Inter-comparison of 14C-labelled bicarbonate solutions prepared by different institutes for measurement of primary productivity in natural waters and monoalgal cultures

An intercomparative study was carried out to investigate possibleeffects on primary productivity measurements when using NaH¹⁴C0₃solutions prepared by different methods. Five different ampoulebatches coded A, B, C, D and E were tested. Three of the batches(A, B and D) had been produced by direct dilution of industriallyproduced NaH¹⁴CO₃, of high specific activity. A and D were dilutedwith distilled water added carrier, whereas no information onhow batch B was diluted could be obtained. Batch E was preparedby trapping ¹⁴CO₂, gas — released by strong HCl from Ba¹⁴CO₃— in sodium hydroxide. In the case of batch C, the processof manufacture was not known. The tests were carried out ondifferent phytoplankton material with low algal density. Twobatches (B and C) showed significant inhibitory effects on P_calc(–5–44%), on the slope of the ascending part ofthe light adaptation curve (), and on P_max. Batch A showed minor,but still significant effects. The four batches A, B, C andD carried rather high amounts of non-volatile rest activity(between 13 and 194 d.p.m./µCi), which made measurementsof the release of extracellular dissolved organic carbon (EOC)almost impossible. This phenomenon,per se, would if uncor-rectedproduce considerably higher per cent EOC release in low-productivewaters, as has been reported by many authors. As to the standardizationof the working solutions, two batches (C and D) showed a pooraccuracy (16 and 18% deviation, respectively) when tested atthe C14C, and two batches (A and B) showed unacceptably highvariability between ampoules of the same batch. The study indicatesthat it is not recom-mendable to use working solutions preparedby direct dilution of industrially produced NaH¹⁴CO₃ of highspecific activity without prior testing of possible effectson algal photosynthesis. It is recommended that the specificactivity of the working solution be measured if it is not exactlyspecified by the manufacturer by a ‘Certificate of Quality’.