The pH measurements in seawater on the NBS scale

Abstract

A new standardization method for glass electrodes is proposed for pH measurements on the NBS scale. An expression is obtained to evaluate the apparent activity coefficient of hydrogen ions as a function of salinity and temperature, from determinations obtained by Mehrbach et al., 1973 (Limnol. Oceanogr., 18: 897–907). This expression must be used to estimate systematic errors produced by variations of residual liquid-junction potential by estimating the apparent activity coefficient of hydrogen ions. In this way, values of pH obtained in oceanographical cruises can be standardized in order to determine and compare different parameters of the CO2 system.

Some experiments to study the variation of pH with temperature are carried out to compare the different series of acid constants used at present. A simple and precise polynomial equation is also obtained to determine the variation of pH with temperature.