2009 03 13 Estuaries Monitor Chap8

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This document is Chapter 8 of the Volunteer EstuaryMonitoring Manual, A Methods Manual, Second Edition,EPA-842-B-06-003. The full document be downloaded from:

http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/monitor/

Voluntary Estuary Monitoring Manual

Chapter 8: Data Management, Interpretation,and Presentation

March 2006
http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/monitor/http://www.epa.gov/owow/estuaries/monitor/


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Chapter 8DataManagement,Interpretation,

andPresentation

Dataarelikelettersofthealphabet:takenindividually,theyrevealverylittle.Put

togetherwithalittlethoughtandorganization,however,thosesameletterscantella

completestory.Byhighlightingdatamanagement,interpretation,andpresentation,

thischaptershowshowdatacanbeusedtotellastoryaboutyourestuary.


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Photos(ltor):TheOceanConservancy,L.Monk,TheOceanConservancy,K.Register


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Chapter8:DataManagement,Interpretation,andPresentation

Overview

Volunteerestuarymonitoringobjectivesdifferfromoneprogramtothenext.

Meetingthoseobjectives,however,usuallyrequiressimilarsteps.Regardlessof

whetheravolunteerprogramwantstouseitsdataforcitizeneducationorresource

management,theprogrammustmakeitsdataunderstandabletoitsaudience.

Manygoalswillbeunmetifthevolunteerprogramcannotclearlyconveywhatits

datasayabouttheestuary.

Dataarelikelettersofthealphabet:takenindividually,theyrevealverylittle.Put

togetherwithalittlethoughtandorganization,however,thosesameletterscantella

completestory.Byhighlightingdatamanagement,interpretation,andpresentation,

thischaptershowshowdatacanbeusedtotellastoryaboutyourestuary.

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AfterDataCollection:WhatDoesItMean?

Figure8-1. Stepsnecessarytopreparedataforpresentation.Datatellastoryabouttheestuary.

Considerthissituation:Youhavethe

monitoringequipment.Volunteersareinthe

fieldcollectingdata.Enthusiasmishigh.

Everythingisgoingsmoothlyanditstimeto

relax.

Butisitreally?

Asdifficultasitmaybetoaccept,the

aforementionedsituationmeansonething:

thereismuchmoreworktobedone.What

willyoudowiththeincomingdata?As

discussedinpreviouschapters,monitoring

organizationsshouldknowtheanswertothisquestionbefore theycollecttheirfirstsample.

Thesedecisionsaremade,inpart,basedon

theneedsofpotentialdatausers,whoare

particularlyconcernedabout:

databasesandsoftwareusedtomanagethedata;

proceduresfollowedinordertoverifyandchecktherawvolunteerdata;

DataManagement

Asdiscussedinpreviouschapters,data

sheetsshouldnotonlybeeasyforvolunteers

tocomplete,butshouldalsorecordalldesired

informationabouttheestuaryandthe

samplingsessions.Thevolunteerleader

cannotoveremphasizetovolunteersthe

importanceofcarefulandaccuratedata

recording.Incompleteorinaccuratedata

sheetscancauseseriousproblemswhenit

DataSh

eet

INTRO

DUCT

ION

Data Data DataAnalysis/ DataCollection Management Interpretation Presentation

analyticalproceduresemployedtoconverttherawdataintofindingsand

conclusions;and

reportingformats.

Knowinghowthedatawillbeusedshould

drivethedevelopmentandeveryday

managementofavolunteermonitoring

program.

Mostprogramsintendtousetheirdatato

tellastoryabouttheestuaryshealth.

Similarly,mostvolunteerswhocollectthedata

wanttoknowwhattheirinformationreveals

abouttheestuary.Withoutcommunicatingthat

datainameaningfulwaytoyourintended

audience,thehardworkofmanyvolunteers

andvolunteerleaderscouldbewasted.Totake

informationfromdatasheetsandconvertitto

somethingthatmakessensetoyouraudience

requiresseveralelements,whichare

summarizedinFigure81anddescribedinthe

remainderofthischapter.

comestimetointerpretthedata.Suchprob-

lemscandamageyourprogramscredibility

and/orrenderthedatauseless,makingall

worthwhileeffortsfutile.

Datamanagementiseveryonesrespon-

sibility.Thecommitmentbyvolunteersto

collecthighqualitydatamustbematchedby

theprogramscommitmenttomakethe

informationunderstandabletoitsvolunteers

andotherdatausers.Fromtheveryearlystagesofplanningavolunteermonitoring

program,asounddatamanagementplanmust

beapriority.Itshouldbeclearhowthedata

willbeprocessed,whenitwillbeprocessed

andreported,andwhowillberesponsiblefor

eachtask.AnattitudeofLetsjustgetthe

datanowandfigureoutwhattodowithit

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latercanleadtowastedtimeandeffortanda

hugedatabacklog.

WhereDoestheDataGo?

Itisdifficulttogetanymeaningfromboxesfullofdatasheets.Theinformationcollected

byvolunteersneedstobeorganizedand

readilyaccessible.Yearsago,thismayhave

meantthatthedatamightbeorganizedin

handwrittentables.Thismethodisstillan

option,butacomputerizeddatamanagement

systemprovidesagreatdealofadvantages,

especiallyifthedatacollectioneffortis

conductedatmanysitesand/oroveralong

timeperiod(Lease,1995).

DatabaseorSpreadsheet?

Todayscomputersoftwareincludesa

varietyofspreadsheetanddatabasepackages

thatallowyoutoorganizethedataand

performstatisticalanalyses.Theseoptions

makeiteasiertodetectrelationshipsbetween

datapoints.Spreadsheetsareadequatefor

mostdatamanagementneedsandhavethe

advantageofbeingrelativelysimpletouse.

Mostspreadsheetpackageshavegraphics

capabilitiesthatwillallowyoutoplotyour

dataontoagraphofyourchoice(i.e.,bar,line,orpiechart).Examplesofcommon

spreadsheetsoftwarepackagesareLotus

123,Excel,andQuattroPro.

Databasesoftwaremaybemoredifficultto

masterandusuallylackthegraphics

capabilitiesofspreadsheetsoftware.Ifyou

managelargeamountsofdata,however,

havingadatabaseisalmostanecessity.Itcan

storeandmanipulateverylargedatasets

withoutsacrificingspeed.Thedatabasecan

alsorelaterecordsinonefiletorecordsin

another.Thisfeatureallowsyoutobreakyour

dataupintosmaller,moreeasilymanaged

filesthatcanworktogetherasthoughthey

wereone.

