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A Comparison of Geiger‐Mueller and Liquid Scintillation Counting Methods in Estimating Primary Productivity 1
Author(s) -
Ward F. J.,
Nakanishi Masami
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1971.16.3.0560
Subject(s) - liquid scintillation counting , geiger counter , scintillation , scintillation counter , membrane filter , algae , carbon 14 , primary productivity , radiochemistry , chemistry , chromatography , analytical chemistry (journal) , environmental science , physics , biology , optics , botany , membrane , nuclear physics , nutrient , biochemistry , organic chemistry , detector
Primary productivity estimated from liquid scintillation counts of the radioactivity of wet 14 C‐labeled algae on membrane filters was about 30% greater than an estimate from Geiger‐Mueller (G‐M) counts of comparable algae and filters that had been desiccated. A subsequent estimate from recounts of the G‐M filters by the scintillation procedure was 21% less than that obtained from scintillation counts of wet filters. Most of the difference between the two methods is probably caused by the drying procedure required in sample preparation for G‐M counting. The remaining difference, about 9%, may have been caused by variability in estimates of the specific activity of 14 C added to the incubation bottles (±7%) and errors associated with estimating zero‐thickness activity of 14 C‐BaCO 3 precipitates.