BOSCORF has revised its working procedures for gathering data on all sediment cores analysed at the facility including new sediment cores accessioned into the collection. BOSCORF aims to log all sediment cores using the MSCL-S (Geotek Multi Sensor Core Logger – Standard) prior to splitting. This ensures that the best quality data is captured from the sediment cores. Physical property datasets are highly requested, however if the data is not captured soon after sediment core collection the loss of data quality can be significant. The sensors rely on a full core liner of wet sediment for accurate measurement. Sediment cores begin to dehydrate from the point of collection, therefore the analysis should be performed before the significant loss of pore water.
Download BOSCORF MSCL-S Operating Procedure
BOSCORF has produced an in-house guide to best practise for operating the BOSCORF MSCL-S. It includes descriptions of new measures adopted by our operators such as, a time efficient approach to logging multiple short cores within a single logging session and performing replicate sample runs. The inclusion of logging a replicate section multiple times throughout the course of a single day permits the assessment of reproducibility, and provides assurance to scientific users that they are receiving the high quality data from this instrument.
BOSCORF invites comments on these procedures from other MSCL-S operators with the aim of developing an international best practise procedure documenting the methodology for gathering reliable and reproducible data. The method of sediment core preparation and the process of logging sediment cores through the MSCL-S is complex, and should be fully understood by all MSCL operators and data users.
We would welcome comments or suggestions from the MSCL-S user community to improve our practise and data quality, if you would like to provide comments or have a query relating to this document, please get in touch.
If you are interested in collecting MSCL data at our facility or to request MSCL data we may already hold for repository sediment cores, please get in touch with the BOSCORF team at boscorf@noc.ac.uk.
Many thanks to John Roberts for his input into improving BOSCORF’s operating procedures, and for the detailed training delivered at BOSCORF.