Theabilitytoquerydataisoneofthemost

significantadvantagesofusingadatabase.

Forexample,theusercansearchforrecords

thatshowwatertemperatureexceedingX

degreesoveraspecifiedtimeperiod,or

identifymonitoringsitesthathavedissolved

oxygenlevelsbetweenXandY andthedates

ofthoseobservations.Thequestionscanbe

simpleorquitecomplexandtheanswersoroutputcanbeorganizedinavarietyofways.

Ifyouuseadatabasefordatastorageand

retrieval,youmaystillwanttousea

spreadsheetorotherprogramwithgraphics

capabilities.Manyspreadsheetanddatabase

softwarepackagesarecompatibleandwill

allowyoutotransportdatasetsbackandforth

withrelativeease.Specificpartsofthe

database(suchasresultsforaparticularwater

qualityvariablefromallstationsandall

samplingevents)canthenbetransportedinto

thespreadsheet,statisticallyanalyzed,andgraphicallydisplayed.Examplesofpopular

databasesoftwarepackagesaredBase,

Access,FileMakerPro,andFoxPro.

DesigningaDataManagementSystem

Manypeoplearecapableofwritingtheir

ownprogramstomanipulateanddisplaydata.

Thedisadvantageofusingahomegrown

softwareprogram,however,isthatifits

authorleavesthemonitoringprogram,sotoo

doesallknowledgeabouthowtheprogramworks.Commercialsoftware,ontheother

hand,comeswithconsumerservicesthat

provideoverthephonehelpandinstructions,

users guides,replacementguarantees,and

updatesasthecompanyimprovesitsproduct.

Mostcommercialprogramsaredevelopedto

importandexportdatainstandardformats.

Thisfeatureisimportantbecauseifyouwant

tosharedatawithotherprogramsor

organizations,allyouneedarecompatible

softwareprograms.However,somefile

conversionsmaybemoredifficultthanadvertisedbythesoftwaremanufacturer.To

avoidpotentialproblems,consultwithany

groups,governmentagencies,orlaboratories

withwhomyouplantosharedataandensure

thatyoursoftwarepackagesarecompatible

(Lease,1995).

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SharedDatabases

Greatereffortsarebeingmadetodevelopdatastoragesystemsthatfacilitatedataexchange

amongdifferentmonitoringgroups.A shareddatabaseservestoassimilateallthedatabeing

collectedinaparticularregionandthereforehelpstoincreaseunderstandingofenvironmentalconditions.Volunteerorganizationsareincreasinglybeingencouragedtosubmittheirdatato

theseshareddatabases.

Toparticipateinashareddatabase,thevolunteerorganizationusuallymusthaveaquality

assuranceprojectplan(seeChapter5)thatmeetstherequirementsofthegroupmaintaining

theshareddatabase.Usingsoftwareprogramsthatarecompatiblewiththeshareddatabase

mayalsobenecessary.

Shareddatabasesmaybedevelopedforaspecificresource(e.g.,ariver)orasageneral

clearinghouseofinformation.OneexampleofabroaddatabaseistheU.S.Environmental

ProtectionAgencys(EPAs)nationalwaterandbiologicaldatastorageandretrievalsystem,

calledSTORET.WithSTORET,volunteerprogramscansubmitdatatoacentralizedfile

serverwhichpermitsnationaldataanalysesandthroughwhichdatacanbesharedamongorganizations.A specificsetofqualitycontrolmeasuresisrequiredforanydataenteredinto

thesystem.Formoreinformation,seetheEPA Webpageatwww.epa.gov/owow/STORET/.

Datasharingalsooccursatthestatelevel.Forexample,theOregonDepartmentof

EnvironmentalQuality(DEQ)willacceptdatafromvolunteersandloaditintoaninhouse

monitoringdatabase,theLaboratoryAnalyticalStorageandRetrieval(LASAR).Thesedata

arethenperiodicallyuploadedtotheSTORET system.TheDepartmenthasestablisheda

RequiredDataElementsPolicytoenhancethewidestuseofdatacollectedinOregon.Visit

theDEQWebsiteforcontactinformationandacopyofthepolicy:

http://www.deq.state.or.us/wq/.

Whendesigningdatabasesorspreadsheets,alwayskeepinmindwhatyouwillultimately HelpfulHintdowiththedata.Willyouproducegraphsor Easeofdataentryisalwaysanimportantreports?Willyouneedtoshowamapwith elementtoconsider.Herearesomekeydatacollectionsites?Trytodesignyour suggestions:datamanagementsysteminamannerthatwill Designthedatabaseorspreadsheetmakeiteasytogenerateyourfinalproduct. beforeyoucollectanydatathiswill

Anotherconsiderationiswhowillinputthe helpinthecreationofyourdatasheets.dataandcreatethefinalproducts.Asmore

people,andespeciallyvolunteers,are Ideally,thedatabaseorspreadsheet

involvedindataentryandmanagement,more inputscreenandthefielddatasheets

emphasisshouldbeplacedonmakingthe usedbyvolunteermonitorsshouldlook

alike.systemeasytouse.

Designthedatabaseorspreadsheetinsuchawaythatitisreadilyapparent

wheredatashouldbeentered.Datacells

canbehighlightedwithaspecialcolor,

forexample.

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CodingSystems

Anydatamanagementsystemshouldbe

flexibleenoughtomeetfutureneeds,

especiallyasdatastarttoaccumulate.Aneasilyunderstoodcodingsystemwillhelp

simplifythetrackingandrecordingofdata.

Codesdevelopedforsamplesites,parameters,

andotherinformationonfieldandlabsheets

shouldparallelthecodesyouuseinyour

database.Ifyouwillbesharingyour

informationwithastateorlocalnatural

resourceagency,youmaywantyourcoding

systemtomatchorcomplementtheagencys

system.

SampleSites

Becausesamplesitestendtochangeorgrow

innumberovertime,itisimportanttohavean

accommodatingsitenumberingsystem.A good

conventiontofollowistouseasitecoding

systemthatincludesanabbreviationofthe

waterbodyorprojectplusasitenumber(e.g.,

GOR021forasiteontheGoomsRiver).By

usingasiteabbreviationandthreedigitcode,

999sitescanbecreatedforeachproject,which

isplentyformostvolunteerprograms.

WaterQualityParameters

Itisalsoimportanttodevelopacoding

systemforeachofthewaterqualityparameters

youaretesting.Thesearethecodesyouwill

useinthedatabaseorspreadsheettoidentify

andextractresults.Tokeeptheamountof

clericalworktoaminimum,abbreviatewithout

losingtheabilitytodistinguishparametersfrom

oneanother.Forexample,ECcouldrepresent

E.colibacteriaandFCcouldbethecodefor

fecalcoliformbacteria.

