The effects of chamber size on benthic oxygen uptake measurements: A simulation study

A freely available simulation routine for estimating the inaccuracy of Total O-2 Uptake rates (F-TOU) measured by incubation chambers is presented. The software allows replicate incubations of any given chamber size at an user defined macrofauna inhabited sediment to be performed. The software is used to assess the number of replicate measurements required to obtain F-TOU with a given accuracy for typical coastal environments, Results quantitatively demonstrate that large benthic chambers are to be preferred and that extrapolation form single or few incubations, especially with small chambers should be done with caution.