Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 08/23/2010 - 12:03
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International Continental Shelf Survey

when you collect the water samples, what do you usually find in them?

Mon, 08/23/2010 - 13:42

Bill Schmoker

Hi Elisabeth! The water up here is really clear so there isn't much to see in it with the bare eye. But our water chemistry team is mainly interested in the ocean acidification problem so they measure high-precision pH, dissolved inorganic carbon, Carbonate Ion (CO3), and total alkalinity. Water is also collected to be brought back for potential later analysis of trace isotopes, nutrients, and total organic carbon.Systems on the ship continuously record surface water temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity, and fluorescence (which measures chlorophyll.)