MARIS reporting template

How the MARIS data reporting template is organised, and how to retrieve the MARIS nomenclatures

MARIS provides a data reporting template for providers who want to deliver their data in the repository’s preferred layout. The template is a wish list, not a requirement. Providers are welcome to deliver data in their own format. A dataset shaped like the template needs the least curation.

The template exists as an Excel workbook with 13 sheets: an introduction with 20 general instructions, four sample-type pairs (instructions and data), and three lookup lists. This page renders that content as documentation. The definitive description of every field lives in the field definitions.

General instructions

The introduction sheet lists 20 instructions that apply to every dataset.

  1. Use the dedicated data templates for each sample type.
  2. Refer to the detailed instructions for filling in the template.
  3. Report seawater, biota, sediment, and suspended and sedimenting particle data in their respective sheets.
  4. Provide as much information as possible for referencing the data.
  5. Provide as much detail as possible when reporting data.
  6. Provide geographical coordinates in degrees, minutes, seconds or decimal degrees.
  7. Provide accurate geographical coordinates, particularly for stations sampled over several years.
  8. Report seawater data in Bq/m3, Bq/kg, or atom/kg as appropriate.
  9. Report biota data in Bq/kg ww (wet weight) or Bq/kg dw (dry weight).
  10. Report sediment data in Bq/kg ww (wet weight) or Bq/kg dw (dry weight).
  11. Report suspended and sedimenting particle data in Bq/m3 or Bq/kg.
  12. Decay correct all measurement data to the sampling date.
  13. State 1 sigma (k=1) measurement uncertainties as a number in the same unit as the activity.
  14. For temporally or spatially integrated samples, provide the integration period or area.
  15. Provide a quantitative or qualitative indicator of the quality of the data.
  16. Use the field “Sample notes” for any useful additional information.
  17. Use the field “Measurement notes” for any useful additional information.
  18. Standard names are used to ensure consistency between different providers.
  19. Standard names are used to ensure consistency between different providers and over time.
  20. For any queries about the data reporting template, contact the MARIS team.

Sample type sheets

Each sample type has an instructions sheet and a data sheet. The data sheet header row is the column list; each column has a parameter, a format, and a description in the instructions sheet. The four sample types are:

Sample type Typical unit Data sheet columns
Seawater Bq/m3 27
Biota Bq/kg ww or dw 27
Sediment Bq/kg ww or dw 29
Suspended and sedimenting particles Bq/m3 or Bq/kg 26

The columns shared by all four sheets are: Sample type, Latitude decimal, Longitude decimal, Sampling start date, Sampling start time, Sampling end date, Sampling end time, Nuclide, Value type, Unit, Activity or MDA, Uncertainty, Quality flag, Station ID, Sample ID, Profile or transect ID, Sampling method, Preparation method, Counting method, Sample notes, Measurement notes.

Seawater adds: Sampling depth, Salinity, Temperature, Filtered, Mesh size, Total depth. Biota adds: Species, Body part, Dry weight, Wet weight, Dry/wet ratio, Drying method. Sediment adds: Sampling depth, Top, Bottom, Sediment type, Dry weight, Wet weight, Dry/wet ratio, Drying method. Suspended and sedimenting particles adds: Sampling depth, Filtered, Mesh size, Total depth, Drying method.

The full per-column parameter, format, and description tables are long. They are preserved in the notebook cells below this page, one section per sample type.

Lookup lists

Three sheets provide the controlled values used by the data sheets.

Body parts (List - Body part). Around 90 entries covering whole animals, flesh, exoskeletons, shells, viscera, and more. The list starts with NOT KNOWN, NOT LISTED, and WHOLE ANIMAL. When a good match is not available, use NOT LISTED and note the actual part in the sample notes.

Sediment types (List - Sediment type). Based on the Udden-Wentworth scale. Ranges from VERY COARSE SAND (1-2 mm) down to CLAY (< 0.0039 mm), with coarse and fine resolutions.

Methods (Lists - Methods). Four method families: sampling, preparation, drying, and counting. Each has its own controlled list, starting with NOT KNOWN and NOT LISTED, then specific methods such as BOTTLE SAMPLING WATER, GAMMA SEMICONDUCTOR SPECTROMETRY, FREEZE DRYING.

Retrieving the nomenclatures

The MARIS lookup tables are bundled with the marisco package. They are Excel files in marisco/files/lut/, one per nomenclature. The get_lut function from marisco.configs reads one and returns it as a dictionary mapping the display name to the database id.

from marisco.configs import get_lut

get_lut('NUCLIDE')     # {..., 'Cs-137': 44, 'Pb-210': 12, ...}
get_lut('UNIT')        # {..., 'Bq/m3': 3, 'Bq/kg': 5, ...}
get_lut('BODY_PART')   # body part names to ids
get_lut('SED_TYPE')    # sediment type names to ids

Each nomenclature has an NC_DTYPES key in marisco.configs: NUCLIDE, UNIT, BODY_PART, SED_TYPE, SAMP_MET, PREP_MET, COUNT_MET, SPECIES, LAB, and more. The full list of keys and their Excel files is in NC_DTYPES.

These lookups are the live source of the nomenclatures. When a provider asks whether a name is recognised, the answer is: check the lookup table.