Frontiers in Marine Science (Apr 2023)

Data quality control considerations in multivariate environmental monitoring: experience of the French coastal network SOMLIT

  • Elsa Breton,
  • Nicolas Savoye,
  • Peggy Rimmelin-Maury,
  • Benoit Sautour,
  • Benoit Sautour,
  • Eric Goberville,
  • Arnaud Lheureux,
  • Arnaud Lheureux,
  • Thierry Cariou,
  • Thierry Cariou,
  • Sophie Ferreira,
  • Sophie Ferreira,
  • Hélène Agogué,
  • Samir Alliouane,
  • Fabien Aubert,
  • Sébastien Aubin,
  • Eric Berthebaud,
  • Hadrien Blayac,
  • Lucie Blondel,
  • Cédric Boulart,
  • Yann Bozec,
  • Sarah Bureau,
  • Arnaud Caillo,
  • Arnaud Cauvin,
  • Jean-Baptiste Cazes,
  • Léo Chasselin,
  • Léo Chasselin,
  • Pascal Claquin,
  • Pascal Claquin,
  • Pascal Conan,
  • Pascal Conan,
  • Marie-Ange Cordier,
  • Marie-Ange Cordier,
  • Laurence Costes,
  • Romain Crec’hriou,
  • Olivier Crispi,
  • Muriel Crouvoisier,
  • Valérie David,
  • Yolanda Del Amo,
  • Hortense De Lary,
  • Hortense De Lary,
  • Gaspard Delebecq,
  • Jeremy Devesa,
  • Aurélien Domeau,
  • Maria Durozier,
  • Claire Emery,
  • Eric Feunteun,
  • Eric Feunteun,
  • Juliette Fauchot,
  • Juliette Fauchot,
  • Valérie Gentilhomme,
  • Sandrine Geslin,
  • Mélanie Giraud,
  • Karine Grangeré,
  • Gerald Grégori,
  • Emilie Grossteffan,
  • Aurore Gueux,
  • Aurore Gueux,
  • Aurore Gueux,
  • Julien Guillaudeau,
  • Gael Guillou,
  • Manon Harrewyn,
  • Orianne Jolly,
  • Orianne Jolly,
  • Florence Jude-Lemeilleur,
  • Paul Labatut,
  • Nathalie Labourdette,
  • Nicolas Lachaussée,
  • Michel Lafont,
  • Veronique Lagadec,
  • Christophe Lambert,
  • Jezebel Lamoureux,
  • Laurent Lanceleur,
  • Benoit Lebreton,
  • Eric Lecuyer,
  • David Lemeille,
  • Yann Leredde,
  • Cédric Leroux,
  • Aude Leynaert,
  • Stéphane L’Helguen,
  • Camilla Liénart,
  • Eric Macé,
  • Eric Maria,
  • Barbara Marie,
  • Dominique Marie,
  • Sébastien Mas,
  • Fabrice Mendes,
  • Line Mornet,
  • Behzad Mostajir,
  • Laure Mousseau,
  • Antoine Nowaczyk,
  • Sandra Nunige,
  • René Parra,
  • Thomas Paulin,
  • David Pecqueur,
  • Franck Petit,
  • Philippe Pineau,
  • Patrick Raimbault,
  • Fabienne Rigaut-Jalabert,
  • Christophe Salmeron,
  • Ian Salter,
  • Ian Salter,
  • Pierre-Guy Sauriau,
  • Laurent Seuront,
  • Laurent Seuront,
  • Laurent Seuront,
  • Emmanuelle Sultan,
  • Rémi Valdès,
  • Vincent Vantrepotte,
  • Francesca Vidussi,
  • Florian Voron,
  • Renaud Vuillemin,
  • Renaud Vuillemin,
  • Laurent. Zudaire,
  • Laurent. Zudaire,
  • Nicole Garcia

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1135446
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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IntroductionWhile crucial to ensuring the production of accurate and high-quality data—and to avoid erroneous conclusions—data quality control (QC) in environmental monitoring datasets is still poorly documented.MethodsWith a focus on annual inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) exercises performed in the context of the French coastal monitoring SOMLIT network, we share here a pragmatic approach to QC, which allows the calculation of systematic and random errors, measurement uncertainty, and individual performance. After an overview of the different QC actions applied to fulfill requirements for quality and competence, we report equipment, accommodation, design of the ILC exercises, and statistical methodology specially adapted to small environmental networks (<20 laboratories) and multivariate datasets. Finally, the expanded uncertainty of measurement for 20 environmental variables routinely measured by SOMLIT from discrete sampling—including Essential Ocean Variables—is provided.Results, Discussion, ConclusionThe examination of the temporal variations (2001–2021) in the repeatability, reproducibility, and trueness of the SOMLIT network over time confirms the essential role of ILC exercises as a tool for the continuous improvement of data quality in environmental monitoring datasets.

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