Expedition collaborators included Argentina’s Universidad de Buenos Aires, Chile’s Universidad de Concepción, Spain’s University of Granada and U.S. water testing instrumentation specialist HM Digital Inc.Click here to enlarge imageThe project’s aim was to collect and analyze water samples, for 33 parameters set by the European Union. Many of these parameters were to be tested once the samples returned to Europe. For on-site testing, the expedition chose HM Digital’s COM-100 and PH-200 handheld water meters.
Both are waterproof and durable, with long-lasting batteries, quick response times and large, easy-to-read screens, all of which are necessary in a place that experiences the worst weather on the planet.
The COM-100 tests conductivity, temperature and TDS levels of samples, and the PH-200 tests pH levels. And with their highly advanced automatic temperature compensation (ATC) programs, the meters will be able to handle the extreme temperatures of the Antarctic waters.
“In such chilly conditions, it was important for us to find the right instruments that would be reliable and accurate,” said Dr. Jorge Fernando Fernández Sánchez, one of the leaders of the expedition. “The HM Digital sensors have worked very well, even in the near-freezing waters. Analyzing the Antarctic waters is an important venture that will hopefully lead to solutions for global warming and world pollution.”