Seawater and marine environments

We can accurately and reliably detect the presence of contaminants in a range of saline and seawater matrices. Our seawater and marine testing services span:

  • Sample collection and on-site monitoring, including provision of boats and qualified operators for these services
  • Water quality testing
  • Water quality and ecological modelling
  • Environmental impact assessment
  • Assessment of the ecological effects of nutrients and other contaminants on receiving waters

Analytical techniques to support the operation of desalination treatment processes

  • The use of Flow Cytometry for the enumeration of total and live bacteria in seawater as a more sensitive measurement of biological particle penetration during pre-treatment
  • Bacterial regrowth potential (BRP) for the measurement of relative growth of indigenous bacteria and predicting the onset of Reverse Osmosis fouling

Water quality monitoring to provide a baseline assessment and to inform treatment plant design  

  • Establishment of pilot plant programs and analysis of samples to ensure effectiveness of treatment process
  • Assessment of disinfection byproducts (DBPs), including brominated and iodinated DBPs produced as a result of treatment processes of saline waters.
  • Extraction of trace metals in saline water by chelation and preconcentration to obtain low levels of reporting
  • Analysis of a variety of nutrient species from all water matrices.
  • Specialised analyses for total organic carbon and dissolved organic carbon in seawater and concentrated seawater from various stages of desalination process.
  • Analyses of organochlorine (OC) and organophosphorous (OP) pesticides and herbicides in seawater.
  • Microscopic analysis of the composition and abundance of marine phytoplankton in untreated waters and spectrophotometric analysis of chlorophyll a as a measure of phytoplankton biomass.