Use of statistical process control for coastal marine biological impact analysis
Keywords:
Species, Abundance, Biomass, Zone rulesAbstract
Statistical process control, a procedure long practiced in industry, was assessed to determine its applicability as an ecological analysis technique. The procedure is easy to calculate, emphasizes visual display of data, facilitates analysis and comparison, and uses well tested zone rules to objectively identify out-of-control conditions. Statistical process control was applied to a marine database involving number of species, abundance and biomass of benthic invertebrates sampled over 13 years (July 1985 to April 1998). Two stations were evaluated representing reference and impact (i.e. test) conditions.
Statistical process control revealed that some out-of-control conditions were naturally induced whereas others were probably related to anthropogenic activities. The procedure also effectively depicted seasonal fluctuations and long-term trends. Patterns and major trends identified using the technique corroborated those previously documented by analyses using more conventional approaches. While the procedure is well established as an industrial quality control protocol, it has the flexibility and latitude to be considered as a useful tool in evaluating biological impacts. Comments on management applications are included.
References
Adams, M.S., Crumby, W.D., Greeley, M.S., Shugart, L.R. and Saylor, C.F. 1992. Responses of fish populations and communities to pulp mill effluents: a holistic assessment. Ecotox. Environ. Safety, 24: 347–360.
Boero, F. 1994. Fluctuations and variations in coastal marine environments. Mar. Ecol., 15: 3–25.
Clarke, K.R. 1993. Non-parametric multi-variate analyses of changes in community structure. Australian J. Ecol., 18: 117–143.
Diener, D.R. and Fuller, S.C. 1995. Infaunal patterns in the vicinity of a small coastal wastewater outfall and the lack of infaunal community response to secondary treatment. S. Cal. Acad. Sci. Bull., 94: 5–20.
Diener, D.R., Fuller, S.C., Lissner, A., Haydock, C.I., Maurer, D., Robertson, G. and Gerlinger, T. 1995. Spatial and temporal patterns of the infaunal community near a major ocean outfall in southern California. Mar. Poll. Bull., 30: 861–878.
Districts (County Sanitation Districts of Orange County California). 1995. Scientific Report including a ten-year synthesis. Fountain Valley, CA
Dorsey, J.H., Phillips, C.A., Dalkey, A., Roney, J.D. and Deets, G.B. 1995. Changes in assemblages of infaunal organisms around wastewater outfalls in Santa Monica Bay, California. S. Cal. Acad. Sci., 94: 46–64.
Engle, V.D., Summers, J.K. and Gaston, G.R. 1994. A benthic index of environmental condition of Gulf of Mexico estuaries. Estuaries, 17: 372–384.
Ferraro, S.P., Swartz, R.C., Cole, F.A. and Schults, D.W. 1991. Temporal changes in the benthos along a pollution gradient: discriminating the efforts of natural phenomena from sewage-industrial wastewater effects. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 33: 383–407.
Gentry, C.E., Walton, G.S., Davidson, W.H. and Wade, G.L. 1994. “Influences of humic and fulvic acids and organic matter on leachate chemistry from acid coal spoil”. In Prog. International Land Reclamation and Mine Drainage Conference and Third International Conference on the Abatement of Acid Drainage, Pittsburgh, PA, 24–29 April 166–177. In
Gerlinger, T., Robertson, G. and Maurer, D. 1993. Rapid response benthic monitoring of a southern California outfall. Sea Tech., 34: 23–28.
Grizzle, R.E. 1984. Pollution Indicator species of macrobenthos in a coastal lagoon. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 18: 191–200.
Hunt, P.J. 1987. Statistical Process Control, Madeira, FL: Productivity Management Consultants.
Kennish, M.J. 1997. Pollution Impacts on Marine Biotic Communities, Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Maurer, D., Mengel, M., Robertson, G., Gerlinger, T. and Lissner, A. 1999. Statistical process control in sediment pollutant analysis. Env. Poll., 104: 21–29.
