The Coastal Ecosystems & Global Environmental Change Lab is a fully equipped laboratory with facilities for global change research, including oceanographic field work, biological response experiments upon different stressors (e.g. temperature, salinity, oxygen, pH, and pollutants), characterization of the carbon chemistry variability, as well as other chemical/biological variables.
Facilities for carbonate chemistry measurements and other parameters
Our laboratory at the Faculty of Environmental Sciences & EULA Center, Universidad de Concepcion is equipped with different equipment’s for ocean carbon chemistry, including:
- Potentiometric-pH sensors (Methrom®),
- High-precision spectrophotometric-pH system (Ocean Optics®), (precision ± 0.001).
- Portable hand-held spectrophotometric pH-sensor (pHyter, Sunburst Sensors ®), (precision ± 0.01).
- Alkalinity Titrator AS-ALK2 Apollo Sci. Tech for high-precision Total Alkalinity measurements (± 2 μmoles kg-1).
- DIC Analyzer Apollo SciTech AS-C3 for high-precision dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) analysis in seawater (± 2-3 μmoles kg-1).
- An OI-Analytical TIC/TOC Analyzer 1030, for dissolved organic carbon (DOC) measurements.
Other laboratory equipment’s
Additionally, our laboratory also counts with facilities for oxygen, nutrient analysis in seawater, pigments and PAR; e.g. a Turner Designs® 10-AU Field and Laboratory Fluorometer for Chlorophyll analyses, a digital Output Laboratory Scalar PAR Sensor with 1.91 cm (3/4”) collector, wand-type scalar PAR (Photosynthetically Available Radiation; 400-700 nm) sensor ideal for laboratory or field use in fluids up to 34 cm (13.5”) in depth, a Turner Designs® AquaFluor Handheld Fluorometer/Turbidimeter, and a field spectrofluorometer (Fluoroprobe BBE) for pigment analysis.
Our laboratory is also fully equipped with other laboratory equipment’s for chemical and biological analyses, including; aquariums, thermoregulated baths, spectrophotometers, Milli-Q water system, laboratory oven, balances, shakers, ultrasonic bath, filtration systems, facilities for nutrient analyses, optical microscopes, and inverted epifluorescence microscope for microbial cell counts (Olympus® BXT-51), optical light sensor for cell cultures, and oxygen meters (OXY-4 ST, dipping probe y oxygen-sensitive spot, PreSens®) for metabolism studies.
Field equipments
Field equipment includes Niskin bottles (10 L) for water sampling, WP-2 plankton nets for plankton collection, and a CTDO Sea-Bird 19plus for vertical profiles. In the framework of MUSELS Projects and in collaboration with other colleagues/institutions we have also pH SeaFET® sensors, and Water Quality Monitors (WQM, Sea-Bird – WetLabs)
Experimental system for manipulation of seawater pH/pCO2 and dissolved oxygen
Our research group also counts with a micro/mesocosm facility for O2 and pH/pCO2 manipulation at the Marine Biology Station at Dichato, which was also implemented through partial supporting from a Fondecyt Project (1170065), the collaboration of the Millennium Institute of Oceanography (IMO), and Millennium Nucleus MUSELS. This is a semi-automated pCO2 manipulation system that creates fluctuations of pH and/or O2 levels in experimental containers by mixing proper amount of preconditioned seawater. Treatments area controlled by bubbling either dried, CO2-free air, pure CO2 and/or N2 at a known flow rate using Mass Flow Controllers (Aalborg®). pH and O2 levels are continuously monitored by pH sensors (Durafet III, Honeywell®) and O2 sensors (ODO-BTA, Vernier), which are ultimately connected to a computer. The desired pH level in each barrel at any time of the day can be set through software. The micro/mesocosm is also Temperature-controlled system.
