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A rapid, highly sensitive technique for the determination of ammonia in seawater

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Abstract

A reliable and sensitive technique for the rapid determination of ammonia in seawater is described. The procedure is based on the conversion of NH +4 in seawater to NH3 and the subsequent diffusion of NH3 across a hydrophobic membrane using flow-injection analysis. Sixty determinations can be made per hour on a flowing stream of seawater or discrete samples. The lower limit of detection is 0.05 μM. Results of two applications that demonstrate the potential of this technique are presented, a laboratory excretion experiment employing the crabPachygrapsus crassipes, and small-scale vertical mapping of ammonia in the ocean.

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Communicated by R. S. Carney, Moss Landing

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Willason, S.W., Johnson, K.S. A rapid, highly sensitive technique for the determination of ammonia in seawater. Mar. Biol. 91, 285–290 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00569445

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