A potential tool for high-resolution monitoring of ocean acidification

•Highly resolved on-ship pH mappings from several months are presented.•An economic, low-power and low dye consumption fluorescence method was developed.•Unique non-linear salinity and temperature adjusted calibrations were successfully utilized.•The sampling eliminated pH perturbation from ambient gasses and provided a filtering mechanism.•Excellent measurement robustness and on-ship precision are demonstrated. Current anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions generate besides global warming unprecedented acidification rates of the oceans. Recent evidence indicates the possibility that ocean acidification and low oceanic pH may be a major reason for several mass extinctions in the past. However, a major bottleneck for research on ocean acidification is long-term monitoring and the collection of consistent high-resolution pH measurements. This study presents a low-power (