Most of our approaches to studying the CO2 system in seawater environments were refined by marine chemists seeking to understand processes occurring in the open ocean. Brackish waters, however, bring complications. The salinity is typically quite variable, and the salt composition may well not adhere tightly to Marcet’s principle (constant relative proportions); the temperature too may be quite variable; and there may be significant quantities of other acids and bases present, in addition to the usual carbonate and borate systems. As a result, the techniques developed for measurement of seawater CO2 properties may not perform optimally in brackish waters, and there is even a question as to what constitute suitable equilibrium constants to use for such systems.

During this webinar the the existence and magnitude of these various problems are clarified and advice is offered for making useful measurements nonetheless.

This webinar is hosted by the US Interagency Working Group on Ocean Acidification, a collaborative working group of 13 federal agencies that aims to coordinate and foster Federal research and monitoring on ocean acidification.