Rate of Change of CO2 in the San Marcos River

The data is from R. J. Beyers, The Pattern of Photosynthesis and Respiration in Laboratory Microsystems, Proceedings of the I.B.P. Symposium on Primary Productivity in Aquatic Environments, C. R. Goldman, ed, Pallanza, Italy, April 1965. Also Mem. Ist. Ital. Idrobiol., 18 Suppl.: 61-74, 1965.

This data represents the average data of one hundred experimental measurements of a laboratory "microecosystem" that was constructed to mimic the flora and fauna of the San Marcos River in Texas, U.S.A. The light was carefully controlled so that the ecosystem experienced a "perfect" 12 hour day.

At dawn, there were 2.600 mmol of CO2 per liter of water.

Time (hrs past dawn)          Rate at which CO2 enters/leaves
                                    (mmol/liter/hr)
--------------------          -------------------------------
        0                             0.0
        1                            -0.042
        2                            -0.044
        3                            -0.041
        4                            -0.039
        5                            -0.038
        6                            -0.035
        7                            -0.030
        8                            -0.026
        9                            -0.023
       10                            -0.020
       11                            -0.008
       12                             0.0
       13                             0.054
       14                             0.045
       15                             0.040
       16                             0.035
       17                             0.030
       18                             0.027
       19                             0.023
       20                             0.020
       21                             0.015
       22                             0.012
       23                             0.005

Last modified: Tue Dec 19 15:27:14 1995