Report on the results of the fifth ICES intercomparison exercise for nutrients in sea water

In these increasingly cost-conscious times, tax payers are entitled to ask whether their national environmental research and monitoring programmes are delivering value for money, and it is understandable and right that they should. More people than ever are now inclined to enquire as to the quality of the results of chemical analyses before using them for their intended purpose, and 'Quality Assurance' is a phrase on everyone's lips. It is no secret that marine chemists have generated their share of random numbers in the past. That said, some of the techniques in use in environmental analysis twenty years ago were not sufficiently well developed for their intended task; for example, the role of contamination and its influence on these techniques was not fully appreciated. Nevertheless, today, despite greatly improved instrumentation and facilities, problems still can and do occur. The key to solving problems is first to recognize them and it is in this context that intercomparison and intercalibration (I/C) exercises have an important role to play.