The major aim in AMAP is to monitor the levels of anthropogenic contaminants in all major compartments of the Arctic environment, and assess the environmental conditions in the area. This core programme will provide the Danish/Greenlandic authorities with data which make it possible to take part in the international AMAP programme under the Arctic Council. In order to monitor the levels of anthropogenic pollutants, samples will be collected and analysed. The measured components will include heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants in order to allow for spatial and temporal trends in Arctic biota. The program has taken in consideration the recommended importance of persistent organic pollutants and mercury and the importance of the marine food chain. The core program focuses on areas with high population density or areas with high levels of pollutants in the environment.
Stored at the institute dried or at minus 21 centigrade
The AMAP biological programme is organised with Department of Arctic Environment, NERI (DAE) as contractor. Sampling will be carried out mainly by NERI(DEA) with Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) as subcontractor for part of the programme. The analyses of heavy metals will be carried out at NERI(DAE) and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) will be carried out by Department of Environmental Chemistry, NERI (DEC) or a similar qualified laboratory as subcontractor.
The Quality Control System of the laboratories of the NERI follows the OECD rules for good laboratory practice, and the laboratories are aiming against a EN 45001 accreditation. The following quality assurance procedures will be followed during the AMAP analyses at the NERI laboratories. Any intended or unintended deviation will be reported with the results of analyses. Any series of analyses must contain blind values. At least every 13th sample must be a blind sample. A blind value is an analytical result of analysing a "sample" that has been through exactly the same procedures as the real samples but contains no test substance or only pure water. The results of the blind analyses are used to correct the real analytical results in the series to which the blind values belong. The blind values are recorded. If blind values are unacceptable for a series, all results of that series are discarded, and complete new analyses will be performed. Any series must contain analytical results of a certified reference material with a composition comparable to the samples. At least one reference material must be analysed for every 23 samples. The results of analyses of reference materials are reported to a quality controller who continuously evaluates the quality of the analyses. Analytical results of reference materials shall follow the results of the samples in a series. The results of analysing the reference material will be assessed by use of trend models and control charts. If a reference material gives unacceptable results the routine work will be stopped until the error(s) is found. All results must be controlled for correct transfer of numbers and correct calculations. The report will include information of who made the analyses and who made the controls. The laboratories of NERI has participated in several ICES intercalibrations with good results. They are participating in the Quasimême project (Quality Assurance of Information for Marine Environmental Monitoring in Europe), which is a continuos program that started in 1993. The laboratories have obtained good results. The laboratories will participate in future relevant intercalibrations. Other laboratories that might contribute to the programme must fulfill similar QA conditions as NERI. Detailled information from NWRI has been formulated in Project #4.