Thesis supervisor:
Professor Ivo Leito, PhD, Institute of Chemistry, University of Tartu
Opponent:
Ms Emilia Vasileva-Veleva, PhD, Environment Laboratories, International Atomic Energy Agency, Monaco
Summary:
This work introduces a set of new tools for enhancing quality of analytical results in water monitoring. These include tutorial computer software aimed for chemical laboratories for estimation of measurement uncertainty mainly based on the approach described in Nordtest TR 537. Also a novel tool for a real-time uncertainty estimation procedure of a field sensor on-line measurement is presented. The toolbox includes also individual examples of improving the reliability of analytical results by enhanced quality control procedures. These include an application of "in-house" reference material for DO measurement. For mercury, enriched stable 196Hg isotope is applied for monitoring the stability of total mercury in water samples. A glass surface silylation procedure is applied for minimising mercury losses and contamination. Also proper organisation of proficiency tests for field sensor measurements of selected inorganic parameters is investigated. One of the tools for future water quality monitoring is based on crowdsourcing, where citizens' observations are applied. This trend is promoted by validating an innovative measuring system for water turbidity field measurements.
The presented tools are concrete and many of them are fairly easy to apply at same time enabling new ways to produce monitoring data and raising the level of quality of environmental monitoring.