Integrated platform for the characterisation of the seawater carbonate chemistry for Chemical Oceanography and Marine Global Change Biology

海水碳酸盐化学参数的准确测定是化学海洋学和全球变化生物学的重要组成部分。对海洋和海岸的酸化、脱氧和变暖的调查需要完全分解河口和海洋水域的碳酸盐系统，以便正确解释化学、地质和生物结果。为了向政府间气候变化专门委员会和地方管理部门提供可靠的海水碳酸盐化学信息，作为其决策过程的基础，并满足高影响力期刊的标准，需要测量三个海水碳酸盐化学参数(以四个参数为基础)(pH、溶解有机碳(DIC)、总碱度(AT)或二氧化碳分压(PCO2))以及温度和盐度。由此可以计算出完整的碳酸盐化学体系，并进行反验证。目前，在UQAR，更广泛地说，在加拿大东部，AT和DIC的测量通常使用具有所需精度或/和足够吞吐量的设备进行。这造成了极大的机构和区域样本积压；不能依赖付费服务，因为这将导致令人望而却步的额外研究费用和延误：同样，因为即使是这些稀有的设施也不具有高吞吐量或/和有自己的积压。这极大地减少了我们的发现的发生和影响；并且不能使我们能够为我们和合作者的HQP提供适当的培训。我们无法满足自己的研究需要，我们在快速发展的关键研究领域提供和吸引研究资助的能力正在进入负面趋势。目前的建议旨在通过购买设备来纠正这种情况，以创建一个集成的AT、DIC和pH测量平台，具有我们所需的高通量和我们研究领域所要求的高精度。首先需要的设备是一台多室高精度AT滴定仪。第二种是多腔高精度DIC红外光分析仪。第三种是可见光和紫外可见分光光度计，主要用于准确和精确地测量具有不同盐度的水的酸碱度。该设备具有在实验室或船上使用的能力，以表征偏远地区的碳酸盐体系。这一系统将支持一些目前由NSERC资助的私人投资机构赠款，以及其他赠款：包括。来自更广泛地区的同事。AT、DIC和pH的测量对应用研究、HQP的培训以及他们在化学海洋学和全球变化生物学方面进行的前沿研究至关重要。支持这一申请将使我们能够纠正一个极其困难的情况，使我们的团队和我们的机构处于研究领域的前沿，从而帮助加拿大的研究取得卓越成绩。

The accurate determination of seawater carbonate chemistry parameters is a critical component of chemical oceanography and global change biology. The investigation of ocean and coastal acidification, deoxygenation, and warming require a full breakdown of the estuarine and marine waters carbonate system for the correct interpretation of chemical, geological and biological results. To provide IPCC and local management reliable seawater carbonate chemistry information on which to base their decision-making processes, as well as meet the standards of high impact journals, it is required that three seawater carbonate chemistry parameters (on four) be measured (pH, dissolved organic carbon (DIC), total alkalinity (AT), or CO2 partial pressure (pCO2)) together with temperature and salinity. From these the full carbonate chemistry system can be calculated and counter validated. Currently, the measurements of AT and DIC at UQAR, and more broadly in Eastern Canada, are generally carried out with equipment that does possess the required precision or/and sufficient throughput. This has created an extremely large institutional, and regional, backlog of samples; which cannot rely on paying services, as this would mean to incur in prohibitive extra research costs and delays: again, as even these rare facilities either do not have high throughput or/and have backlogs of their own. This reduce enormously the occurrence and impact of our discoveries; and do not enable us to provide appropriate training to our and collaborators HQP. We are unable to meet our own research needs and we are entering a negative trend in our ability to deliver on and attract research grant in fast-evolving key research areas. The present proposal aims to rectify this situation by purchasing equipment to create an integrated AT, DIC, and pH measurement platform with the high throughput we require, and the high precision demanded by our fields of research. The first requested piece of equipment is a multi-chambers high precision AT titrator. The second is a multi-chambers high precision DIC infrared light analyser. The third is a visible and UV-visible spectrophotometer, which will be used primarily for the accurate and precise measurement of the pH of waters characterised by different salinities. This equipment has the ability to be used in the laboratory or aboard a ship, to characterise the carbonate system of remote areas. This system will support a number of currently funded NSERC Grants of the PIs, as well as other grants: incl. from colleagues in the broader region. The measurement of AT, DIC, and pH are critical to the applicant research, the training of HQP and the cutting-edge research they conduct in chemical oceanography and global change biology. Supporting this application will enable us to rectify an extremely difficult situation, allowing our team and our institution at the forefront of the research fields, thus helping Canada research excellence.