ReviewingDataSheets

Writershaveeditorstolookformistakesin

grammar,punctuation,etc.Similarly,

someoneshouldbeavailabletoreview

volunteers datasheets.Eventhebest

professionalsandvolunteerscanmakedata

recordingmistakes;misplaceddecimalpoints,

forgottencalculations,ordatavalues

accidentallyleftblankareentirelypossible.

Theprogramcoordinatorordesignateddata

analystshouldscreenandreviewthefield

datasheetsimmediatelyastheyarereceived

andbeforethedataareenteredintothe

databaseorspreadsheet.Waitingtoreviewthe

datasheetsfordiscrepanciesisnotadvised;

thelongeryouwait,themorelikelyitisthat

thepersonwhocollectedthedatawillforget

importantdetailsaboutthesamplingeffort

thatcouldclarifyanyinconsistencies.

Whenreviewingthedatasheets,the

programcoordinatororotherdesignated

personshouldaskthefollowing:

Arethefielddatasheetscomplete?

Ifapersonisconsistentlyleavingasection

ofthesheetincomplete,askwhy.Youmay

learnthatheorsheisunclearabouta

monitoringprocedureorhasmisunderstood

someinstructions.

Arethemonitoringresultsverydifferentfromwhatmightusuallybeexpectedforthe

site?Ifunexpected,aretheystillwithinthe

realmofpossibility?

Forexample,canthekitortechniqueusedactuallyproducethereportedresults?Does

themonitorofferanypossibleexplanations

fortheresults(e.g.,asewagetreatmentplant

malfunctionhadbeenrecentlyreported)?Is

thereadditionalcorollaryinformationthat

supportsthedata(e.g.,afishkillhasbeen

observedalongwiththeextremelylow

dissolvedoxygenreadings)?

Alsocheckforconsistencybetweensimilar

parameters.Forexample,totalsolidsand

turbidityshouldtracktogetherifonegoes

up,soshouldtheother.

Arethereoutliersfindingsthatdifferradically

frompastdataorotherdatafromsimilarsites?

Valuesthatareoffbyafactorof10or100

shouldbequestioned.Followuponanydata

thatseemsuspect.Ifyoucannotexplainwhy

theresultsaresounusual,buttheyarestill

withintherealmofpossibility,youmaywantto

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flagthedataasquestionable.Askan Double-CheckingDataEntryexperiencedvolunteerorprogramstaffmember

tosampleatthatsiteasabackupuntil

uncertaintiesareresolved,orworktoverifythat

propersamplingandanalyticalprotocolsare

beingfollowed.Besidessuggestinghuman

error,monitoringresultsthatareradically

differentthanusualcanindicateaproblemwith

themonitoringtechniqueoranewandserious

problematthemonitoringsite.

Areallmeasurementsreportedinthecorrectunits?

Minimizethechanceforerrorbyincluding

onthedataformitselfanyequationsneededto

convertmeasurementsandspecifyontheform

whatunitsshouldbeused.Checkthemath,makingsurethatthemonitorhasfollowedthe

programsrulesforroundingnumbersand

reportingtheappropriatenumberofdecimal

places.A valueofzeroshouldnotbereported;

instead,reportthevalueaslessthanthelowest

valuethatcanbereadwiththeequipment

(Miller,1995).Forexample,iftherangeofa

testis01mg/l,thesmallestincrementis0.01

mg/l,andthetestresultiszero,reportthevalue

aslessthan0.01mg/lor


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DataInterpretation

Whilecomputersarequitehelpfulin

organizingdata,decipheringthestorybehind

thesefactsremainsahumanjob.Theoverall

purposeofdatainterpretationistoget

answerstoyourstudydesignquestionsthe

samequestionsthatoriginallyprovokedyou

tostartyourmonitoringprogram.

Asanexample,imaginethatyouwantto

determinewherewaterqualitycriteriaarenot

beingmetintheestuary.Todothis,youmust

firstdeveloppreliminaryfindings,orobjec-

tiveobservationsaboutyourdata(Dates,

1995).Bylookingatthedata,forexample,

youmightbeabletoidentify: variablesthatfailedtomeetwater

qualitycriteria;

monitoringsitesthatregularlyfailedtomeetthecriteria;

datesonwhichmostorallofthesitesdidnotmeetthecriteria,andthe

environmentalconditions(e.g.,weather,

flow)onthosedates;

sitesupstreamanddownstreamofasuspectedpollutionsourcethatshow

differentmonitoringresults;and

changesinonewaterqualityvariablethatcoincidewithchangesinanother.

Yourfindingswillhelpyoulookmore

criticallyatthedata.Withthefactsinhand,

youmightnaturallywanttofigureoutwhy

thedataarewhattheyare,especiallyifyour

findingsrevealthatwaterqualitycriteriaare

notmetincertainareas.Thiswillrequire

moreeffort,butiscertainlyworthwhile:once

reasonsforpoorwaterqualityarefound,

solutionscanbedeveloped.Askyourselfquestionstohelpyoudecide

whetherhumanalterations,naturalconditions,

and/ordatacollectionprocessingmistakes

mightexplainyourresults.

Couldweatherinfluenceyourresults(e.g.,doproblemlevelscoincidewith

intenserainstorms)?

Dospecificsourcesexplainyourresults(e.g.,canincreasedbacterialevelsbe

attributedtoawastewatertreatment

plant,failingsepticsystem,oralarge

populationofwaterfowlordomesticated

animals)?

Dochangesinoneofyourindicatorsappeartoexplainchangesinanother?

Forexample,hightemperatures(caused

byathermaldischargeoraheatwave)

mightexplainlowoxygenlevels.

Doyourvisualobservationsexplainanyofyourresults?Didyoursamplers

reportanystrangepipes,construction

activity,flocksofbirds,ordryweather

dischargesfromstormdrainpipes?

Formultipleyearsofdata,arethereoveralltrends?Forexample,didthe

submergedaquaticvegetation(SAV)

communityimproveordeteriorateover

time?Theformercouldbeexplainedby

improvedpollutioncontrol;thelatter,by

newpollutionsources.

Ifyouaremonitoringtheimpactofapollutionsource(e.g.,awastewater

treatmentplant),arethereother

upstreamimpactsthatmightbe

influencingandconfusingyourresults?

