Pro-Oceanus Systems pCO2 instruments were highlighted in a recently published study, ICOS OTC pCO2 Instrument Intercomparison.
Led by the Ocean Thematic Centre (OTC) of the European Research Infrastructure “Integrated Carbon Observation System” (ICOS), the intercomparison involved 27 instruments spanning 16 different models over a two-week period.
Pro-Oceanus contributed three units: two CO2-Pro™ ATM and one CO2-Pro™ CV. Both systems operate on the principle of dissolved gas diffusing through a hydrophobic membrane into a gas-tight internal circulation loop that is connected to an NDIR detector. The key differences are the type of membrane and the ATM’s ability to switch between water and atmospheric sampling modes.
Study Overview
The goal was to compare a wide range of instruments used to measure ocean pCO2. A controlled tank and pumping system replicated seawater pCO2 values between 250 and 800 μatm and temperature variations between 10°C and 28°C, creating a broad test environment that surpassed previous intercomparison efforts.
A notable result was the CO2-Pro ATM achieving measurements within ±2 of the IC-Reference during high pCO2 and high sea surface temperature testing, making it the only submersible instrument to reach this level of accuracy under those conditions.
The study included pre-comparison planning, on-site activities, daily online check-ins for remote participants, and data consolidation into a single publication. The findings will support improvements in the measurement of carbon and climate change processes in the ocean.
