Guidelines for sampling and determination of nitrate

Abstract

Dissolved inorganic nitrogen is present in seawater both as nitrite, nitrate and ammonium. As a complement to the overall assessment of nutrient status, detailed information on the distribution of different species must be obtained. 1.2 Purpose and aims Monitoring of nutrients in seawater is carried out to identify and quantify the amount of nutrients, which may cause eutrophication. The aim is to provide spatiotemporal information for detection of short-term status and long-term trends and to ensure that the data is comparable for the HELCOM core indicator ‘Dissolved inorganic nitrogen‘. The indicator description, including its monitoring requirements, is given in the HELCOM core indicator web site: http://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/indicators/nitrogen-din.