ASGSB 1998 Annual Meeting Abstracts

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COMPARING THE EFFFECTIVENESS AND PRECISION OF TWO TECHNIQUES FOR SEDIMENT SAMPLING AT JOHN F. KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.   T. L. Hollar¹, M. Mota², and D. M. Scheidt². ¹Erskin College and ²Dynamac Corporation.

Metal contamination is a major concern in the wetlands surrounding the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This project compared the effectiveness and precision of two techniques to detect metal concentrations in sediment samples. The present technique, the use of a lexon core sampler, was compared to a newer technique, the use of modified 20 cc syringes, to decide which was more efficient in detecting metal concentrations in the top 1 cm of sediment. This was very important for the Ecology Department at KSC in order to maintain proper environmental monitoring and compliance. Metals tested included: Al, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, Zn, and Ag. While comparing the two different techniques of sediment sampling, the benefits and disadvantages of each technique were considered. The syringe samplers proved to be superior for collecting shallow sediment samples due to their small size, ability to create their own vacuum, and easy storage capabilities, which , unlike the lexon core sampler, kept the samples from getting homogenized before analysis. After the metals’ concentrations were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma analysis (ICP), the three syringe results from each site were tested for significant differences (

0.05) from their corresponding sexon core sample using Bonferroni ANOVA. Test results revealed that 53% of the time there was a significant difference between the two methods used. This indicated that, by using the present sampling method, there would be a 53% chance of not detecting proper metal concentrations. Due to the consequences of metal bioaccumulation, it is paramount to use the sediment sampling technique that provides the most accurate data. (Supported by the NASA Space Life Sciences Training Program)

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