Good Practice Guide for Improving Accuracy of Dissolved Oxygen Measurements.

Abstract

Dissolved oxygen concentration is a key parameter for characterizing natural and wastewaters and for assessing the global state of the environment in general. The decrease of dissolved oxygen levels in the world’s oceans, which is becoming increasingly obvious, is expected to have an impact on the whole ecosystem of the Earth, including the carbon cycle, the climate, etc. Dissolved oxygen measurements by sensors are often deemed easy measurements by routine laboratories. In reality, the physical and chemical processes underlying the measurements are complex and these measurements are not at all as robust as often considered. Based on the analysis of the results of the intercomparison a set of tools and recommendations are given to the participants of how to improve the quality of their results.