The MISCO AQUAR™ Digital Seawater Refractometer is equally at home on ship or on shore, and was specifically designed for oceanography, aquaculture, professional aquariums, desalination plants, and ocean research.

This refractometer is able to overcome many of the limitations of other test methods including chloride titration, specific gravity by hydrometer, and conductivity meters, for testing seawater, salt water, and brackish ocean water.

The AQUAR series refractometers are based on the accepted physical properties of seawater, and the latest scientific research, as published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and others.

It is this seawater basis that separates the MISCO AQUAR Refractometer from other refractometers that are based on only sodium chloride and water. Although sodium chloride is one of the main components of seawater, there are enough other components that render a regular sodium chloride refractometer inaccurate with respect to the physical properties of seawater. Other refractometers, that claim to be seawater refractometers, are likely based on antiquated data and display results in ppt instead of accepted Practical Salinity Units.

Traditional analog refractometers display the reading at the point where a shadowline crosses a tiny glass reticle. Many of these refractometers are not automatically temperature compensated, which means that the reading can be off significantly for every degree Celsius the instrument temperature varies from 20 °C (68 °C). Also, readings on analog refractometers are subjective and they are difficult to read in a boat bobbing on the water.

The MISCO AQUAR Seawater Refractometer series represents the most stable and precise digital handheld refractometer available. With a precision of +/- 0.0001 refractive index, the AQUAR rivals many bench-top laboratory instruments costing thousands of dollars more.

Measuring seawater on the Palm Abbe is fast and efficient. The instrument can be zero set to fresh water and will make accurate repeatable measurements in the blink of an eye. Just place a sample of seawater in the measuring well, close the evaporation cover, and press the GO button. The automatically temperature compensated reading will be displayed on the large 24-character display in seconds. The user can scroll through and select the appropriate scale (unit of measure) by pressing the MENU button. Calibration to water is automatic and does not require turning any screws or making any adjustments.