Forexample,ifadairyfarmislocated

immediatelyupstreamfromthe

wastewatertreatmentplantthatyouare

monitoring,itmightbedifficultto

figureoutwhichsourceiscausingthe

waterqualityproblemsrevealedbyyour

data.Alternatively,itcouldbedifficult

todeterminehowthetwosources

combinetocausetheproblems.

Couldunusualorunexpecteddatabeattributedtocontaminatedsamplesor

humansamplingerror?

Didthetimeofsamplingaffectyourresults?Forexample,dissolvedoxygen

levelsaregenerallylowestintheearly

morninghours.Samplingfordissolved

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oxygenintheafternooncouldoverlook

theestuarysworstcaseconditions.

Couldthewaterqualityvariableoccurinseveralplacesthroughoutthe

ecosystem?Forexample,ifyoufoundlowlevelsofphosphorusinthewater

column,theremightbehighlevelsin

bottomsedimentsorplants.Algae

bloomsareevidenceofnutrient

enrichmentthatmaynotbeapparentin

watersamples.

HelpfulHintComparingolderphotoswithmorerecent

onesfromthesamelocationcanhelp

volunteersunderstandchanginglandusesandperhapshelpyouinterpretwaterquality

changes.

SummaryStatistics

Figure8-2.Graphic Summarystatisticsdescribethebasic

representationofthe attributesofasetofdataforagivenmean.Themeanis parameter.Therearemanydifferenttypesoflocatedatthepeakofanormalorbellshaped statisticsthatcanbeused.Programleaders

distributioncurve. shouldconsultastandardstatisticsmanual,

theirdatausers,andtheirquality

Frequency

Frequency

Value

Mean

assuranceprojectplantoMean

determinewhichstatistical

methodsaremostappropriate

fortheirdata.Twoofthemost

frequentlyuseddescriptorsof

environmentaldataarethe

mean andstandarddeviation.

Theyarebrieflydescribedhere.

Textbookstatisticscommonly

assumethatifaparameteris

measuredmanytimesunderthe

sameconditions,thenthe

measurementvalueswillbe

randomlydistributedaroundthe

averagewithmorevalues

clusteringneartheaveragethan

furtheraway.Inthisideal

situation,agraphofthe

frequencyofeachmeasure

plottedagainstitsmagnitudeValue

shouldyieldabellshapedornormalcurve.

Themeanandthestandarddeviation

determinetheheightandbreadthofthis

curve,respectively(Figures82and83).

Themeanissimplythesumofallthe

measurementvaluesdividedbythenumberof

measurements.Commonlyreferredtoasthe

average,thisstatisticmarksthehighestpoint

atthecenterofanormalcurve(Figure82).

Thestandarddeviation,ontheotherhand,

describesthevariabilityofthedatapoints

aroundthemean.Verysimilarmeasurement

valueswillhaveasmallstandarddeviation,

whilewidelyscattereddatawillhaveamuch

largerstandarddeviation(Figure83).A high

standarddeviationindicatesimprecisedata

(seeChapter5foradiscussionofprecisionandanequationforcalculatingstandard

deviation).

Whileboththemeanandthestandard

deviationarequiteusefulindescribing

estuarinedata,oftentheactualmeasuresdo

notfitanormaldistribution.Otherstatistics

sometimescomeintoplaytodescribethe

data.Somedataareskewedinonedirection

ortheother,whileothersmightproducea

flattenedbellshape(Figure84).

Deviationfromthenormaldistribution

oftenoccursinestuarysamplingbecausetheestuaryisdynamic,withmanyfactors

influencingtheconditionofitswaters.The

variousmethodsusedtocollectdatacanalso

causenonnormaldistributions.Forexample,

ifvolunteersarecollectingwaterqualitydata

inSAV beds(seeChapter18),thedistribution

ofwaterqualityvariableswilltendtobe

skewedtowardgoodwaterqualitybecause

waterqualityhastobeofacertainminimum

standardtosupportthegrowthofthese

underwaterplants.

Anothercommoncauseofnonnormal

distributionoccursbecauseofdetection

limits.A detectionlimitmarkstheboundary

aboveorbelowtheconcentrationsorvalues

measuredbyaparticularmethod.Secchi

depthmeasurements,forexample,havean

upperdetectionlimitdeterminedbywater

depth(i.e.,theSecchidepthcannotexceedthe

waterdepth)andalowerlimitdeterminedby

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thesmallestincrementofmeasureonthe Forexample,datashowinghigh

rope.Figure85showshowbothlowand turbidityandaccompaniedby

highvaluesmaybetruncatedbythese visualobservationsof

detectionlimits. abnormallycloudywatercould

Mean

Freque

ncy

S=1

S=2

S=3

indicateasignificantsediment

MysterySolved? ornutrientrunoffproblemfrom

Wemightliketothinkourdatawilltellusmanypossiblesources(e.g.,

constructionsites,farmland,everythingaboutwhatishappeninginthe

forestryoperations,golfcourses,estuary.Inreality,thedatamaynottellthe

etc.).Suchinformationshould Valuewholestoryorevenpartofit.Aswithany

bebroughttotheimmediatescientificstudy,yourdatamaybeinconclu Figure8-3. Graphicrepresentationof

thestandarddeviation.A smallstandardattentionofproperauthoritiesforsive,especiallyifyourprogramhasbeen

monitoringforonlyashorttime(Dates,furtherinvestigation. deviationcorrespondstoapeakedfre

Keepinmindthatyourdata quencydistribution,whilealargerstan-1995).Indeed,sincetheworkingsofan darddeviationcorrespondstoamore

shouldsupportyourinterpretations.estuaryarecomplex,itisoftendifficultto

determinetrendsformanywaterquality

variables(e.g.,nutrients)unlessthe

monitoringhasoccurredoverseveralseasons.

Infact,severalyears worthofunusualdata

maybequitemisleadingandtellastoryvery

differentthanthelongtermsituation.

Concludingthatyouneedadditional

informationtobetterunderstandtheestuaryis

flatteneddistribution.Still,yourinterpretationsare

simplyyourbestjudgmentsaboutthedata.Evenifyouincludeyour

volunteers,datausers,andothers

whoareknowledgeableabouttheestuaryin

reviewingthedata,othersmaydisagreewith

yourinterpretation.Thatisnotatypical.

However,aslongasyourdatasupportyour

interpretationandyouhavefollowedacompletelyacceptable.

Ontheotherhand,anomalousdatacan

indicateproblemsrequiringimmediateaction.

reasonabledatainterpretationprocess,you

shouldbeabletodefendyourposition.

