CO2SYS: Carbon Dioxide System Calculations for Seawater and Freshwater

CO2SYS is a program for calculating parameters of the carbon dioxide system in aquatic environments. It uses two of four measurable parameters—total alkalinity, total inorganic CO2, pH, and fugacity or partial pressure of CO2—to compute the remaining two under user-defined temperature and pressure conditions. The software was developed by Ernie R. Lewis of Brookhaven National Laboratory, replacing and extending earlier programs released in May 1995.

Use Cases

• Calculate seawater carbonate system equilibrium based on paired input parameters like total alkalinity and pH.
• Model the effects of temperature and pressure changes on CO2 fugacity and partial pressure.
• Batch process carbonate chemistry calculations for large environmental datasets.
• Compare results using different sets of constants and parameters for sensitivity analysis.

Strengths

• Replaces and extends four earlier programs (CO2SYSTM.EXE, FCO2TCO2.EXE, PHTCO2.EXE, CO2BTCH.EXE), consolidating functionality.
• Includes an on-screen information section with documentation on topics relevant to the program.
• Supports both single-input and batch-input modes for flexible use.

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Designed for DOS operating system on 80x86 computers, which may present compatibility challenges.

Provenance

Source

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Collection Method

Computational program development for chemical calculations.

Time Range

Program released after May 1995.

Freshness

Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Applicable to seawater and freshwater systems globally.