6.1 a. Measuring Temperature, Salinity, and Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) using the YSI Model 85 Meter PROCEDURE Transport meter with care. Can be used in rain. Do not bend electrical cable
1. Press the ON/OFF button to turn on the meter. Wait a few seconds until the instrument completes a selftest. If you intend to collect data in accordance with the Project Oceanology Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) be sure the meter has been calibrated and tested by Project Oceanology before and after you use the meter. Follow the instructions in the Quality Assurance section below. 2. Press and release the MODE button to cycle from one display mode to the next. The sequence of display modes is: Salinity (ppt) with Temp (°C) ↓ Dissolved Oxygen Saturation (%) with Temp (°C) ↓ Dissolved Oxygen Concentration (mg/l) with Temp (°C) ↓ Conductivity (µS or mS) with Temp (°C not flashing on and off) ↓ Specific Conductance (µS or mS) with Temp (°C flashing on and off) ↓ Data Memory (rcl = "recall data") with sample ID number (i.e. 01) ↓ Data memory (ErAS = "erase data")
NOTE: The display cycle may start at any point in this sequence and will repeat when the sequence is completed. Wait a moment for the display to change after pressing and releasing the mode button. If you press the button several times without a pause the display may jump past the next measurement and you will need to go through the entire cycle to get back to the desired mode. Sometimes, especially when the probe is not in the water, the display will not appear to change after pressing the button because some of the readings are the same (0.0).
You must look very carefully at the units on the display to know which mode you are in. For example, if the display says "ppt" then you are measuring salinity. If it says "mg/l" then you are measuring the D.O. concentration. The temperature, indicated with "°C", is also displayed with each of the other measurements. 3. Calibrate the meter for Dissolved Oxygen (D.O.) each time the meter is turned on. It is not necessary to recalibrate the meter between readings as long as the meter stays on. Therefore, do not turn off the meter between sampling stations if the time between the stations is less than an hour or so. Calibration should be done at a temperature which is as close as possible to the water sample temperature. Calibrate the meter as follows: a. Make sure that the sponge inside the calibration chamber is wet. If not, put 36 drops of clean fresh water into the sponge. Allow any excess water to drain out of the chamber. b. Insert the probe into the calibration chamber. c. Press the MODE button until the D.O. is displayed (mg/L or %). d. Wait for the D.O. and temperature readings to stabilize (reach a constant value). Usually about 15 minutes is required. e. Use two fingers to press and release both the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW buttons at the same time. The display will prompt you to enter the local altitude in hundreds of feet. This will be 0 (zero) at sea level. If you are inland you will need to know the approximate altitude where you are located. Use the arrow buttons to increase of decrease the altitude (i.e. the number 12 indicates 1200 feet.) f. Press the ENTER button once. The display should show CAL at the lower left, the calibration value in the lower right, and the current % reading in large numbers in the middle. Be sure that this reading is stable (constant value). Then press the ENTER button. The display should read SAVE and then return to the normal operation mode. 4. Remove the probe from the calibration chamber. Unwind the cable and lower the probe to the desired depth. The line attached to the probe cable is marked off in meters. Use the marked line, not the electrical cable, to raise and lower the probe NThe probe wire must descend vertically through the water for accurate depth readings.
5. Read the temperature, salinity, D.O. saturation and D.O. concentration. RECORD these values on your meter data sheet. Press the mode button as described above in Step #2 to cycle from one parameter to the next. The sample water must be moving past the probe at a rate of at least 30cm (1 ft) per second to provide adequate stirring when making the D.O readings. If the current is slower than this rate, rapidly jiggle the probe wire so the probe moves up and down a few centimeters while you are taking your readings. This stirring motion will prevent oxygen from being used up in the vicinity of the probe. Before you record any readings at each new location or depth, it is very important to allow enough time for the probe to fully adjust to the change in the temperature and D.O. at the new location. Wait until the readings are reasonably stable (constant values). In the field it is not unusual for the displayed values to change even though the probe remains at the same depth and location. This is due to the natural variability of the water flowing past the probe. Although the meter sensitivity (resolution) may provide readings to one or two decimal places, the variability of the readings may make it necessary to record values at a lower resolution. (i.e. if the D.O. concentration readings vary from 8.26 to 8.33, you would record a value of 8.3. If the D.O. Saturation readings vary from 97.3 to 97.5, you would record a value of 97. 6. Repeat step 6 at each depth or location you want to take measurements. For example, you may want to start with the probe just below the surface of the water (depth = 0) and measure the salinity, D.O. and temperature at each meter increment to the bottom. Do not allow the probe to touch the bottom. Stop lowering when you feel the weight at the end of the cable line touch bottom. It is best if your deepest measurement is at least one meter above the bottom. 7. Fill out the top of the meter data sheet. Be sure to include the date, time and location for each station. Also fill out a Station Data Sheet if you are collecting other data about the station. 8. After each station recoil the line. Wash the probe with clean fresh water by dipping it several times into the water bottle provided. Insert the probe into the calibration chamber. Do not turn the meter off until the end of the day. If the meter is turned off, it must be recalibrated for D.O. before it can be used again (see step #3.)
QUALITY ASSURANCE The procedures described below must be followed by all users who intend to collect data in accordance with the Project Oceanology Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). 1. All users must undergo a training session at Project Oceanology. At the conclusion of this session each user must demonstrate the following skills: a. Turn on, calibrate for DO, read, and maintain the meter per above instructions. b. Obtain accurate readings of all parameters on at least 3 test water samples. These readings must be within 5% of the readings obtained by the Project Oceanology instructor. c. Fill out the meter data sheet accurately and completely. d. Know the range of reasonable and unreasonable values for each parameter. e. Transfer data properly from data sheet to computer following procedures described in Data QC instructions. 2. The meter must be tested and calibrated within 1 week before and after making any measurements. Before using the meter it must have a QA certificate from Project Oceanology documenting that it is functioning within acceptable tolerances. The certificate must then be signed by each user to document that the data were collected by trained users only. The certificate must be returned to Project Oceanology along with the meter to document the results of the postuse testing. A copy of the QA certificate will be sent to the user and Project Oceanology will retain the original. 3. A qualified person at Project Oceanology will perform the following maintenance, testing and calibration procedures in order to certify that the meter is functioning properly: a.Check batteries. Replace the batteries if a LO BAT message is displayed. Insert batteries per page 3 of the YSI85 Manual. b.Take the recommended actions in response to any symptoms or error messages as instructed on Page 33 of the YSI85 Manual c.Change the membrane per page 7 of YSI85 Manual. d.Calibrate the Salinity using YSI conductivity standard solutions per pg 12 of YSI85 Manual e.Clean and store the probe per pg 23 of YSI85 Manual f. Send out for factory calibration at least once per year.