Pumps Help Oceanographic Research

The Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) has developed a miniaturied observation device to measure carbon dioxide (CO2) in seawater, relying on Tecan’s Cavro® XCalibur Pump for accurate automated pipetting. JAMSTEC is involved in a wide range of basic marine-related research, including collection and dissemination of information that helps to understand changes in the earth’s environment. It is one of the activities of the Japan EOS Promotion Programme, funded by MEXT, Japan.

“It is necessary to monitor CO2 concentrations in order to predict future climate change,” explained Dr Yoshiyuki Nakano, Research Scientist at JAMSTEC’s Mutsu Institute for Oceanography in Aomori, Japan. “We developed a device that calculates the CO2 concentration in seawater by analysing a pH indicator solution, using two Cavro XCalibur Pumps to aspirate and mix pure water and concentrated pH indicator for each measurement. The volumes of indicator and water used are critical for reliable results, and the accuracy of the Cavro XCalibur Pump allows us to achieve exactly the concentration we aim for, while the pump’s broad selectable volume range allows us to choose the exact concentration we want.”

“We also chose the Cavro XCalibur Pump because an important design goal was to make the CO2 sensor small and light; the pump also
offered high accuracy and was capable of maintenance-free operation for long periods,” added Dr Nakano.