About Aquation

Aquation Pty Ltd designs and manufactures innovative Chlorophyll Fluorometers for both on-land and underwater applications. Chlorophyll fluorescence measurements give us insight into efficiency of light conversion (plants convert light to chemically stored forms of energy). Hence, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements can tell us whether a plant is doing well, or poorly. Aquation’s instruments are used in fields and forests, and underwater in seagrass meadows, coral reefs and macroalgal beds.

Aquation also designs and manufactures Environment Monitoring equipment including water quality monitoring systems and other land-based sensor network systems.

Chlorophyll Fluorometers

Photosynthetic performance can be easily measured with chlorophyll fluorescence and gas exchange techniques. Aquation’s product range includes:

Shutter Fluorometer: a unique automated dark-acclimation function
Classic Submersible Fluorometer: multiple sensors measure effective quantum yield
Classic Fluorometer : a PC-operated PAM system for bench and field use
Submersible Respirometer System : dissolved oxygen indicate rates of photosynthesis and respiration
Submersible Light Logger: underwater irradiance with our miniature spherical sensor
Leaf Absorptance Meter: leaf absorptance for ETR calculations

Applications of Aquation chlorophyll fluorometers include the assessment of photosynthetic efficiency of plants or algae within both commercial and research contexts.

Broadacre crops, e.g. wheat and cotton (in situ phenotyping and comparison of cultivar performance; examination of heat stress and water stress responses)
Horticulture and Viticulture (identification of optimal photosynthetic efficiency of commercial species)
Coral (e.g. bleaching events; effects of ocean acidification)
Seagrasses (environmental studies including responses to sedimentation and petrochemicals)
Macroalgae (environmental studies including responses to irradiance, and stress induced by heavy metals, salinity, ocean acidification)
Unicellular algae (determining cell density and photosynthetic efficiency in culturing facilities; also used to estimate presence of blue-green algae)

When used in the field, fluorescence sensors can be connected to Aquation’s self-contained data loggers including either the rugged Submersible Datalogger or the non-submersible Portable Datalogger. These dataloggers can be configured to accept and log data from other proprietary sensors. Self-powered and telemetered options are available.

Environment Monitoring

Environment monitoring including water quality monitoring uses a wide range of sensors, dataloggers, sondes and telemetry systems. We provide you with as many options as possible so you get the best solution for your monitoring problem. Solar power and cellular or satellite telemetry are standard features for use in regional and outback locations where power and communications are not readily available or convenient. Aquation provides:

Water Quality Monitoring Systems: e.g. temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH, turbidity, Chl-a, phycocyanin/phycoerythrin. Most other sensors are available on request. Depending on
Environment Monitoring Systems: e.g. specific land-based measurements may include temperature, relative humidity, insolation, soil moisture etc. We can provide our custom dataloggers or off-the-shelf dataloggers from our suppliers, and provide rugged weatherproof enclosures for long-term field deployments

Aquation also designs and manufactures unique devices and systems to address specific scientific problems. Examples of projects include the design, development and manufacture of:

UV-transparent plastic incubation chambers for the incubation and assessment of tiles that have been deployed in Sydney Harbour for extended intervals. Net metabolic rates of each individual tile are used to characterise the different locations examined.
Simple and robust submersible power supplies used to operate 12 V pumps underwater.1assess water quality and environmental health.
100 L plastic respirometer chambers for in situ metabolism determination (both photosynthesis and respiration).
a FerryBox system now installed in one of the Sydney Harbour ferries, measuring dissolved oxygen, conductivity, temperature, turbidity, chl-a, phycoerythrin, fDOM and location (GPS). Data is gathered semi-continuously and posted on the internet.

Field applications of Aquation chlorophyll fluorometers

Video: Coral Monitoring. Shutter Fluorometer measuring effective quantum yield of coral. Demonstration program repeats close/measure/open cycle. Fluorometer takes measurement of yield, temperature and ambient PAR when closed. Waidroka, Fiji.

Video: Algae monitoring. Shutter Fluorometer, Central Coast, NSW.

Video: Seagrass monitoring. Multi-channel Shutter Fluorometer in action, Panarea, Italy

Aquation’s fluorometry system has been used in the world’s coldest waters, and at depths where photosynthesis is only barely supported by sunlight.

Aquation Pty Ltd and its products are 100% Australian.

Meet our team