Premium
A comparison of two pH‐stat carbon dioxide dosing systems for ocean acidification experiments
Author(s) -
WilcoxFreeburg Eric,
Rhyne Andrew,
Robinson William E.,
Tlusty Michael,
Bourque Bradford,
Hannigan Robyn E.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography: methods
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.898
H-Index - 72
ISSN - 1541-5856
DOI - 10.4319/lom.2013.11.485
Subject(s) - ocean acidification , environmental science , carbon dioxide , carbon dioxide in earth's atmosphere , computer science , dosing , process (computing) , controller (irrigation) , process engineering , oceanography , seawater , chemistry , ecology , engineering , geology , biology , organic chemistry , agronomy , operating system
As the oceans acidify due to increasing atmospheric CO 2 , there is a growing need to understand the impact of this process on marine organisms. Field observations are difficult because of multiple covarying factors (e.g., temperature, salinity). As such, there is interest in conducting controlled, laboratory experiments to best understand how changes in acidity will affect marine organisms. We tested two intermittent CO 2 dosing systems, a “home aquarium hobby” grade pH controller and an industrial process control platform. We assessed stability, accuracy, and precision over 7‐d experimental periods as well as relative cost of the two configurations. We also compared three laboratory‐grade pH electrodes to the hobbyist electrode to further evaluate electrode quality on systemcontrolled pH stability and drift. Whereas the industrial system offered some benefit with regard to autonomy, our results show that the low‐cost hobbyist system can be modified appropriately to provide comparable pH control. We provide a detailed list of procedures and software developed for the implementation of a cost‐effective, precision‐controlled CO 2 dosing system to support laboratory‐based ocean acidification experiments.