KRIS CHRISTENRobot chemists push aside decades-old water quality analysis tool

摘要

A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) lab was invaded by robots this January. In this case, a friendly, robotic technology will save USGS time and money by performing analyses for dissolved nutrients. Thousands of water samples annually come through the door at USGS from widely diverse geographical locations and all types of streams, lakes, reservoirs, and groundwaters. The robotic technology, automated discrete analyzer (DA) instruments, is pushing aside the continuous flow technology that USGS's National Water Quality Laboratory (NWQL) has used for decades.