Normal(Bell-shaped)

RightSkewed

LeftSkewed

Flattened

Frequency

Value

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

MinimummeasureonSecchirope

Depthof

wateratsite

SecchiDepth(meters)

Month

Figure8-4. Examplesoffrequencydistributions.Becauseofthecomplexityofestuarinesystems,deviationstothenormalbellshapeddistributioncurvearecommon.

Figure8-5. ExampleoflimitationsonSecchidepthmeasurementsinanhypotheticalmonitoringprogram.

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DataPresentation

A projectcoordinatorinPuertoRicoreviews

thesignificanceofmarinedebrisdatawithher

youngvolunteers.Presentationsshouldbe

designedaccordingtothetypeofaudience

(photobyL.Monk).

Whenyoufeel

fullyconfidentthat

youhaveassembled

thebestpossible

pictureof

environmental

conditionsinyour

studyareas,itis

yourjobtomake

othersyour

volunteers,data

users,localfishing

clubs,oranyother

audienceawareof

whatyoufound.

KnowYourAudience

Whethercitizenprogramsconvey

monitoringresultsinaperiodicnewsletter,

annualreport,orbyverbalpresentation,the

keytorousingandsustainingtheinterestof

theaudienceremainsthesame.Thespeaker

orwritermustdeterminetheinterests,

background,andleveloftechnical

understandingofthetargetaudienceand

preparethepresentationaccordingly.

Remember:Theburdenofcommunicationis

onthepresentertoconveytheinformation,

notontheaudiencetounderstand(Sayce,

1999).

Inpresentingdataresultstovolunteersor

otherinterestedparties,severalpointsmerit

consideration:

Highlytechnicalorextremelysimplisticpresentationsboretheaudience.An

informativeandlivelyapproach,molded

totheexpectationsoftheaudience,willbefarmoreeffective.Simplegraphics

oftenhelpmakecomplicatedissues

muchmoreunderstandable.

A presentationshouldfocusonaclearmessagerelatedtoyouraudiences

interests.Youraudiencewilllikelybe

moreinterestedinspecificssuchas

trendsinwaterquality,seasonal

variation,qualityassuranceissues,or

theidentificationoftroublespotsinthe

estuaryratherthananacrosstheboard

synopsisofallthemonitoringresults.

Datapresentations,whetherwrittenorverbal,shouldbebothtimelyand

relevant.Volunteerswillmaintaina

higherlevelofinterestiftheyseea

quickturnaroundoftheirdataintousableandinformativegraphicsand

summaries.Moreover,yournutrient

datawonthavemuchinfluenceon

communitydecisionmakersifyoumiss

thepublichearingonasewerupgrade

project.Asmentionedearlier,trends

maybedifficulttodeterminewith

limiteddata,sooneshouldexercise

cautionwhenimplyingthatdatashow

longtermtrends.

Betterunderstandingonthepartofyour

audiencemayleadtomorecommunity

support,morefunding,better

managementpolicies,andgreater

citizeninvolvement.

Whenpresentingdata,oneofyourchief

goalsshouldbetomaintaintheattentionand

interestofyouraudience.Thisisverydifficult

usingtablesfilledwithnumbers.Mostpeople

willnotbeinterestedintheabsolutevaluesof

eachparameterateachsamplingsite;rather,

theywillwanttoknowthebottomlinefor

eachsite(e.g.,isitgoodorbad)andseasonal

andyeartoyeartrends.

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Technicalvs.Non-TechnicalAudiences

Whenaddressingwaterqualityorplanningprofessionals,youshouldprovideinformationabout:

thepurposeofthestudy;

whoconductedit;

howitwasfunded;

themethodsused;

thequalitycontrolmeasurestaken;

yourinterpretationoftheresults;

yourconclusionsandrecommendations;and

furtherquestionsthathavearisenasaresultofthestudy.

Graphics,tables,andmapsmaybefairlysophisticated.Besuretoincludetherawdataina

writtenreportsappendixandnoteanyproblemsencountered.

A reportforthegeneralpublicshouldbeshortanddirect.Itisveryimportanttoconveyinformationinanontechnicalstyleandtoincludedefinitionsfortermsandconceptsthatmaybe

unfamiliartothelayperson.Simplecharts,summarytables,andmapswithaccompanying

explanationscanbeespeciallyuseful.Includeabriefdescriptionoftheprogram,thepurposeof

themonitoring,anexplanationoftheparametersthatweremonitored,thelocationofsample

sites,asummaryoftheresults,andanyrecommendationsthatmayhavebeenmade.

Inanywrittenreportorpresentation,youshouldacknowledgethevolunteersandthesourcesof

fundingandothersupport.

(ExcerptedandadaptedfromUSEPA,1997.)

Graphics sophisticatedgraphicstylesmayberequiredtopresentsomedata,threebasictypesare

Graphics,whenusedproperly,areexcellentoftenusedforvolunteermonitoringdata:the

toolstopresentagreatdealofinformationinbargraph,piechart,andlinegraph.

acondensedyetunderstandableformat.They

enliventhepresentation,highlighttrends,andBarGraph

illustratecomparativerelationships.Graphics

includeflowcharts,maps,andgraphsorchartsThebargraphuses

50

ofthedata.Suchgraphics,alongwithsimplecolumns(Figure

narrativeinterpretation,summarystatistics,86).Theheightof

40

tables,overheads,andslides,helpconstructaeachcolumnrepresents

wellroundedandinterestingpresentation. thevalueofadata 30point,making

comparisonsofthedata20

GraphsandChartsrelativelyeasy. 10

Resultssummarizedfromthevolunteer Modificationscanbecollecteddatacanbedisplayedinanyof madetothestandard 0

#1 #2 #3 #4severalstylesofgraphs.Choosingthestyle bargraphforvisual

Categorythatbestconveystheinformationiscritical appeal.Forexample,andrequirescarefulthought.Althoughmore Figure87shows Figure8-6.Bargraph.

Units

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1-May

15-May

1-Jun

16-Jun

1-Jul

16-Jul

1-Aug

16-Aug

1-Sep

16-Sep

1-Oct

16-Oct turbiditydata,asmeasuredbyaSecchidisk.

Inthisgraphic,depthincreasesina

No.

ofFecalColiformB

acteria

in100mlwater

Figure8-7.ModificationoftypicalbargraphtoillustrateSecchidepthdata.

0

200

600 simplicityandclarity.

