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Table 2. (Continued)
No.
Type
Publication
15.
16.
17.
Report/SOP
Report
Report
Data Management:
18. SOP
19.
Report
Overall Program Quality Assurance:
20. SOP
21.
SOP
National Atmospheric Deposition Program, 1980. NADP Quality Assurance Report,
Central Analytical Laboratory, January 1, 1979 to December 31, 1979.
Peden, 1983. Sampling. Analytical, and Quality Assurance Protocols for the
National Atmospheric Deposition Program. Sampling and Analysis of Rain.
Lockard, 1987. Quality Assurance Report NADP/NTN Deposition Monitoring,
Laboratory Operations, Central Analytical Laboratory, 1978 through 1983.
Bowersox, 1985. Data Validation Procedures for Wet Deposition Samples at the
Central Analytical Laboratory of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program.
Stensland and Bowersox, 1985. Quality Assurance in Acid Precipitation Monitoring
Through the Use of Ion Balance Calculations.
Cowling et al., 1977. Plan of Research forNC-141 North Central Regional Project on
Atmospheric Deposition: Chemcial Changes in Atmospheric Deposition and Effects
on Agricultural and Forested Land and Surface Waters in the United States.
Robertson and Wilson, 1985. Design of the National Trends Network for Monitoring the
Chemistry of Atmospheric Precipitation.
Table 3. Co-location of NADP/NTN Sites with Other Networks
Site Name
Bondville
Caribou
Charlottesville
Clinton
Douglas Lake
Finley
Fernberg
Giles County
Glacier National Park—Fire Weather Station
Kejimkujik National Park
Lethbridge
Mount Forest
Mount Forest
Oxford
Penn State
Sutton
Tanbark Flat
Underhill
Walker Branch Watershed
Whiteface Mountain
Location
Illinois
Maine
Virginia
Mississippi
Michigan
North Carolina
Minnesota
Tennessee
Montana
Nova Scotia
Alberta
Ontario
Ontario
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Quebec
California
Vermont
Tennessee
New York
Network
MAP3S
CANSAP
MAP3S
UAPSP
CANSAP
UAPSP
APIOS
UAPSP
CANSAP
CANSAP
CANSAP
CANSAP
APIOS
MAP3S
MAP3S
CaPMoN
California-ARB
UAPSP
MAP3S
MAP3S
•&U. S. GOVERN/WENT PRINTING OFFICi: 1988/543-158/67103
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David S. Bigelow is with Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.
Berne I. Bennett is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Quality Assurance Support for the National
Atmospheric Deposition Program and National Trends Network Monitoring
Activities: 1984-1987."(Order No. PB88-174 438/AS; Cost $32.95, subject
to change) will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
METEBl
6250I03 i
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Center for Environmental Research
Information
Cincinnati OH 45268
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/600/S4-88/004
0000329 PS
U S ENVIR PROTECTION AGENCY
REGION 5 LIBRARY
230 5 DEARBORN STREET
CHICAGO XL 60404
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