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FIELD SHEET
BIOLOGICAL SAMPLING
Intertidal Organisms/soft sediments
FIELD EQUIPMENT:
Posts
Transect line marked every 5m
.5m quadrat
Compass
Shovel
Salinity testing apparatus (See Water Chemistry field sheets)
Thermometer (See Water Chemistry field sheets)
Meter tape
Orange (See Streamflow field sheet)
Stop watch
Dissolved oxygen titration kit (See Water Chemistry field sheets)
Sieves
Sample trays
Organism keys
Jars
Ethanol
FIELD PROCEDURE:
1. Select 15m section of shoreline and mark with a stake (label stake with site ID
number).
2. At low tide (preferably spring or neap tides), mark the shoreline at 5m upstream
from down stream edge of 15m site. Lay out transect by running line
perpendicular to shore and out to edge of water.
3.
Record length of line. With compass, establish bearing of transect and record. Mark bearing on post at shore.
4.
Conduct 1m2 sampling centered on transect line at 5m intervals along transect line.
a) Set .5m2 quadrat on left side (as facing landward pole) of transect line. This
is subplot A; right side of line in subplot B etc. in clockwise circle.
b) Dig .25m deep, and .25m2 hole in randomly selected subplots. Record
sediment layering and depths to each layer. Note depth to anoxic zone.
c) Place material in sample bucket.
d) Using sieves, sort sediments. Remove organisms to sampling tray. Identify
and count by lowest taxonomic level. If you wish to do more complete
classification, collect three specimen per species and preserve in 70%
ethanol.
e) Sample water in hole for salinity and temperature.
5. Enter data on the Intertidal Organism Data Sheet for transect 1.
6.
Establish transects every 5m along shore as you move upstream. Set lines at
same bearing as the first transect so that they are all parallel. Repeat 1-5 at every transect.
7.
Within 15m sampling site, sample water on transects 1 & 3 at seaward edge of
transects. Test water for dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, and flow rate
(See Water Chemistry and Streamflow field sheets).
8.
Conduct biodiversity and water chemistry analysis following guidelines on data sheet.
The following form samples are also available:
Field Data Sheet and Transect Field Data Sheet
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