Certaindatamaybebetterdescribedbya400 piechartthanothers.Forexample,itcanbe

800

1000 Thechartspieshape,withthepie

Thepiechart(Figure89)isasimpleyeteffectivemeansofcomparingeachcategory

1200Notpermissibleforswimming

Permissibleforswimming

Desirableforswimming

Permissibleforboatingandfishing(under5,000)

withinthedatasettothewhole.Itisbestused

1-May

15-May

1-Jun

16-Jun

1-Jul

16-Jul

1-Aug

16-Aug

1-Sep

16-Sep

1-Oct

16-Oct

SecchiDepth(meters)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

31-Oct

31-Oct

percentagesofmarinedebrisfoundata

particularsite(e.g.,thepercentofplastic,

paper,glass,etc.,debris),butnotfor

presentingdissolvedoxygentrends.

veryusefulforsummarizingthecomposition

wedgesrepresentingdistinctcategories,

makesthisgraphicstylepopularduetoits

representingthetotalandtheindividual

topresentrelationaldata,suchaspercentages.

downwarddirectionalongtheverticalaxisto

simulateactualwaterdepth.Thisminor

changefromthenorm,alongwiththeuseof

Secchidiskiconsextendingdownfromthe

surface,makesthedataeasytounderstand.

InbargraphsofpH,dissolvedoxygen,

bacteria,orotherwaterqualityvariablesfor

whichastandardvalueexists,consider

insertingalineacrossthegraphicshowingthe

standard(Figure88).Thishelpsin

understandingwhenyourresultsindicate

problems.

PieChart

Figure8-9.Piechart.

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Figure8-8. Bargraphshowingfecalcoliformdatavaluesandcomparingthem HelpfulHintwithwaterqualitystandards.

Iftherearemanysmallpercentagesinyour

piechart,considerreducingtheclutterby

Category4 Category1 groupingthevaluestogetherasanother

category.Identifytheitemsintheother

sliceofthepieelsewhere,especiallyifyou

arepresentingtheinformationtoa

technicalaudience.

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LineGraph bathymetricmaps, 40

A linegraph(Figure810)isconstructedby whichshowthe

connectingthedatapointswithaline.Itcan relief(deepand 30

beeffectivelyusedfordepictingchangesover shallowportions)

U

nits

20

timeorspace.Thistypeofgraphplacesmore onthebottomofemphasisontrendsandtherelationship estuaries;

Geographic 10

Information

System(GIS) 0

maps,whichare #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6

computergener Category

atedandcanshow

avarietyoffeatures(seebox, Figure8-10. Linegraph

page814);

highwayorstreetatlasmaps;

geologicmaps; soilmaps;

geologicorengineeringhazardsmaps;

floodinundationmaps;and

handdrawnmaps.

18

16

amongdatapointsandlessemphasisonany

particulardatapoint.

Linegraphscanalsobeusedtocompare

twowaterqualityvariablesthatmaybe

related.Figure811,forexample,shows

dissolvedoxygenconcentrationsandwater

temperature.Theplotofthetwoparameters

showsthataswatertemperatureincreases

throughthesummer,oxygenlevelsgenerally

decline.Theoppositeoccursascooler

autumntemperaturessetin.

MapsandPhotographs

Displayingtheresultsofyourmonitoring

dataonamapcanbeaveryeffectivewayof

helpingpeopleunderstandwhatthedata

signify.A mapcanshowthelocationof

samplesitesinrelationtofeaturessuchas

cities,wastewatertreatmentplants,farmland,

andtributariesthatmayhaveaneffecton

waterquality.Thistypeofgraphicdisplaycan

WaterTemperature

DissolvedOxygen

25

14

DissolvedOxygen[mg/l]

WaterTemp.[degreesC]

beusedtoeffectivelyshowthecorrelationbetweenspecificactivitiesorlandusesand

theimpactstheyhaveontheecosystem.

Becauseamapdisplaystheestuarys

relationshiptoneighborhoods,parks,and

recreationalareas,itcanalsohelptoelicit

concernfortheestuaryandstrengtheninterest

2012

10

158

6 10

4

inprotectingit.2

Therearedifferenttypesofmapsavailable. 0Theseinclude:

topographicmaps,whichshow

naturalfeaturesandelevations;

1-May

15-May

1-Jun

16-Jun

1-Jul

16-Jul

1-Aug

16-Aug

1-Sep

16-Sep

1-Oct

16-Oct

31-Oct

Figure8-11. Linegraphcomparingvaluesfortworelatedwaterqualityvariables.

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HelpfulHint

Herearesometipsformakingyourgraphicseasytounderstand:

Havethegraphserveaclearpurpose.Theinformationcontainedinthegraphshouldberelativelyeasytointerpretandrelatecloselytothetextofadocumentorscriptofapresentation.

Donotdistortthemeaningofthedata.Graphicalrepresentationsofthedatapointsshouldbeproportionaltoeachpointsactualvalue(Figure8-12).

Ensurethatthelabelingofgraphicsisclearandaccurate.Atableofthedatavaluesshouldaccompanyanygraphthatislikelytobemisunderstood.

Keepthegraphicdesignsimple.Complexortrickygraphicsoftenhidethetruemeaningofthedata.Avoidclutteringthegraphwithlabels,arrows,grids,fillpatterns,andothervisualnoisethatunnecessarilycomplicatethegraphic.Use

simplefontsthatareeasytoread.

Limitthenumberofgraphicelements.Apiechart,forexample,shouldbedividedintonomorethanfiveorsixwedges.Keepthenumberofsuperimposedlinesonalinegraphandthequantityofcolumnsinabargraphtoaminimum.

Considertheproportionsofthechartandthelegibilityofthetypeandgraphicelements.Ahorizontalformatisgenerallymorevisuallyappealing,simplertounderstand,andmakeslabelseasiertoread.Theelementsshouldfillthedimensions

ofthegraphtocreateabalancedeffect.Ensurethattheaxesarelabeledwithlegibletitlesandthatthetickmarks

showingdataintervalsarenotcrowdedalongtheaxislines.Avoidcrypticabbreviationswheneverpossible,

rememberingthatyouwantyouraudiencetofullyunderstandtheinformationinthegraphic.

Createatitleforthechartthatissimpleyetinformative.

Rememberthat8percentoftheU.S.populationiscolorblind.Whencolor-codingresults,dontusebothredandgreenonthesamegraphic.Youmayalsouseshapesorsymbolsinadditiontocolor.

Whetheryouusecolor,shading,orpatterns,besurethataneasy-to-understanddatakeyisincludedorthatthedataareclearlylabeled.

Ifyouwillneedtophotocopycolorgraphics,makesurethatthecolorsarestilldistinguishablewhenthegraphicsarephotocopiedinblackandwhite.

