An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 1

An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH

Kyle Tumpey
Abstract
pH and dissolved carbon dioxide are two important water quality parameters that
have great impacts on the health of aquatic life. Slight changes in pH can have a
great impact on the types of species that can survive, and CO2 is necessary for plants
and animals to carry out photosynthesis and respiration, respectively. In this study,
the relationship between CO2 and pH was studied. On May 23 and 24, 2017, water
quality samples were collected from three different sampling sites at the Lighthouse
Center for Natural Resource Education in Waretown, NJ, and tested for various
water quality parameters. The results from this study showed that there was a
significant difference between both the CO2 and pH values at each of the three
sampling sites, and that there was a strong correlation between the bay CO2 and pH
values.

Background
pH and dissolved carbon dioxide are two extremely important water quality parameters
that have a great impact on both the aquatic life and the ecosystem. pH is a measure of the
concentration of hydrogen (H+) ions present in the water. pH values range from 0-14, with a
value of 7 being neutral, a value above 7 being basic, and a value below 7 being acidic (Perlman,
2016). The pH of a body of water greatly affects the types of organisms that can survive there.
Most aquatic species can only tolerant a small range of pH values, and any pH level outside of
that range would cause that species to quickly die off (“pH of Water,” 2013). Slight changes to
the pH of any body of water causes great changes to the ecosystem; therefore, it is extremely
important that pH levels are constantly monitored for changes. Dissolved carbon dioxide is a
measure of the concentration of CO2 molecules (in ppm) present in a body of water. CO2 is
extremely important to plants, as it is necessary for the process of photosynthesis (“Carbon
Dioxide,” n.d.). If there were no CO2, all the aquatic plants and phytoplankton would die off, as
they would not be able to metabolize. CO2 is also vital to animals, as it is a main part of the
process of respiration; therefore, it is also vital that CO2 levels are regularly tested (“Carbon
Dioxide,” n.d.).
The main method for determining CO2 is titration. This is an accurate and efficient way
to determine the CO2 concentration in a body of water. This can be done using a LaMotte CO2
titration kit. The main method for determining pH is the use of a pH probe. This probe measures
pH by determining the voltage of the solution into which it is dipped and translating it to a pH
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 2

value using a mathematical equation (Woodford, 2016). Theoretically, dissolved carbon dioxide
and pH should have an inverse relationship. As the concentration of CO2 in the water increases,
the pH of that water should drop, or become more acidic. This study will determine how CO2 and
pH levels at each site compare, and if there is a correlation between dissolved CO2 and pH.

Methodology
Study Site
On May 23 and 24, 2017, the MATES research class visited the Lighthouse Center for
Natural Resource Education in Waretown, NJ to collect water quality samples over a twenty-
hour period. Over the course of the sampling period, the weather was mostly cool and cloudy
with some rain showers in the very early morning hours. On the second day, the weather became
warmer and sunnier than the previous day. Overall, the weather conditions at the Lighthouse
Center were tolerable.
Water quality samples were taken from three different areas at the Lighthouse Center: the
pond, the lagoon, and the bay. The pond is a small body of water located in the middle of a
forest, and is a short walk away from the Lighthouse Center. It is mostly shaded by trees and
contains a large amount of Phragmites australis. The lagoon is larger than the pond but smaller
than the bay, and is also a short walk from the Lighthouse Center. The lagoon is a narrow,
rectangular-shaped body of water located behind the main buildings. The bay is the largest of the
three bodies of water, and is about a half-mile away from the Lighthouse Center. The bay is
considered brackish, meaning it contains both fresh and salt water, and varies in multiple
parameters depending on the tides. A map of all sampling sites, along with GPS coordinates, can
be found in Figure 1.
Procedure
Over the twenty-hour sampling period, water quality samples were taken every two hours
from each of the three sample sites. Two students went to each sampling site, and two other
students stayed at the Lighthouse Center to run tests once the samples were returned. To measure
carbon dioxide, a LaMotte CO2 titration kit was used. Students followed the procedure given in
the kit and used the reagents provided to determine the CO2 concentration (in ppm). To measure
pH, a pH/temperature probe was used. Before placing the probe in the water, students first rinsed
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 3

