Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Boyd, C. M.
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, G. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Boyd, C. M.
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, G. W.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

JOURNAL OF PLANKTON RESEARCH | VOLUME 17 | NUMBER 1 | PAGES 41-58 | 1995
© Oxford University Press

research-article

Precision of size determination of resistive electronic particle counters

Carl M. Boyd and Glen W. Johnson1

Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4JI, Canada 1Present address: Canadian Coastguard College PO Box 4500, Sydney, Nova Scotia, B1P 6LI, Canada

Received on February 2, 1994; accepted on August 30, 1994 The precision of the size determination of resistive particle counting systems was studied by: (i) measuring the apparent size of a single particle cycled repeatedly through the sensing electrodes: (ii) by measuring the apparent size distribution of a population of particles of known and limited size range. (iii) by moving individual particles through a large-scale model of the electrode assembly, and (iv) by measuring the size of algal cells microscopically and (subsequently) with a resistive counting system. Three systematic errors were indicated (i) An ‘edge error’ results when a particle passes through the orifice near the perimeter of the orifice (~ 15% overestimation in volume relative to the median estimate): the volume of the same particle passing through the orifice along the central axis is underestimated (~-15%) in volume. (ii) A ‘shape factor’ error associated with non-spherical particles is apparent when an elongate particle passes through the orifice sideways. the volume is overestimated by ~20% in excess of its equivalent spherical diameter. The same particle is underestimated in volume by ~25% if it passes through "end on" (iii) A ‘particle resistance error’ is noted if particles have a markedly different specific resistance from the particles used to calibrate the system. This error is most extreme in the case of dead or detrital particles. In consideration of these several sources of variance, the maximum number of useful channels in which a spectrum of live non-spherical plankton may he expressed is ~17 when data are expressed in the conventional plot of log2 of particle diameter.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J PLANKTON RESHome page
J. Sun and D. Liu
Geometric models for calculating cell biovolume and surface area for phytoplankton
J. Plankton Res., November 1, 2003; 25(11): 1331 - 1346.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.