A new highly sensitive method to assess respiration rates and kinetics of natural planktonic communities by use of the switchable trace oxygen sensor and reduced oxygen concentrations.

ABSTRACT: Oxygen respiration rates in pelagic environments are often difficult to quantify as the resolutions of our methods for O2 concentration determination are marginal for observing significant decreases during bottle incubations of less than 24 hours. Here we present the assessment of a new highly sensitive method, that combine Switchable Trace Oxygen (STOX) sensors and all-glass bottle incubations, where the O2 concentration was artificially lowered. The detection limit of respiration rate by this method is inversely proportional to the O2 concentration, down to <2 nmol L(-1) h(-1) for water with an initial O2 concentration of 500 nmol L(-1). The method was tested in Danish coastal waters and in oceanic hypoxic waters. It proved to give precise measurements also with low oxygen consumption ra

SUBMITTER: Tiano L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4134296 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature