Shore-Based Stations

Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute Burke-o-Lator

Location: Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute, Seward

Timeline: August 2014 to present

Description: This monitoring system in Seward is part of the IOOS Pacific Region Ocean Acidification Network (IPACOA) that links seven similar sites across along the Pacific coast of North America. The Burke-o-Lator systems were invented by Burke Hales from Oregon State University. The Alutiiq Pride Burke-o-Lator is maintained by Wiley Evans from the Hakai Institute and Jacqueline Ramsay from Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute.

The Burke-O-Lator measures several different ocean acidification parameters of sea water using a flow-through system at the hatchery.

Instrumentation: The Burke-O-Lator pCO₂/TCO₂ analyzer measures carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO₂) and total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO₂) both continuously from a flow-through seawater stream and from seawater collected in discrete samples. This equipment was installed at Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute in August 2014. The Burke-O-Lator is a series of sensors driven by a computer using custom LabVIEW software to control, capture and log the measurements made by the system. Measurements of seawater temperature and salinity are also made in conjunction with measured pCO₂ and TCO₂. Using these four parameters, the saturation state or aragonite (the most soluble form of calcium carbonate) and pH are determined in real-time. Both the pCO₂ and TCO₂ measurements are made using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology (LI-COR LI-840A). pCO₂ and TCO₂ measurements are run sequentially, with the Burke-O-Lator first sampling carrier gas (room air) equilibrated with flowing seawater in the equilibrator to determine the pCO₂ continuously for roughly 57 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of the hour, the Burke-O-Lator transitions to sample carrier gas that has captured the evolvedCO₂ from a small acidified seawater volume to determine the TCO₂. For discrete sample processing, the measurements are the same except headspace gas and sample volume are drawn from the sample bottle rather than the equilibrator and flow-through seawater stream.

Principal Investigator: Wiley Evans, Hakai Institute
Funding and Support Sources: Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS), Northwest Associations of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS), Hakai Institute, NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, Oregon State University (OSU) College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences , UAF Ocean Acidification Research Center (OARC).

OceansAlaska Burke-o-Lator

Location: OceansAlaska facility, Ketchikan

Timeline: Operational 2016- 2019. Expected to resume 2022.

Description: This monitoring system is part of the IOOS Pacific Region Ocean Acidification Network (IPACOA) that links seven similar sites along the Pacific coast of North America. The Burke-o-Lator systems were invented by Burke Hales from Oregon State University. The OceansAlaska Burke-o-Lator is maintained by Wiley Evans from the Hakai Institute.

OceansAlaska is a shellfish hatchery located in Ketchikan. It is the only site in the state that produces oyster seeds and makes them available to other growers.

The Burke-O-Lator is a series of sensors driven by a computer using custom LabVIEW software to control, capture and log the measurements made by the system. Measurements of seawater temperature and salinity are also made in conjunction with measured pCO₂ and TCO₂. Using these four parameters, the saturation state or aragonite (the most soluble form of calcium carbonate) and pH are determined in real-time. Both the pCO₂ and TCO₂ measurements are made using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology (LI-COR LI-840A). pCO₂ and TCO₂ measurements are run sequentially, with the Burke-O-Lator first sampling carrier gas (room air) equilibrated with flowing seawater in the equilibrator to determine the pCO₂ continuously for roughly 57 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of the hour, the Burke-O-Lator transitions to sample carrier gas that has captured the evolvedCO₂ from a small acidified seawater volume to determine the TCO₂. For discrete sample processing, the measurements are the same except headspace gas and sample volume are drawn from the sample bottle rather than the equilibrator and flow-through seawater stream.

Principal Investigator: Wiley Evans, Hakai Institute
Funding and Support Sources: Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) and the Northwest Associations of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS). Equipment purchased by the UAF Ocean Acidification Research Center.

