Page 9 - Performance Verification Statement for the Chelsea UV Aquatracka Fluorometer

Ref. No. [UMCES]CBL 2013-014
ACT VS12-01
physical dispersion of added oil. Reference samples were collected from three sampling inlet
ports distributed across the width of the tank and located adjacent to the sensor window. An
aggregate sample was produced for the reference sample analyses, except for hydrocarbon
subsamples which were taken and analyzed independently. Hydrocarbon analysis was conducted
on-site by certified COOGER BIO facility personnel using either gas chromatography with a
flame graphite detector (GCFID) or gas chromatography with a mass spectrometer (GCMS)
depending on concentration levels.
Field Tests
Moored Deployment
A moored application test was conducted at the Maritime Environmental Resource
Center barge facility located within Winans Cove, Baltimore Harbor, MD (39.2614N,
76.6008W). The moored test was planned for a duration of four continuous weeks; however,
the test was cut short after 18 days due to the passage of Hurricane Irene. In addition, the
deployment was interrupted after day two due to a breakage in the mooring structure. The
mooring was re-established on August 18th and operated for 9 days prior to retrieval.
Instrument Setup – The test instruments were programmed to record data at the highest
frequency that the instruments’ battery would maintain over the deployment period. The internal
clock was set to local time and synchronized against the time standard provided by
www.time.gov.A photograph of each individual instrument and the entire instrument rack was
taken just prior to deployment and just after recovery to provide a qualitative estimate of
biofouling during the field tests. Prior to deployment, the test instrument was exposed to freshly
prepared reference solutions (QS and NDSA) made up in DI water both before and after
deployment as an estimate of instrument reliability. The post-deployment reading was taken
after the instruments were cleaned according to manufacturer specifications.
Reference samples were collected on three days of each week at four separate times
spaced at one-hour intervals. Reference field samples were collected within 1 m from the sensor
window. The water samplers were soaked at sampling depth for 1 minute prior to sampling. All
sampling times were recorded on logsheets and entered into a database for final data
comparisons. Two standard 4L Van Dorn trace metal compatible water samplers were used to
collect duplicate water samples for reference measurements. The standard reference sample suite
was processed, stored, and shipped as described above. Once per week, Type I lab water was
loaded into the clean Van Dorn sampler, taken to the sampling locale and a corresponding set of
field blank sample bottles filled to provide monitoring for potential environmental
contamination.
Vertical Profiling
The vertical profiling application was conducted at two test sites in the northern Gulf of
Mexico onboard the R/V Acadiana (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium). One profile was
conducted just outside Terrebonne Bay (29.0465N, 90.5568W) to provide a contrast of high
CDOM coastal waters. Five profiles were conducted at a second site that was located near a
known shipwreck leaking oil (28.5675N, 90.9813W). To avoid contamination between casts, the
CTD rosette was cleaned with a dilute, non-fluorescent, surfactant solution between profiles. For
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