Biomass Effects on Carbonate Chemistry in both a Flow-through and Static Experimental Laboratory Set-up

Abstract

There are many things to consider when setting up experimental laboratories, especially in the context of ocean acidification. We studied the impact of biomass load and flow-through rate on the carbonate chemistry of aquaria at two different levels of pH. We found that all of these factors play a large role in how consistent you can expect to maintain the chemistry of your system. In the flow-through system we observed decreased levels of pH relative to the control tanks for all levels of biomass. Our static experimental system experienced very large fluctuations in chemistry over short time periods. Our results indicate that it is necessary for pilot studies of this nature to be performed before ocean acidification laboratory studies are undertaken. Factors like biological load and flow-through rate are likely to influence the chemistry of any experiment.