Beconsistentwhencomparingdata;forexample,dontmixpiechartswithbargraphs.(PortionsexcerptedandadaptedfromSchoenetal.,1999.)

GeographicInformationSystems

Computersoftwaresystemsthatallowyoutomapandmanipulatevariouslayersof

information(suchaswaterqualitydata,landuseinformation,countyboundaries,orgeologic

conditions)areknownasGeographicInformationSystems(GIS).Theycanvaryfromsimple

systemsrunonpersonalcomputerstosophisticatedandverypowerfulonesthatrunonlarge

mainframes.ForanyGISapplication,youneedtoknowthecoordinatesofyoursample

siteseithertheirlatitudeandlongitude,orsomealternatesystem.Youcanalsolocateyoursitesonatopographicmapthatcanbedigitizedontoanelectronicmapofthewatershed.

Oncethesepointshavebeenestablished,youcanlinkyourdatabasetothepointsonthemap,

queryyourdatabase,andcreategraphicdisplaysofthedata.

PowerfulGISapplicationstypicallyrequireexpensivehardware,software,andtechnical

training.AnyvolunteerprograminterestedinGISapplicationsmayconsiderworkingin

partnershipwithotherorganizationssuchasuniversities,naturalresourceagencies,orlarge

nonprofitgroupsthatcanprovideaccesstoaGIS.

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20

10

0


pH

a) b)pH,GoomsBay pH,GoomsBay

14 8

79

pH

64 5

4Site1 Site2 Site3 Site4 Site5 Site1 Site2 Site3 Site4 Site5

c)TotalPhosphorous,GoomsBay

d)TotalPhosphorous,GoomsBay

50 35

40

TP(g/l) 32.5

TP(g/l)

30

27.5

25Above GolfCourse Below Above GolfCourse Below

Figure8-12.Scaleconsiderationsforpresentingdata.ThepHgraphin(a)givesthemistakenimpressionthattheresultsaresimilarateachsite.Thegraphin(b)usesanarroweryaxisscale,therebydoingabetterjobofshowingthesignificantdifferencesamongmonitoringsites.Changingscalestodramatizeinsignificantdifferences(candd),however,isnotrecommended.

Thedisplaymapshouldshowprincipal

featuressuchasroads,municipalboundaries,

waterways,andotherfamiliarlandmarks(e.g.,

schoolsandchurches).Itshouldhave

sufficientdetailandscaletoshowthelocation

ofsamplesitesandhavespaceforsummary

informationabouteachsite.

Whendisplayingyourdataonamap,

considerthefollowing:

Keeptheamountofinformationpresentedoneachmaptoaminimum.

Donottrytoputsomuchononemap

thatitbecomesvisuallycomplicated

anddifficulttoreadorunderstand.A

goodruleofthumbistoreadthemap

withoutreferringtothelegend.Ifthe

mapisnoteasilyunderstoodorif

symbols,lines,andcolorsarenotdistinctfromeachother,thenyou

shoulduseanothermaptodisplaya

differentlayerorviewofthedata.

Forexample,ifthereareseveraldates

forwhichyouwishtodisplay

samplingresults,useonemapfor

eachdate.

Clearlylabelthemapandprovideanexplanationofhowtointerpretit.If

youneedalongandcomplicated

explanation,youmaywanttopresent

thedatadifferently.Ifyouhave

reachedaclearconclusion,statetheconclusiononthemap.Forexample,

ifamapshowsthattributariesare

cleanerthanthemainstem,usethat

informationasthesubtitleofthemap.

Provideakeytothesymbolsthatareusedonthemap.

Ratherthanpackinglotsofinformationintoasmallareaofthe

map,useablowuporenlargement

oftheareaelsewhereonthemapto

adequatelydisplaytheinformation.

Usesymbolsthatvaryinsizeandpatterntorepresentthemagnitudeof

results.Forexample,asitewitha

fecalcoliformlevelof10colonies/

100mlcouldbealightgraycircle

witha1/16inchdiameterwhileasite

withalevelof200colonies/100ml

wouldbeadarkgraycircle1/4inch

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A volunteerdistributesinformationtopassersbyat

anEarthDayeventinWashington,DC(photoby

TheOceanConservancy).

indiameter.Start

byfindingthe

highestand

lowestvalues,

assigndiameters

andpatternsto

thosevalues,and

thenfillinsteps

alongtheway.

Fortheabove

exampleyou

mighthavefour

ranges:0to99,

100to199,200to

500,and500+.

Photographsalso

addgreatvaluetoyourproject.Aerialphotosofthemonitoringsitesaddapersonal

touch,allowingcitizenstoseetheirhouses

orfavoritefishingspots.Thiscanpiquetheir

interestintheproject.

Groundlevelpicturesofalgalblooms,

monitoringsites,andvolunteersinactionare

alsohelpful.Theyarequalitativerecordsof

yourestuaryshealthoryourmonitoring

projectandhelpyouraudienceunderstand

yourprojectandprogramsactivities.

Compilingaphotolibraryisalwaysagood

idea,especiallywhenlastminuteadditionsareneededforreports,pressreleases,display

booths,andpresentations.

GettingtheWordOut

Onaregularbasis,asuccessfulvolunteer

estuarymonitoringprogramshouldreportkey

findingstovolunteers,datausers,andthe

generalpublic,includingthemedia.As

mentionedpreviously,statewaterquality

agencieswillrequiredetailedreports,whereas

shorterandlesstechnicalsummariesaremoreappropriateforthegeneralpublic.

Thevolunteerprogramshoulddevelopa

strategyfordistributingandpublicizing

reports.Allreportsshouldbesubjectedtothe

reviewprocessprescribedbyyourquality

assuranceprojectplan,andyourprograms

leadersshouldbeconfidentaboutthedataand

comfortablewiththestatementsand

conclusionsbeforethereportismadepublic.

Whenyourreportsfindingsandconclusions

arereleasedtothepublic,youwillneedtobe

preparedtorespondtoquestionsregardingthe

dataandyourinterpretationofthatdata.

Someideasfordistributingprojectresultsand

informingthepublicincludethefollowing:

WrittenReport

A writtendocumentisagoodinstrumentfor

gettingyourinformationouttoawide

audience.Ifyouhaveaccesstoamailinglistof

peoplewhoareinterestedinyourestuary,mail

thereportwithacoverletterthatsummarizes

themajorfindingsofthestudy.Thecoverletter

shouldbebriefandenticingsothattherecipient

willbecuriousenoughtoreadthereport.Ifyou

wantpeopletotakesomekindofaction,such

assupportingtheexpenditureofpublicfundsto

upgradeasewagetreatmentplant,youmay

wanttoaskfortheirsupportinthecoverletter.