the probe with distilled water. Then, the probe was placed in the water, and the pH level was
measured and recorded.
Statistical Analyses
Two ANOVA tests were used to determine if there was a significant difference among
the carbon dioxide and pH values at each of the three sites. Two Tukey HSD post-hoc tests were
run to determine which sets of data from the ANOVA tests were significantly different from
each other. One regression was run to determine the correlation between the bay CO2 and pH
values. An alpha of 0.05 or less was used to determine significance for all tests.

Results
The CO2 values from the samples at the Lighthouse Center ranged from 6.33-29.00 ppm
(Table 1). The pH values recorded at the Lighthouse Center ranged from 5.63-7.97 (Table 1).
The ANOVA test run on the carbon dioxide values at each site produced a P-value of less than
0.0001 (Figure 8). The Tukey HSD post-hoc test run on the carbon dioxide values produced a P-
value of less than 0.05 for two sets, and produced a P-value of 0.900 for the lagoon and bay data.
The ANOVA test run on the pH values at each site produced a P-value of less than 0.0001
(Figure 9). The Tukey HSD post-hoc test run on the pH values produced a P-value of less than
0.05 for all sets of data. The regression between the bay CO2 and pH values produced an R2
value of 0.790 (Figure 10).

Discussion
The ANOVA test run on the CO2 values showed that there was a significant difference
among the values at each site. This can be explained due to other water quality parameters that
affect gas solubility, specifically temperature and salinity. When a liquid is heated, the kinetic
energy of the particles dissolved in the liquid also increase. When this occurs, these particles are
more likely to be able to escape the liquid phase and become gas particles; therefore, as
temperature increases, gas solubility in liquid decreases (Tran & Liu, 2016). In contrast, as
temperature decreases, gas solubility increases. The pond, which had the highest CO2
concentrations, often had the lowest temperature of the three. The bay and lagoon, which did not
have significantly different values, also had relatively similar temperatures. In addition to
temperature, salinity affects gas solubility. When NaCl is dissolved in water, water molecules are
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 4

attracted to the salt ions in an effort to solvate them. Since water molecules are polar, and CO2
molecules are non-polar, the presence of ions in the water further reduces the solubility of CO2
(Tran & Liu, 2016).
The ANOVA test run on the pH values also showed that there was a significant
difference among the values at each site. This difference can be explained due to the differing
CO2 values found at each site. When CO2 dissolves in water, it chemically combines with water
molecules to form carbonic acid (H2CO3) (“Carbon Dioxide,” n.d.). The carbonic acid then loses
one of its hydrogen ions to release an H+ ion and bicarbonate (HCO3-). The H+ ion released into
the water causes the pH to decrease, creating a more acidic body of water (“Carbon Dioxide,”
n.d.). This chemical process is also the main reason that there was a strong correlation between
the bay CO2 and pH values. As more CO2 was dissolved in the water, more bicarbonate and H+
ions were formed, leading to a greater decrease in pH. In the bay, as the temperature and salinity
varied with the tides, the CO2 concentrations, and subsequently, the pH levels, also varied.

Conclusion
On May 23 and 24, 2017, water quality samples were collected and tested at the
Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education in Waretown, NJ. The tests run on these
samples showed that there was a significant difference between both the CO2 and pH values at
each of the three sampling sites, and that there was a strong correlation between the bay CO2 and
pH values.

Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Wnek and Mr. Kelsey for providing me with the procedures for
CO2 and pH testing. I would also like to thank MATES for providing me with the equipment
needed to run all the water quality tests in this study.

