Chelsea does double time in Gulf environmental monitoring
Richard Burt holds the UV AQUAtracka while Dr Brian Phillip holds the FASTtracka.
UK based Chelsea Technologies Group (CTG) has seen unprecedented demand for its UV AQUAtracka fluorimeter to monitor the extent and dispersion of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Originally designed for military use, these highly sensitive fluorimeters are monitoring the extent of the oil from surface waters to full ocean depth.
The UV AQUAtracka is now being used in combination with the FASTtracka Mark II fast repetition rate fluorimeter to monitor the effects of the oil on the primary productivity of the Gulf. The FASTtracka II has undergone an extensively challenging test to characterise its response to contamination events in the aquatic environment and is providing unique real time data on the response of the marine ecosystem to the elevated hydrocarbon levels in the Gulf of Mexico.
Long term monitoring of the offshore and coastal waters of the Gulf is fundamental to understanding the rate of recovery of the ecosystem from both the oil spill and the chemical dispersants used to fight it. The detection and monitoring of very low levels of hydrocarbons over long periods of time, and their effects on the ecosystem, is key to this.
‘The latest Mark II version of the FASTtracka is fast becoming the instrument of choice for a range of organisations wishing to investigate the physiological responses of a diverse range of phytoplankton within ocean, said CTG marketing director Richard Burt. ‘The ability to combine this with the high precision UV AQUAtracka provides the investigators in the Gulf with a powerful tool. Since the introduction of the FASTtracka II there has been a significant increase in the range of applications from coastal and ocean algal studies to the protection of reservoirs and potable water supplies.’
The company has also reported further good news with a significant increase in demand for its dye tracing systems from a number of water authorities and environmental consultants .
Typical applications for the dye tracing system include environmental monitoring, pollution control, process control within water treatment plants, commissioning of sewage treatment works and monitoring of pipeline integrity.
‘The benefit of this system over others is that it is highly reliable and can be configured to measure a wide range of dyes, including rhodamine, fluorescein, and other specialist UV tracer dyes,’ said CTG’s Bruce Kimber.
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