Publication Abstract

The statistical power of monitoring programmes

M.D. Nicholson and R.J. Fryer

The probability (power) of detecting changes in contaminant levels with time depends on both the pattern and magnitude of these changes. Contaminant monitoring programmes are more sensitive to some patterns of change than to others. This is demonstrated for an annual monitoring programme by computing the power for several simple environmental scenarios exhibiting different patterns of change in contaminant levels. The results are used to assess the changes that are likely to be detected in mercury concentrations in the muscle tissue of a number of fish species using data collected in an international monitoring programme.

Reference:

M.D. Nicholson and R.J. Fryer, 1992. The statistical power of monitoring programmes. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 24: 146-149.