Interlaboratory Proficiency Test 12/2017 - Phytoplankton

Proftest SYKE organized in 2017 the fifth virtual phytoplankton proficiency test based on filmed and preserved material. A total of 39 persons from 32 organizations and 11 European countries took part in the test. The test material represented phytoplankton typically occuring in boreal lakes and in the Baltic Sea. The test included three components: 1) identification of lake and/or Baltic Sea taxa, 2) phytoplankton counting and 3) measurement of cell dimensions. Most of the participants demonstrated satisfactory phytoplankton identification skills and proficiency to perform phytoplankton counts and measurements. In the lake phytoplankton identification test 92 % of the participants reached satisfactory results. The corresponding percentage in the Baltic Sea phytoplankton identification test was 100 %. All participants (100 %) performed both the counting and the measurement tests successfully

SYKE Proficiency Test 10/2014 Phytoplankton

The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) organized in 2014 the fourth virtual phytoplankton proficiency test based on filmed material. A total of 39 analysts from 27 organizations and eight countries took part the test. The test material represented phytoplankton that typically occurs in boreal lakes and in the northern Baltic Sea. The test included three components: 1) phytoplankton species identification test, 2) phytoplankton counting test and 3) phytoplankton measurement of cell dimensions. Material for the lake and Baltic Sea phytoplankton identification tests consisted of 20 taxa filmed on 20 video-clips. For the phytoplankton counting test 30 video-clips, representing 30 fields of view in a microscope, were filmed. In the measurement test the cell dimensions (diameter, height/width and length) of three selected taxa were asked to be measured from the Lugol preserved sample. In the lake phytoplankton identification test altogether 81% of the participants reached the good quality target of 75% of the maximum score. The corresponding percentage in the Baltic Sea phytoplankton identification test also was 81%. The success in the counting test was excellent, and all participants performed the counting test successfully. Altogether 92% of the participants did the measurement test successfully. Majority of the participants demonstrated excellent phytoplankton identification skills and proficiency to perform phytoplankton counts and measurements. The results of the proficiency test highlighted to follow the EN 15204 guidance in the quantitative phytoplankton analysis