INTERCARBO

INTERCARBO: Intercomparison of instruments for carbonate system measurements User group PI: Lauri Laakso, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Finland Hosting infrastructure: NIVA Research Station, Norway

Main Objectives

Within the European coastal seas, the range of carbonate system parameters is high, e.g. pCO₂ varies one order of magnitude more that on the open oceans and the same applies to other variables like total alkalinity and pH. Due to this high variability, calibration methodologies for carbonate system instruments and sensors are for most carbonate system variables under development and assessment.

The main objectives of this TNA activity are the following:

1. To compare the sensors provided by the user group against reference seawater carbonate system states, aiming to obtain information on their metrology performance (accuracy, precision, etc.).
2. To obtain information on functioning of the instruments in different salinities and temperatures.
3. To obtain information on time responses of the instruments in changing conditions.

This project will provide preliminary knowledge and information on the intercomparison between sensors measuring carbonate system variables. These results will be applied to the field measurements acquired by these different sensors by the user group and deployed in different areas for the estimation of the carbonate budget.

As a second step – part of a separate TNA proposal – the results of this TNA activity will help to setup a Metrology approach for coastal pCO2 and pH sensors.

On long-term, the tests carried out in this TNA activity will help in developing a reliable, pan-European coastal observing network for the marine carbonate system.

Project Report:

INTERCARBO Final Report (657.7 KiB)