Dataset: Open cell and single-step method for total alkalinity titrations from samples collected on R/V Mirai cruises MR23-06C and MR23-07 in the North Pacific and Western Arctic from September to November 2023

ValidatedRelease Date:2025-05-01Final no updates expectedDOI: 10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.957527.1Version 1 (2025-04-04)Dataset Type:Cruise ResultsDataset Type:experimental

Principal Investigator: Ryan Woosley (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Student: Daina Neithardt (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Technician: Jessica A. Bruno (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

BCO-DMO Data Manager: Shannon Rauch (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)


Project: US GEOTRACES GP17-OCE and GP17-ANT: Inorganic Carbon Cycling in the South Pacific and Southern Oceans by Direct Measurement (GP17-OCE and GP17-ANT Inorganic Carbon)


Abstract

Duplicate samples were collected for total alkalinity on two cruises in 2023 aboard the R/V Mirai (MR23-06C and MR23-07) in order to compare two different methods of total alkalinity titrations: the open cell with non-linear least squares fitting and single step with spectrophotometric endpoint detection. Measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon and pH on the total scale were also made as quality control checks. GLODAPv2 hinted at a potential offset between laboratories in the Pacific Ocean. W...

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Samples were collected from the CTD rosette following best practices (Dickson et al., 2007). Samples for single-step total alkalinity (TA) titrations were collected in 100-milliliter (mL) borosilicate glass bottles, and samples for open cell titrations were collected in 250-mL borosilicate glass bottles. Samples were poisoned with 0.04% HgCl2 and a precise headspace of ~1% was created using a pipette. Bottles were sealed with ground glass stopper, and apiezon L grease and a rubber band and plastic hose clamp were used to keep the stopper in place. The TA measured on board was measured by single-step titration with spectrophotometric endpoint detection using bromocresol green following the methods of Yao and Byrne (1998). The duplicate samples were shipped to the laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, USA for analysis using an open cell titration and non-linear least squares fitting as described in Dickson et al. (2003). DIC for both shipboard and land-based analysis was done by acidification and coulometric detection following best practices methods (Dickson et al. 2007).

Land-based pH on the total scale (pHt) at 20 degrees Celsius was done using a custom-built instrument similar to Carter et al. (2013) and purified meta-cresol purple indicator.

Instrumentation:
The shipboard TA analysis by single step titration was done using spectrophotometry with a single acid addition procedure using a custom-made system (Nippon ANS, Inc., Japan).

Land-based TA was performed with a custom-designed titration designed and built by the laboratory of Andrew G. Dickson (University of California, San Diego) as described in Dickson et al. (2003).

Shipboard DIC was determined using an automated TCO2 analyzer (Nippon ANS, Inc., Japan) with coulometric detection.

Land-based DIC was determined by a custom dissolved inorganic carbon extraction with coulometric detection built by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Laboratory and is a modern version of the original SOMMA system (Johnson et al. 1992).

Land-based pHt was measured at 20 degrees Celsius with a custom system designed and built by the Woosley laboratory consisting of a Kloehn syringe pump and Agilent 8453 spectrophotometer and controlled using LabView Software.


Related Datasets

IsRelatedTo

Dataset: TA HDPE bottle storage test
Woosley, R., Neithardt, D., Bruno, J. A. (2025) Total alkalinity from an experiment testing the suitability of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for collection and long-term storage of total alkalinity samples using laboratory-manipulated oligotrophic Atlantic surface water. Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). (Version 1) Version Date 2025-04-03 doi:10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.957694.1
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Dataset: TA HDPE glass bottle comparison
Woosley, R., Neithardt, D., Lahn, L. (2025) Total alkalinity determined through experiments comparing usage of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and borosilicate glass bottles for collection and storage of water samples collected on the GEOTRACES GP17-OCE cruise (R/V Roger Revelle RR2214). Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). (Version 1) Version Date 2025-04-02 doi:10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.957644.1

Related Publications

Results

Woosley, R.J., J.A. Bruno, D. Neithardt, Z.A. Wang, N. Fujiki, and A. Murata. (submitted, 2025) Comparison of open cell and single-step total alkalinity titration methods and implications for organic alkalinity. Limnol. Ocenogr. Meth.
Methods

Carter, B. R., Radich, J. A., Doyle, H. L., & Dickson, A. G. (2013). An automated system for spectrophotometric seawater pH measurements. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods, 11(1), 16–27. doi:10.4319/lom.2013.11.16
Methods

Dickson, A. G., Afghan, J. D., & Anderson, G. C. (2003). Reference materials for oceanic CO2 analysis: a method for the certification of total alkalinity. Marine Chemistry, 80(2), 185–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4203(02)00133-0
Methods

Dickson, A.G.; Sabine, C.L. and Christian, J.R. (eds) (2007) Guide to best practices for ocean CO2 measurement. Sidney, British Columbia, North Pacific Marine Science Organization, 191pp. (PICES Special Publication 3; IOCCP Report 8). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25607/OBP-1342
Methods

Johnson, K. M. (1992). Single-operator multiparameter metabolic analyzer (SOMMA) for total carbon dioxide (C{sub T}) with coulometric detection. Operator`s manual. Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). https://doi.org/10.2172/10194787