Maurer, D., Robertson, G. and Gerlinger, T. 1993. Long-term temporal and spatial fluctuation of soft-bottom infaunal invertebrates for the San Pedro Shelf. California. Int. Rev. Ges. Hydrobiol., 78: 515–555.
Maurer, D., Robertson, G. and Gerlinger, T. 1993. San Pedro Shelf, California: testing the Pearson-Rosenberg Model (PRM). Mar. Environ. Res., 35: 303–321.
Maurer, D., Robertson, G. and Gerlinger, T. 1994. Trace metals in the Newport Submarine Canyon, California and the adjacent shelf. Wat. Env. Res., 66: 110–118.
Maurer, D., Robertson, G., Gerlinger, T. and Gossett, R. 1996. Sediment organics in the Newport Submarine Canyon, California and the adjacent shelf. Wat. Env. Res., 68: 1024–1036.
NRC (National Research Council). 1990. “Monitoring Southern California's Coastal Waters”. In Panel on the Southern California Bight of the Committee on a Systems Assessment of Marine Environmental Monitoring, Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Marine Board, Commission on Engineering and Technical Systems, National Research Council
NRC (National Research Council). Environmental Science in the Coastal Zone: Issues for Further Research. Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council Proceedings of a retreat. June 25 to 26 1992. Woods Hole, MA: J. Erik Jonsson Woods Hole Center. National Academy Press, Washington, DC
NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). 1992. Use of NIST Standard Reference Materials for Decisions on Performance of Analytical Chemical Methods and Laboratories, 829, 1–27. Washington, DC: US Dept. Comm., Technol. Admin. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Special Publication
Pearson, T.H. and Rosenberg, R. 1978. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Ann. Rev., 16: 229–311.
Phillips, C. and Hershelman, G.P. 1996. Recent temporal trends in sediment metal concentrations near a large wastewater outfall off Orange County, California. Wat. Environ. Res., 68: 105–114.
Ryan, T.P. 1989. Statistical Methods for Quality Improvement, New York: Wiley.
Shuter, B.J. 1990. Population-level indicators of stress. Amer. Fish. Soc. Sympos., 8: 145–166.
Stull, J.K. 1995. Two decades of marine biological monitoring. Palos Verdes, California, 1972–1992. S. Cal. Acad. Sci. Bull., 94: 21–45.
SYSTAT. 1988. SYSTAT, Version 8.0, Chicago: SPSS Inc.
Taylor, J.K. 1988. Quality Assurance of Chemical Measurements, 4, Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publ. Inc..
USCMS (United States Commission on Marine Science, Engineering, and Resources). 1969. Our Nation and the Sea: a Plan for National Action, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office.
USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency). 1979. Handbook for Analytical Quality Control in Water and Wastewater Laboratories Washington, DC EPA-600/4-79-019
Warwick, R.M. 1986. A new method for detecting pollution effects on marine benthic communities. Mar. Biol., 92: 557–562.
Wilkinson, L., Blank, G. and Gruber, C. 1996. Desktop Data Analysis with SYSTAT, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Wilson, J.G. and Jeffrey, D.W. 1994. “Benthic Biological pollution indices in estuaries”. In Biomonitoring of Coastal Waters and Estuaries, Edited by: Kramer, K.J.M. 311–327. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. In
Zmarzly, D.L., Stebbins, T.D., Pasko, D., Duggan, R.M. and Barwick, K.L. 1994. Spatial patterns and temporal succession in soft-bottom macroinvertebrate assemblages surrounding an ocean outfall on the southern San Diego Shelf: relation to anthropogenic and natural events. Mar. Biol., 118: 293–307.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Manuscripts must be original. They must not be published or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. It is required that the lead author of accepted papers complete and sign the MSU Press AEHM Author Publishing Agreement and provide it to the publisher upon acceptance.
