Colorimetric pH measurement for seawater samples using a three light-emitting diodes detector and a calibration method for temperature dependence.

A colorimetric pH measurement of seawater samples using a light source comprising a three light-emitting diodes (TLED) detector and meta-cresol purple (mCP) as an indicator was investigated. The molar absorption ratios (e1, e2, and e3/e2) for mCP using the TLED detector at 25°C were determined to be 0, 1.9994, and 0.1010, respectively. Next, the pH values of 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (TRIS) and 2-aminopyride (AMP) seawater buffers were determined. Notably, the raw pH of TRIS buffer (∼8.1) agreed with the reference value, while that for the AMP buffer (∼6.8) had an error of +0.004 due to the small absorption ratio (R) and being out of the lower adequate pH range (> 7.2) for mCP. pHT measurements obtained for seawater samples using the present colorimetric method agreed with those obtained using a glass electrode. These results demonstrate that this low-cost TLED detection system with a short cell length, 5 cm, can be used for seawater pHT analysis.

Fast measurement of dissolved inorganic carbon concentration for small-volume interstitial water by acid extraction and nondispersive infrared gas analysis.

We developed a system for measuring the total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) concentrations in interstitial water and hydrothermal fluid, which are hard to obtain in large volumes. The system requires a sample volume of only 500 µL, and it takes only 150 s per one sample. The detection limit of this system was estimated to be 66.6 µmol/kg with repeated analysis of CO(2)-free ultrapure water (n = 9). The precision of this nondispersive infrared (NDIR) system was ±3.1% of the relative standard deviations (2σ) by repeated CRM batch 104 (n = 10). This result is much larger than the required precision for oceanographic studies, but is comparable to a previous result of interstitial water analysis. An on-site trial showed a significant DIC enrichment in interstitial water of hydrothermally altered sediment, and is considered to occur by the mixing of hydrothermal fluid. This procedure will achieve carbon dioxide flux calculations from hydrothermal activities, and will bring a more accurate feature on the global carbon cycle.