Sitka Tribe of Alaska Burke-o-Lator

Location: Sitka, Alaska

Timeline: June 2017 – present

Description: The STA Burke-o-Lator (BoL) continuously monitors the carbonate chemistry of Sitka’s harbor channel. This instrument also analyzes discrete, near-shore samples from shellfish sites associated with the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) partnership. The STA BoL shares its continuous data with the IOOS Pacific Region Ocean Acidification Network (IPACOA) that links similar sites along the Pacific coast of North America. This Burke-o-Lator was installed by Professor Burke Hales from Oregon State University and by Dr. Wiley Evans from the Hakai Institute.

Instrumentation: The Dakunalytics Burke-O-Lator pCO₂/TCO₂ analyzer measures carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO₂) and total dissolved inorganic carbon (TCO₂) both continuously from a flow-through seawater stream and from seawater collected in discrete samples.

The Burke-O-Lator is a series of sensors driven by a computer using custom LabVIEW software to control, capture and log the measurements made by the system. Measurements of seawater temperature and salinity are also made in conjunction with measured pCO₂ and TCO₂. Using these four parameters, the saturation state or aragonite (the most soluble form of calcium carbonate) and pH are determined in real-time. Both the pCO₂ and TCO₂ measurements are made using non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) technology (LI-COR LI-840A). pCO₂ and TCO₂ measurements are run sequentially, with the Burke-O-Lator first sampling carrier gas (room air) equilibrated with flowing seawater in the equilibrator to determine the pCO₂ continuously for roughly 57 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of the hour, the Burke-O-Lator transitions to sample carrier gas that has captured the evolved CO₂ from a small acidified seawater volume to determine the TCO₂. For discrete sample processing, the measurements are the same except headspace gas and sample volume are drawn from the sample bottle rather than the equilibrator and flow-through seawater stream.

Principal Investigators: Esther Kennedy, Sitka Tribe of Alaska; Wiley Evans, Hakai Institute
Funding Source: BIA Climate Change grant
Continuous Data Support: Willey Evans, Hakai Institute

Kodiak Burke-o-Lator

Location: NOAA Kodiak Laboratory

Timeline: Installed October 2017.

Description: This system is the latest shore-based monitoring site in Alaska and is owned by UAF’s Ocean Acidification Research Center. The Kodiak BoL shares its continuous data with the IOOS Pacific Region Ocean Acidification Network (IPACOA) that links similar sites along the Pacific coast of North America. This Burke-o-Lator is maintained by Switgard Duesterloh at the NOAA Kodiak Lab and Dr. Wiley Evans from the Hakai Institute.

The NOAA Kodiak Laboratory is part of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center and is located in the Kodiak Fisheries Research Center.

Principal Investigator: Robert Foy, NOAA Kodiak Laboratory
Funding Sources: NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, UAF Ocean Acidification Research Center, State of Alaska, Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS).

Kachemak Bay Research Reserve Stations

Location: Seldovia and Homer Harbors (year-round), Bear Cove (March-Nov)

Timeline: pH probe data since 2001; water samples for carbonate chemistry 2016. Note:Carbonate chemistry needs to be established for the region before aragonite saturation algorithms can be established.

Description: Ocean acidification was identified by local and regional stakeholders as an important issue in south central Alaska for subsistence & recreational food sources. Local stakeholders were also concerned that we do not have baseline information to help inform how ocean acidification will transform the local near shore ecology of the region (KBNERR Bivalve Proceedings 2014). The complexity of ocean chemistry in estuaries has led to this important habitat being omitted, thus far, from strategies developed for monitoring ocean acidification in Alaska. The KBNERR has a long-term monitoring program that can support and help direct additional monitoring and research into the complex nature of ocean acidification in estuary habitats in south-central Alaska.

Jim Schloemer from KBRR holds sampling apparatus in the Homer harbor.

Through our existing programs and partnerships, we plan to grow this area of expertise for our region on a local, regional, national, and international scale.

Instrumentation: YSI pH sensor; water samples for carbonate chemistry at all nutrient monitoring sites.

Principal Investigator: Angie Doroff, Kachemak Bay Research Reserve (KBNERR)
Funding Sources: NOAA, KBNERR for logistic support as part of SWMP 2016.