YSI ProDSS Total Algae Sensor
Features
- Dual channel sensor
- Measures and outputs both chlorophyll & blue-green algae
- Options for ug/L and RFU outputs
- Free ground shipping
- Expedited repair and warranty service
- Lifetime technical support
- More
The Total Algae (TAL) sensors are dual-channel fluorescence sensors. The “channels” are for chlorophyll and phycocyanin (TAL-PC), or chlorophyll and phycoerythrin (TAL-PE), which are measured in the water. Each sensor thus yields two data sets: for TAL-PC, one results from a blue-emitting LED that excites the chlorophyll a (chl) molecule and the second results from an orange excitation beam that excites the phycocyanin (PC) accessory pigment. The TAL-PE sensor is similar, also having the chlorophyll channel, but rather than an orange-emitting LED there is a slightly blue-shifted beam that excites phycoerythrin (PE).
The TAL sensors generate data in RFU or μg/L of pigment (chl, PC or PE) units, with RFU as the default. When using either RFU or μg/L, the sensor’s response is highly linear: a reading of 50 of either unit represents twice as much fluorescence detected as a reading of 25, for example, if the temperature is constant.
In The News
Handheld Cyanotoxin Detection Technology Prototype
In the battle against harmful algal blooms (HABs), time is important . The need for laboratory equipment and testing is a serious challenge for water managers. This issue caught the eye of Qingshan Wei , an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at North Carolina State University . 
 
 “Our research group is interested in developing low-cost sensors,” Wei told EM . “Recently we have been developing sensors for environmental monitoring, and cyanotoxins came to our attention .” 
 
 Cyanobacteria, which generate HABs, are becoming a challenge across the US . They are a very serious problem in North Carolina, in part due to the weather.
Read MoreSolar and Wind-Powered, Algae Tracking Boat Trialed in Florida
Time is of the essence when it comes to tracking algal blooms, and people everywhere are looking for solutions. In Florida, scientists from Florida Atlantic University Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) recently trialed a solar-powered, algae-tracking sail boat developed by Navocean , Inc. Dr. Jordon Beckler of Florida Atlantic University (FAU) directs HBOI's Geochemistry and Geochemical Sensing Lab and spoke to EM about the trials and the boat. 
 
 "This boat is so amazing when you see it in action," remarks Dr. Beckler. "Navocean originally contacted me a few years back about a demonstration when I was over at my previous institution in West Florida, and we brainstormed some scenarios for employing the boat for harmful algae bloom monitoring.
Read MoreCombating Water Insecurity in Saskatchewan with Real-Time Data
The prairies of Saskatchewan can be described as one of the least water-secure parts of Canada, making water quality monitoring essential for informed resource management in a region already facing water insecurity. While natural physical properties worsen some of the poor water quality conditions in the region, others are connected to land use. 
 
Having grown up spending summers on the shores of Lake Huron, Helen Baulch, an associate professor at the School of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Saskatchewan , has always been dedicated to the protection of water resources. 
 
Looking back fondly at her childhood playing along the shore, Baulch also recalls the invasion of quagga mussels during her teenage years and watching the lake change as a result.
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