A microplate technique to quantify nutrients (NO2- NO3-NH4+ and PO43-) in seawater

Many methods to measure nutrients (NO2-, NO3-, NH4+, and PO43-) in water are based on the formation of coloured complexes that are measured by spectrephotometry frequently using large-volume (10 mL) spectrophotometer cells. Miniaturization of the techniques using microplate readers and sample volumes as small as 250 muL is an affordable alternative for these determinations. This work describes the adaptation to microtechniques using a 96-well microplate to measure nitrogen compounds and phosphate in seawater. They can be used as an inexpensive procedure for routine monitoring in aquaculture ponds because of the smaller sample, reagent requirements, and suitable ranges.