Air, water, soil, legal, and field sampling Flashcards
Define Groundwater’s properties
- nearly oxygen free
- identified by dissolved ions at their lowest valence level
- Doesn’t contain particulates
Groundwater is influenced by:
Gravity
pressure
porosity
friction
Darcy’s Law describes:
the flow of a body of water through a porous medium, namely that the porous medium will influence how contaminants are transported
Groundwater sampling is affected by:
aquifer depth recharge rate soil permeability topography and type of analyte
Groundwater well sampling requires the purging of well prior to sample collection because:
of stagnant water
Methods and rate of purging, time between purges and sampling, and the sampling itself depend upon…
the well’s diameter, depth and recharge rate
Purge volumes usually range from..
three to ten well volumes
In general, a sample should only be taken after…
In general, a sample should only be taken after
A piezometer is designed to measure
fluid pressures such as groundwater elevations and pore pressures when buried directly in embankments and fills.
What are the different water sources that are found and sampled from
Surface water, Groundwater, Spring water, Wastewater, Ice, Spring water
Water bodies are classified as followed:
Class I: Potable water supply.
Class II: Shellfish propagation and harvesting. Class III: Recreational propagation and maintenance of fish and wildlife.
Class IV: Agricultural water supply.
Class V: Navigation, utility and industrial use.
When Sampling surface water
Ensure that non-homogeneous particles have been removed, such as plant material
The number and type of samples to collect depends on a variety of factors, including
Width. Depth. Discharge point. Amount of suspended sediment. Aquatic life present
A __________________ is the best choice to determine the maximum concentration of a contaminant
discrete grab sample
A Secchi Disk is a circular disk to measure
the transparency of a body of water
factors must be taken into account when sampling is done in rivers and streams, such as…
o Accessibility. o Point of contamination. o Flow rate. o Changes in stream or river channel. o Type of bed, depth and turbulence. o Structure present. o Safety.
factors must be taken into account when sampling is done in lakes, such as…
o Accessibility.
o Spatial stability.
o Thermal stability.
factors must be taken into account when sampling is done in Groundwater, such as…
o Site of contamination.
o Purification and treatment processes.
Common particle sizes observed are:
Gravel (2-60mm)
Sand (0.6-2mm)
Silt (0.006-0.06mm)
Clay (<0.002mm)
Other parameters that can be determined from a sieve analysis of a sample of soil are:
effective porosity, soil type and the ability to define the apparent soil order and horizons
Parameters must be set out within a soil sampling program regarding:
Pollutants, Depth to collect samples from, Sampling equipment, Sample containers, Number of samples, Identify analytical parameters, Identify preservation and sample storage
The nature of the analyte dictates the ______,__________.________. and_________ within the sampling device
depth, sampling device, construction and choice of materials
Pollutants migrate slowly through soil; this migration is dependent on
density, solubility and viscosity of the pollutant
Describe the four types of air quality decisions
Determination of effects,
Identification of pollutants causing effects,
Source attribution, and
Emissions control
Air samples collected from the environment fall into one of the following four categories:
- Ambient Air sample.
- Indoor Air sample.
- Emissions sample – automobiles, incinerator stacks, etc.
- Soil atmosphere – landfills, contaminated soils from spills, etc
The following must be considered when selecting the sampling site:
Source of contamination. Air flow and direction and velocity. Density of contaminants. Intensity of sunlight. Time of day. Presence of obstructions such as trees and buildings. Traffic. Site access and amenities.
Meteorological effects to consider when sampling:
Wind direction and speed.
temperature.
Atmospheric stability and pressure.
Precipitation.
The four collection methods are:
- Absorption/Adsorption
- Filtration
- Whole Air Sampling
- Cryogenics
Total Volume of Air Collected =
Flow Rate x Total Sampling Time
Why are Field Analysis necessary?
because the nature of any sample will change as soon as it is removed from its original environment, making the measurements non-representative
Examples of field measurements are:
Temperature pH Electrical conductivity Dissolved oxygen Turbidity Residual chlorine Hydrocarbon vapor Immunoassays
Field quality control activities include:
Collecting representative samples.
Use of appropriate equipment.
Proper sample handling and preservation.
Proper chain-of-custody and preservation.
Proper quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) in the field.
Field equipment.
o Calibration.
o Documentation.
o Name; model; serial number; method of calibration; date and time; solutions and concentrations; instrument response; and results of QC solution
____________ field test kits are a cost effective technique that can be used in the field to complete both qualitative and quantitative analyses
Immunoassay
_____________ is a key measure of water quality, as well as the ability of a body of water to support life
Dissolved oxygen
Typical levels of oxygen in water are seen between:
6.0 and 14.0mg/L O2 (g)
The solubility of oxygen in water___________ as the temperature of water ___________
increases, decreases
There are five stages within an oxygen sag curve:
- Clean zone
- Decomposition zone
- Septic zone
- Recovery zone
- Clean zone
Activities that have legal ramifications include:
Collection of samples. Handling of samples. Transport of samples. Analysis of samples. Storage of samples.
Within the sampling and analysis system, which process is it that the analysts can come under greatest scrutiny within a court of law.
it is the initial collection of a sample
Sample containers must be properly labelled with at a minimum the following information:
Name of the sampler.
Site identification.
Sample identification.
Date and time of sample collection.
Sample conditions (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, color, etc.).
