Greenhouse Gases Laboratory
The Greenhouse Gases laboratory measures Total Inorganic Carbon (DIC) and Alkalinity (AT), and CH4 in the marine environment.
The determination of DIC and AT is performed with a Versatile INstrument for the Determination (VINDTA) 3C. This is a laboratory alkalinity titration system combined with an extraction unit for coulometric titration, which simultaneously determines the AT and DIC content of a seawater sample. The VINDTA 3C is designed by the company Marianda based in Kiel, Germany (http://www.marianda.com/). The instrument does not require a pressurizing system just a single gas supply (nitrogen or dry and CO2-free air) is necessary. For alkalinity measurements, the system uses a Metrohm Titrino 719S, an ORION-Ross pH electrode and a Metrohm reference electrode. Quality control/quality assurance processes are followed with the use of CRM materials provided by Dr. Andrew Dickson. The instrument’s precision is typically +/- 2 µmol/kg for AT and/or DIC in open ocean water.
The determination of CH4 in seawater and sediment samples is performed on board, after sampling, with an onboard R/V AEGEO Gas Chromatograph with FID for methane determination
