“In this study, USGS scientists closely examined surface and ground waters at seven study sites from across the nation to determine the portion of stream nitrate derived from groundwater… The slow release of groundwater nitrate to streams may also affect the water quality of large rivers. For example, increases in nitrate concentrations during low and moderate flows in large rivers in the Mississippi River Basin have been observed to be greater than or comparable to increases in nitrate concentrations during high flows.”

Nitrate is a naturally occurring form of nitrogen found in soil. It is also often found in fertilizer, since most crop plants require high levels of nitrates to produce high yields. Issues can arise when water runoff carries excess nitrates from agricultural and urban sources into groundwater or streams, producing unnaturally high levels of nitrates in the water source.  Additionally, these nitrogen-rich compounds found in fertilizer runoff can cause algal blooms which can lead to serious oxygen depletion in water sources, from small streams to larger rivers, ponds and lakes, even coastal zones. A lack of dissolved oxygen severely impacts the ability of these areas to sustain fauna and flora.

In addition to reducing dissolved oxygen, excess nitrates can inhibit growth and impair the immune system in fish.  In humans, high levels of nitrates have been linked to methemoglobinemia, also known as “blue baby syndrome,” in infants.

Hanna Instruments manufactures several meters for measuring nitrates and dissolved oxygen, including:

Nitrate Meters
HI 96728
HI 83203
HI 83099

Dissolved Oxygen Meters
HI 96732
HI 9146

Multiparameter Meter, including Dissolved Oxygen and Nitrate
HI 9829

To read the entire WaterWorld article, click here.

If you plan on attending, stop by Booth D20 to meet with representatives from our new Swiss sales office and see our latest products.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Give it a read here:  “”Just a Theory”: 7 Misused Science Words”

What do you think? Is this nitpicking, or do you agree?

To enter the contest, Hanna customers and social media fans simply need to “Like” or “Follow” the Hanna Instruments USA Facebook, Twitter, and/or Pinterest pages in order to be entered in a drawing to win a free iPad mini.

The contest will run from January 1, 2013 – September 30, 2013.  The drawing will be held on October 1st 2013.  To win, you must be a resident of the United States of America.  There is no purchase necessary to participate.

For more information about “Measure Your World” you can read the press release here, visit www.measureyourworld.com, or e-mail marketing@hannainst.com.

The new Swiss office will be managed by Claudia Kucera and will offer sales and support of Hanna’s entire line of high quality scientific products designed for Lab, Environmental, Food and Industry applications and will provide Hanna with a strong presence in Switzerland.

You can read the entire press release here or visit our Swiss website here.

Our booth # is 148 this year.  Stop by and visit us to see the latest Hanna products, including our HI 902, HI 903 and introducing our new HI 9829 Kits. We will have Hanna representatives on hand to demo products, answer questions and more.

For registration information, click here.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Essential in many industries that work with water, Karl Fischer titration is highly accurate and can be used with solids, liquids and gases.

A short excerpt from the article:

“Joseph Karl Anton Fischer was born in Pasing, a suburb of Munich, in 1901. A keen experimenter, as a child he had a laboratory in his bedroom where, among other things, he once prepared nitroglycerine. Although it burned satisfyingly, the mixture failed to detonate because his product was heavily contaminated with glycerol.

He was also very keen on microscopy and built his own microtome to prepare thin sections using a razor blade – he was so good that he was able to make a little money for his family during the difficult years of hyperinflation in the 1920s.”

It’s a great read for science and chemistry students or anyone looking for more background information on Fischer.  For the full article, click here.

To learn about some of Hanna Instruments Titration products, click here.

This titrator features a highly accurate piston dosing system, improving accuracy over the previous model.  The HI 84500 can also be used as an mV/ORP meter for direct measurements. It replaces the HI 84100.

For more information on the new HI 84500, click here.