A high sensitivity method for the determination of nanomolar concentrations of Nitrate and Nitrite in seawater with a technicon autoanalyzer II

A high sensitivity manifold for the determination of trace quantities (nanomolar concentrations) of nitrate+nitrite and nitrite alone is described. The method uses a classical Technicon AutoAnalyzer II usually employed for shipboard analysis. A reproducibility of ± 1 nmol dm⁻³ for nitrate plus nitrite and nitrite alone was obtained, with an analytical rate of 40 samples h⁻¹.