Introduction to PINBAL

Within PINBAL, a consortium of

• Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW)
• Kongsberg Maritime Contros GmbH, Kiel (CONTROS, formerly CONTROS Systems & Solutions GmbH)
• University of Gothenburg (UGOT)
• Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot (IO PAN)

cooperatively fulfilled the necessary fundamental chemical work, system/software design and field testing to realize a prototype of a spectrophotometric pH-measurement system for underway measurements from research vessels and ships of opportunity, as well as for the pH-determination of discrete samples.

Special emphasis was placed on the identification of the measurable pH range and the determination of the effects of potential perturbations typical for the Baltic or other brackish water systems (salinity range, potential interference with hydrogen sulphide or organic material). The project aimed at the development of a robust, long-term stable and in particular traceable (i.e. open to recalculation if any changes to the indicator parameters would occur) method for the determination of pH in the Baltic to meet the requirements of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) and the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).