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 pri@mail.montclair.edu 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

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

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
wum@mail.montclair.edu
973-655-7117

Project Study Design

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