References
Carbon Dioxide. (n.d.). Retrieved June 07, 2017, from http://www.lenntech.com/carbon-
dioxide.htm
Perlman, H. (2016, December 2). pH - Water properties. Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/ph.html
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 5

pH of Water. (2013, November 19). Retrieved June 07, 2017, from

http://www.fondriest.com/environmental-measurements/parameters/water-quality/ph/#p7
Tran, E., & Liu, D. (2016, November 28). Solubility and Factors Affecting Solubility. Retrieved
June 07, 2017, from
https://chem.libretexts.org/Core/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry/Equilibria/Solubilt
y/Solubility_and_Factors_Affecting_Solubility
Woodford, C. (2016, May 06). pH Meters. Retrieved June 07, 2017, from
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-ph-meters-work.html

Tables

Table 1: The CO2 and pH values recorded at each of the three sites at the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource
Education in Waretown, NJ. The CO2 values ranged from 6.33-29.00 ppm, and the pH values ranged from 5.63-
7.97.
Lagoon Pond Bay Lagoon Pond Bay
Time CO2 (ppm) CO2 (ppm) CO2 (ppm) Time pH pH pH
13:00 14.00 29.00 8.33 13:00 6.50 6.00 7.80
15:00 10.67 25.67 7.67 15:00 6.93 5.83 7.97
17:00 10.67 23.50 9.83 17:00 7.17 5.73 7.90
19:00 12.33 26.00 6.33 19:00 7.40 6.00 7.90
21:00 15.00 21.67 10.33 21:00 6.70 5.63 7.40
23:00 9.33 11.67 7.00 23:00 6.73 6.17 7.30
1:00 12.67 27.67 23.33 1:00 6.63 5.80 6.60
3:00 17.00 23.00 13.33 3:00 6.70 5.73 7.30
5:00 13.00 17.00 26.67 5:00 6.70 5.70 6.70
7:00 14.33 25.33 23.00 7:00 5.80 6.80 6.87
9:00 15.00 20.67 11.67 9:00 6.90 5.97 7.30
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 6

Figures

Figure 1: The three sampling sites visited at the Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education in
Waretown, NJ. GPS Coordinates – Pond: 18S 569092 4403084; Lagoon: 18S 569085 4402847; Bay:
18S 569492 4402604.

Figure 2: The LaMotte Carbon Dioxide Titration Test

Kit used to determine the CO2 concentrations of the
water samples collected.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 7

Figure 3: The pH probe used to determine pH at

each of the three sampling sites at the
Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource
Education in Waretown, NJ.

Figure 4: One section of the Lighthouse Center for Natural

Resource Education in Waretown, NJ.

Figure 5: The common room of the Lighthouse Center. The back

section of this room was used as a "laboratory" where all the
water quality testing was done.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 8

Figure 6: The changes in the carbon dioxide measurements (ppm) at each of the three
sampling sites over the twenty-hour sampling period. The bay CO2 levels fluctuated the
most out of the three sites.

Figure 7: The change in the pH values at each of the three sites over the twenty-hour
sampling period. The pH values at each site remained relatively similar throughout the
sampling period.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 9

Figure 8: The average carbon dioxide values (ppm) recorded over the twenty-hour
sampling period at the Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ. There was a significant
difference among the values at each of the three sites. +/- 5% error bars were used.

Average pH Measurements
9.00
P-value: <0.0001
8.00
7.00
6.00
5.00
pH

4.00
3.00
2.00
1.00
0.00
Lagoon Pond Bay
Sampling Site

Figure 9: The average pH values recorded over the twenty-hour sampling period at the
Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ. There was a significant difference among the values
at each of the three sites. +/- 5% error bars were used.
An Analysis of the Relationship Between Carbon Dioxide and pH Tumpey 10

Figure 10: The relationship between the bay carbon dioxide (ppm) and pH values recorded at the
Lighthouse Center in Waretown, NJ. The regression run between the parameters showed that there was
a strong negative correlation.