| PINBAL |
Development of a spectrophotometric pH-measurement system for monitoring in the Baltic Sea |
Project summary
“Ocean acidification” due to increasing atmospheric CO2 levels has become an important issue in chemical and biological oceanography. This refers in particular to the Baltic Sea which in most regions is characterized by a low buffer capacity.
Thus the need for precise, accurate, and traceable pH measurements on a uniform and internationally accepted scale has gained importance during the last decades.
Additionally, investigation and determination of the entire marine CO2 system are useful tools to study biogeochemical processes in the Baltic Sea. However, using pH for the calculations of the CO2 system requires a high accuracy and must refer to the “total” scale which is the basis for the currently best available dissociation constants.
In the Baltic pH-monitoring was carried out during recent decades. Attempts were undertaken to detect trends in pH. But the results were ambiguous and revealed severe inconsistencies.
To meet the demands for both effective monitoring and biogeochemical research, we propose to develop and to construct a flow-through pH measurement device suitable for continuous measurements on platforms such as VOS lines as well as for the measurement of discrete samples. The determination of the pH will be based on spectrophotometry using m-cresol purple as indicator dye. The method has been successfully applied to ocean waters. However, additional investigations are required to adapt spectrophotometric pH measurements to the specific hydrochemical characteristics of the Baltic Sea.
The outcome of the project will be the development of a prototype system for accurate pH-measurements, investigations of chemical parameters and their theoretical and mathematical description and additionally the further hard- and software development.
Funding
The project has a duration of 3 years (4/2014 - 3/2017), a budget of 415.000 €, and is funded by the EU and the national research councols of Germany, Poland, and Sweden. The project is coordinated by Prof Dr. Gregor Rehder (IOW).
PINBAL is funded by the Bonus programme through the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) under implementation agreement n R&I/I3/2012/BONUS made with BONUS, the joint Baltic Sea research and development programme.