Written signature of the person who collected the sample.
Field notebooks must be:
Attributable. Permanent. Secure.
Additional documentation that should be included and captured within the field notebook include:
observations made during the collection of the samples.
the preservative procedure used, and documentation associated with preservative
Describe the special precautions that must be followed during the transport and storage of legal samples:
Avoid tampering with the sample containers
Sample containers must be sealed securely
legal seal must be applied as soon as the sample is collected
samples are typically cooled to a temperature of 4oC
cooler is locked and contents are listed on the outside of the cooler
chain of custody form is used, attached to cooler
samples should be delivered in person
The term _______________refers to a chronological document or record of the events and people that were involved with the samples collected
chain of custody
_____________is the separation of a mixture of compounds into its separate components.
Chromatography
To be suitable for GC analysis, a compound must have:
sufficient volatility and thermal stability
Gas Chromatography is used for the analysis of:
Volatiles, Semi-volatiles, and anything that can be vaporized
______________________________is an example of liquid chromatography that uses the coulombic attraction between the charged sample and the oppositely charged site on the stationary phase as the retention mechanism
Ion exchange chromatography (IEC)
____________________ is the general term given to chromatographic methods in which the analyte is distributed between a liquid mobile phase and either a liquid or a solid stationary phase.
Liquid chromatography (LC)
Liquid chromatography (LC) is used for the analysis of:
salts
__________________________________measures the absorption of radiation by atoms in their vapor (gaseous) state
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS)
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) is used for the analysis of:
atomic makeup.
AA also costs the less then ICP
Detection Limit = > ppm
What does ICP mean?
Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrophotometer
Detection Limit = < ppb
____________ is primarily used for the separation of inorganic ions
Ion exchange
Ion exchange can be used for a variety of analyses, including:
Drilling mud analysis.
Pulp mill effluent.
Steam power plant boiler water.
Finished products whose ion levels must be measured.
The analytes that an ion chromatograph will examine can include:
Anions: F-, Cl-, Br-, NO2-, NO3-, SO32-, SO42-, PO43- and organic carboxylic acids.
Cations: Na+, K+, Li+, Be2+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+ and positively charged organic amines.
________________________is applicable to the detection of almost any volatile sample
Gas chromatography
Some applications for GC include:
Environmental Analysis Food analysis Industrial manufacturing Petrochemical analysis Biomedical Interface with FTIR and MS
the most widely used metal analysis method today, and is used for metal levels in the 1 to 100ppm range, is…
Atomic absorption spectrophotometry
What is the name of the instrument (including the detector) to provide positive identification of metal chemicals detected in environmental samples?
atomic absorption spectrophotmeter with photomultiplier tube
What is the name of the instrument (including the detector)to provide positive identification of organic chemicals detected in environmental samples?
gas chromatograph with flame ionization detector
What is the name of the instrument (including the detector)to provide positive identification of ion chemicals detected in environmental samples?
ion chromatograph with conductivity cell
What is not an example of a piece of equipment for taking a field measurement?
1) immunoassay kit
2) gas chromatograph
3) pH meter
4) turbidimeter
2) gas chromatograph
Identify the field analysis from the following description – “An expression used to describe the optical property observed from the absorption and scattering of light by finely divided solids in a water sample.”
Turbidity
From the following list, which environmental pollutants can be measured using an immunoassay field test kit?
1) Proteins
2) Pesticides
3) Hydrocarbons
4) photosynthetically available radiation (PAR)
5) Haptens
2) Pesticides
3) Hydrocarbons
What properties influence the transport and dilution of an air pollutant in the atmosphere?
1) number of sampling stations
2) depth of calculations involved
3) wind speed, barometric pressure, temperature
4) wind direction, precipitation, humidity
5) radiation, vapor pressure, density of air pollutant
3) wind speed, barometric pressure, temperature
4) wind direction, precipitation, humidity
5) radiation, vapor pressure, density of air pollutant
Identify the following types of air sampling equipment as either grab or integrative: Canisters Sorbent cartridge Tedlar bag Diffusional badge
Integrative - Canisters, Sorbent cartridge, Tedlar bag
Grab - Diffusional badge
What information is required to determine the volume of air collected from an air sampling project that uses an air sampling pump? Select all that apply
1) time
2) flow rate
3) temperature
4) location
5) time of day
6) pH
1) time
2) flow rate
There are 4 main categories used to classify soils according to particle size. What are they?
1) sand
2) silt
3) clay
4) gravel
The most important and most valuable horizon of soil and used as topsoil for the production of crops is called the ___ horizon.
A horizon
Describe the correct procedure that should be followed to store and transport soil samples for the analysis of volatile organic chemicals
glass bottle, no headspace, minimize agitation, chill container, and analyze expeditiously at the lab
What are the properties of a groundwater sample you would look at to decide whether the sample collected is or is not representative of the well it was collected from?
1) dissolved oxygen concentration
2) oxidation state of iron
3) presence of particulate matter
There are 3 different properties that assist or restrict the movement of groundwater. What are they?
gravity, pressure and friction
TRUE/FALSE: a new field notebook is required every time we go to collect a legal sample?
True
What is a chronological document of the events and people that were involved with the samples collected?
Chain of custody
What is the purpose of attaching a legal seal or tape between the lid and exterior of a sample container after the collection of a sample in the field?
to ensure there was no tampering
