Diurnal Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring: Optical versus Membrane Sensors

Thomas Amidon Omni Environmental LLC 8th Water Monitoring Summit West Trenton, NJ December 2nd, 2011

Acknowledgements and Outline

Acknowledgements
Joe JJ Schwarz, Omni Field Sampling Manager
Managed all field activities and assembled data

Glen Petrauski, SRVSA

Client for whom comparative data were obtained

United States Geological Survey

Continuous water quality data in Raritan River @ Manville

Outline
Why is it important? Ways to measure DO A few interesting comparisons Conclusions

Why is Diurnal DO Monitoring Important?

DO, pH, temperature, as well as conductivity and turbidity, are frequently measured in-situ and diurnally in surface waters
In-situ: measurements performed in the field Diurnal: measurements performed throughout the day

DO and pH in particular can be used to assess the net impact of biochemical processes on surface water quality
Photosynthesis Respiration Decay (decomposition)

Levels and diurnal swings of DO and pH are useful in assessing nutrient impacts

Dissolved Oxygen (mg/L) or pH (s.u.) 10.0 11.0 12.0 13.0 14.0 4.0 7/4 12 AM 7/4 6 AM 7/4 12 PM 7/4 6 PM pH 7/5 12 AM 7/5 6 AM Dissolved Oxygen 7/5 12 PM 7/5 6 PM Temperature 7/6 12 AM 7/6 6 AM 7/6 12 PM 7/6 6 PM 7/7 12 AM 10 12 14 Temperature ( Celsius) 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

Example Diurnal Swing

5.0

6.0

7.0

8.0

9.0

Ways to Measure DO
Winkler Method
Preserve sample in a bottle and titrate later in lab The oldest tried and true method

Sensor methods
Used in portable meters as well as in-situ meters 2 types of technology
Membrane (aka Clark cell or amperometric method) Optical (aka luminescent sensor)

Advantages and Disadvantages

Winkler method
Nobody is going to argue with the results No meter calibration simplest method by far Disadvantage only one sample at a time!

In-situ Sensor Methods

Membrane Sensor
Certified method! Method has been in use for many years and is accepted

Optical Sensor
No consumbles (membrane and filling solution) No stirring required and no known interference Not yet certified for all uses in State of New Jersey

Both Sensors Perform Very Well

Mainstem Raritan River
16

14

12

DO (mg/l)

10

2 07/27/10

07/29/10 DO (Optical)

07/31/10

08/02/10

08/04/10 DO Grabs (Optical)

08/06/10

08/08/10 DO Grabs (Winkler)

08/10/10

DO (Membrane)

DO (mg/l) 10 12 14 16 2 6:00 AM 12:00 PM 6:00 PM 12:00 AM 4 6 8

Both Sensors React Similiarly

DO (Optical) 6:00 AM 12:00 PM DO (Membrane) 6:00 PM 12:00 AM 6:00 AM 12:00 PM DO Grabs 6:00 PM 12:00 AM 6:00 AM

Millstone River

Optical DO Sensors Capture Peaks

Mainstem Raritan River
16

14

12

DO (mg/l)

10

2 06/25/10

06/27/10 DO (Optical)

06/29/10 DO (Membrane)

07/01/10

07/03/10

07/05/10 DO Grabs (Winkler)

07/07/10

DO Grabs (Optical)

Optical Sensor Reproducibility

Raritan River at Manville
12 11 10 9 DO (mg/l) 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
08/06/10 08/08/10 DO (USGS Optical) 08/10/10 08/12/10 08/14/10 DO Grab 08/16/10 pH (USGS) 08/18/10 pH (Omni)

12 11.5 11 10.5 pH (s..u.) 10 9.5 9 8.5 8 7.5 7

08/20/10 pH Grabs

DO (Omni Optical)

Conclusions
Both methods can produce excellent in-situ results If regulatory approval is required, be sure to specify method in quality assurance plan For diurnal deployment, optical sensor enjoys a few key advantages
Less susceptible to biofouling and other interferences Better performance in low DO environments Might capture peaks better under certain conditions Better performance in low velocity environments Usually holds calibration longer

Optical sensor must be conditioned prior to deployment

Important part of meter calibration Requires overnight (plan ahead!)

Questions and Discussion

www.Omni-Env.com Thomas Amidon Senior Associate Water Resources Manager 609-924-8821 x128 TAmidon@Omni-Env.com Joseph W. Schwarz Senior Engineer QA/QC Field Manager 609-924-8821 x119 JSchwarz@Omni-Env.com