Reporting Chorophyll a and DO raw data, w/o statistical analysis

[iec]

Our agency has 2004 survey data for Chlorophyll a, D.O. and Secchi Depth, however we have not performed the statistical analysis suggested to report the data for the NEEA survey.  Is there a way to submit the data for these parameters anyway, would it still be useful for the survey?

[suzanne]

Yes, you can still use the data without doing the percentile determinations. In the original survey we used a less robust way to determine the "typical" highest values of Chl a and lowest values of DO, for example. To do this, you may use the highest bloom concentrations which are typically seen in the springtime and the lowest DO concentrations which are typically seen in the summer. If you plot the data on a timescale (e.g. months Jan - Dec) it should be apparent what the values should be. We are not looking for a maximum but rather what is typically seen for the bloom period and/or the summertime depleted dissolved oxygen conditions. The other part is to determine the spatial coverage and the frequency of occurrence of these higher (for Chl a) and lower values (for DO and Secchi). Usually if it happens every year it is considered periodic, if it's only occurring under specific wind conditions (as an example) then it's episodic. For spatial coverage of these extreme conditions, it you are familiar with your system it should be fairly simple to do an estimate of where the higher/lower values occur.