Voltammetric in situ measurements of trace metals in coastal waters

Developments in instrument miniaturisation and automation have resulted in the manufacture of portable electrochemical instrumentation for continuous trace-metal measurements from the banks of estuaries and on board ships. The most recent developments in flow cells with gel-coated iridium (Ir) micro-electrode arrays have resulted in submersible in situ voltammetric probes that allow long-term trace-metal monitoring at sub-nanomolar concentrations in coastal waters. This article overviews the design and the application of field-deployable voltammetric instrumentation for trace-metal monitoring.