Ifyoudonothaveanextensivemailinglist,

perhapsotherorganizationsthatshareyour

goalswouldbewillingtosupplyyouwiththeir

lists.Besuretoalsosendthereporttostateand

federalagencies;newspapers;radioand

televisionstations;locallibraries;collegesand

universities;researchstations;andhighschools,

ifappropriate.

Insteadoflongtechnicalreports,youmay

wanttodevelopfactsheetsforpublic

distribution.Thesesummariesofyourfindings

andconclusionsshouldmakeyourpoints

quicklyandinstructthereaderonhowtoobtain

moreinformation.

SpeakingTour

Developanoralpresentation(withslides,overheads,etc.)thatcouldbeofferedtogroups

suchasthelocalchamberofcommerce,civic

clubs,conservationorganizations,schools,and

governmententities.Yourpresentationcould

evenbevideotapedfordistributiontoawider

audience.

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PublicMeetings

Scheduleaseriesofpublicmeetingsthat

highlightthemonitoringprogram,itsfindings,

anditsrecommendations.Atthemeetings,

distributethewrittenreport,answerquestions,andtellyouraudiencehowtheycanget

involved.Thesemeetingscanalsohelpyou

recruitmorevolunteers.

Besuretoschedulethemeetingsattimes

whenpeoplearemorelikelytoattend(i.e.,

weekdayevenings,weekenddays)andavoid

periodswhenpeopleareusuallybusyoron

vacation.Invitethemediaandpublicizethe

meetingsinnewspapercalendars;sendpress

releasestoradioandtelevisionstations,

newspapers,andotherorganizations;andask

volunteerstodistributefliersatgrocery

stores,cityhall,etc.

PressReleasesandPressConferences

AsexplainedinChapter3,distributinga

pressreleaseisacosteffectivemeansof

informingthepublicabouttheresultsand

accomplishmentsofyourprogram.Developa

mailinglistofnewspapers,radioand

televisionstations,andorganizationsthat

solicitarticlesforpublication.Sendthenews

releasetovolunteersandotherswhoareinterestedinpublicizingthemonitoring

program.

Ifyourreportcontainssomerealnewsorif

ithasledtoasignificantevent(e.g.,the

mayororcitycouncilhasrecognizedthe

valueofthereportandissuedastatementof

support),holdapressconference(seeChapter

3fordetails).

Exhibits

Setupdisplaysatriverfestivals,county

fairs,conferences,libraries,storefront

windows,boatramps,orparks.Exhibitsallow

youtoshowyourdatatoavarietyofaudiences,usuallyinaninformalsetting.

WebSites

PlacingdataonyourprogramsWebsiteor

thesitesofprojectpartnerscanbeauseful

andconvenientwaytomakeyourdata

available.Almosteveryonehasaccesstothe

InternetanddevelopingaWebpageis

relativelyeasy.

Peoplecuriousaboutyourprojectcanview

theWebsiteforrawdata,graphics,photos,andcommentary.Inaddition,posting

informationonthesitecansavestaff

resourcesthatwouldotherwisebespent

printingandmailingtheresultsorexplaining

resultsoverthephone.

Oncepeopleknowwheretheycanfind

yourdata,theycancontinuetocheckthesite

forupdates.

OtherPublicity

Becreativeingettingyourreportand

messageout.Trywritingletterstotheeditor

oropedarticlesforlocalorstatewidepapers,

producingradiofeeds(arecordingofthe

groupsleaderplayedoverthephonetoa

radiostation),issuingmediaadvisories,and

evenadvertisinginpublications.

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ReferencesandFurtherReading

Portionsofthischapterwereexcerptedandadaptedfrom:

Dates,G.1995.InterpretingYourData. TheVolunteerMonitor7(1).

Lease,F.1995.DesigningaDataManagementSystem.TheVolunteerMonitor7(1).

Schoen,J.,MF.Walk,andM.L.Tremblay.1999.Ready,Set,Present!A DataPresentation

ManualforVolunteerWaterQualityMonitoringGroups.MassachusettsWaterWatch

Partnership.Univ.ofMassachusetts,Amherst.

Website:http://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/datapresmanual.html .

U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(USEPA).1997. VolunteerStreamMonitoring:A

MethodsManual. EPA 841B97003.November.OfficeofWater,Washington,DC.211pp.

Otherreferences:

Dates,G.,andJ.Schloss.1998.DatatoInformation:A GuideforCoastalWaterQuality

MonitoringGroupsinNewHampshireandMaine.Univ.ofMaineCooperativeExtension

andME/NHSeaGrant.Waldoboro,ME.

Ely,E.(ed.)1995.TheVolunteerMonitor.SpecialTopic:ManagingandPresentingYourData.

7(1).

Hubbell,S.1995.SeizetheData.TheVolunteerMonitor7(1).

Miller,J.K.1995.DataScreeningandCommonSense.TheVolunteerMonitor7(1).

Rector,J.1995.VariabilityHappens:BasicDescriptiveStatisticsforVolunteerPrograms.

TheVolunteerMonitor7(1).

RiverWatchNetwork.1995. ProgramOrganizingGuide.RiverWatchProgramofRiver

Network.Montpelier,VT.

Sayce,K.1999.DataAnalysisandPresentation.In:MeetingNotesU.S.Environmental

ProtectionAgency(USEPA)/CenterforMarineConservation(CMC)workshop:Volunteer

EstuaryMonitoring:WaveoftheFuture.Astoria,OR:May1921,1999.

U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(USEPA).1990. VolunteerWaterMonitoring:A Guide

forStateManagers. EPA 440/490010.August.OfficeofWater,Washington,DC.78pp.

U.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(USEPA).1997. ProceedingsFifthNationalVolunteer

MonitoringConference:PromotingWatershedStewardship.August37,1996,Universityof

WisconsinMadison.EPA 841R97007.

Website:http://www.epa.gov/owow/volunteer/proceedings/toc.html .

818

http://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/datapresmanual.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/owow/volunteer/proceedings/toc.htmlhttp://www.epa.gov/owow/volunteer/proceedings/toc.htmlhttp://www.umass.edu/tei/mwwp/datapresmanual.html


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Unit OneChemicalMeasures

Oxygen Nutrients pHandAlkalinity Toxins


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2009 03 13 Estuaries Monitor Chap8

Documents

Transcript of 2009 03 13 Estuaries Monitor Chap8