The latest developments ...

MicroLAB fish kill application : Sales of our new compact and affordable nutrient monitoring system, MicroLAB, have exceeded all expectations. MicroLAB systems have been integrated into new monitoring and research application areas.
Gary Speiran (right), a research hydrologist with the US Geological Survey in Richmond, Virginia working with MicroLAB configured for ammonia being used to investigate possible causes of the fish kills in the Shenandoah River. MicroLAB is set up to take a sample once an hour every day, uploading real-time data to the USGS’ Web site, which beats the less frequent, manual method scientists were using before.
Multi-channel stream-side
monitoring in Scotland :
The Center for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) have installed
a new multi-channel AutoLAB for nitrate, phosphate
and silicate measurement at an existing monitoring site in
Greens Burn near Edinburgh, Scotland. The AutoLAB was supplied with a
pump, controller and sample flow-cell to allow it to automatically
sample from the adjacent stream. Greens Burn is in an area of farm land
with relatively high annual rainfall. CEH are involved in projects to
investigate the relationships between pressures, chemical status, and
biological quality elements in the environment. Visit CEH
at: http://www.ceh.ac.uk/sections/sfe/sfe.html
NOAA/PMEL
Upgrade Entire NAS Fleet : Researchers at the Pacific Marine
Environmental Laboratory in Seattle decided on full factory upgrades
for all their NAS-2E analyzers. The cost effective upgrade
has provided a fleet of like-new systems with all the advanced
technology features of a NAS-3X at a fraction of the cost. The systems
are now being used within a wide range of applications from traditional
moorings work to new areas such as automated surface mapping aboard
commercial vessels. Ask for details about the NAS upgrade kit and
optional installation service and protect your initial investment.
Ren Star deliver MicroLAB to
NAHRIM, Malaysia : The National Hydraulic Research Institute
of Malaysia (NAHRIM)
have purchased a MicroLAB system for use in applied
research within their coastal engineering, water resources development
and water quality applications. The complete MicroLAB package was
supplied with nitrate and phosphate detectors to enable
investigators to very cost effectively swap between application
areas by simply exchanging the colorimeter and uploading the
appropriate analysis scripts.
Joshua Walker, EnviroTech's Product Specialist, traveled across the
world to provide a comprehensive training course to the researchers at
NAHRIM. Visit: http://www.nahrim.gov.my/english/aboutus.html
Intelligent
Sampling Systems : In response to the challenge of developing
"smart" and adaptive sampling systems researchers at the The University
of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) Horn Point Lab
(HPL) have developed an adaptive integrated monitoring system
(AIMS) that incorporates nutrient analysis, water sampling, sensor
measurements, data logging, telemetry and data-to-web components. The
work is funded by NOAA MERHAB and includes EnviroTech's nitrate and
ammonium analyzers and a ESM Plus acquisition and control system. A new
urea monitoring system is currently being added (see below). Full
details at the AIMS website.
New
Aqua Monitor for NIWA: We have recently delivered a new
version of our unique Aqua
Monitor deep ocean water sampling system to
NIWA, New Zealand. Rated for use to 4000 m depth and upgraded to
include our new titanium sample valve technology the system can collect
50 individual or integrated 1000 ml samples.
Samples can be used for analysis of nutrients, microplankton and suspended load or as calibration samples for other sensors on the mooring. The intelligent ESM controller provides huge programming flexibility allowing time-series, burst, integrated or conditional sampling and subsequent in-situ processing as needed. Threshold or triggering algorithms can be designed by the user with the flexible Eco-Script language.
The system has an all-new modular and compact deployment frame design.
Monitoring
Maumee River, Lake Erie with EcoLAB : Researchers at the
University of Toledo, Lake Erie Center and the NOAA Great Lakes
Research Laboratory are using EcoLAB to investigate the feasibility of
characterizing the river plume with high frequency measurements
including nutrients. To capture and understand rapid changes in water
chemistry continuous in-situ measurements are needed at a
temporal resolution not viable with traditional manual sampling
methods. The EcoLAB is deployed in the waters of Maumee Bay
near a lighthouse and will ultimately provide real-time
on-line nitrate and phosphate data to allow potential conditions for
algal blooms to be identified as they unfold. Visit here for more
information: http://www.lakeerie.utoledo.edu/html/Ecolab.htm
Urea Method Development : Use
of urea as an agricultural fertilizer over the last decade has
surpassed ammonium nitrate, bringing into question its use and impacts.
The growing need to monitor and understand the effects of urea in
watersheds and coastal regions has led a team at Horn Point Laboratory
to adapt our NAS-3X analyzer for direct measurement of urea. Through a
collaborative effort we have implemented and interfaced a colorimeter
specifically for the method. The programmability of the NAS-3X has
allowed the team to easily implement the chemical method.
Visit: http://www.hpl.umces.edu/geo/ureamonitor.htm
Additional sensors for U-Tow : The lastest update to the U-Tow system and Ocean Windows software includes dual inputs for the Sea-Bird SBE 49 FastCAT CTD sensor proving a very high spatial resolution of oceanographic structures and gradients with 16 Hz sampling.
New intelligent valve drive: A new ultra-reliable valve drive mechanism has been developed for all our current products that incorporates a high-precision shaft-encoder and feedback mechanism for highly repeatable and accurate valve positioning.The new drive system automatically compensates valve alignment in real-time and invokes re-alignment in case of any problems. The design also includes a new high quality motor and gearbox assembly that provide significantly increased torque and rotary speed allowing the valve to travel reliably at higher speeds. This reduces the power budget and analysis time by up to 30%. We are always careful to ensure our customers have an upgrade path and this development is no exception. All current and some older products (the NAS-2E) can be fully upgraded to take advantage of this significant development. Please contact us for further details.