Stability of solutions of nutrient salts during storage

doi:10.1016/0304-4203(92)90032-6

Marine Chemistry

Volume 38, Issues 3–4, July 1992, Pages 151-164

https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4203(92)90032-6 Get rights and content

Abstract

The addition of chemicals, particularly mercuric chloride, to preserve samples of natural water for subsequent analysis is reviewed. It is suggested that faulty calibration techniques contribute to inter- and intra-laboratory variability in the determination of nutrients, and that the instability of stored standard solutions may be an important source of error. The results of collaborative work involving 18 laboratories are discussed in support of a recommended preservative regime for standard solutions.

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Seawater samples from the surface (0 m), middle (6 m) and bottom (12 m and 15 m) layers, collected for measurement of the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (nitrate + nitrite, ammonia, phosphate, silicate), were filtered through a GF/F filter (47 mm; Whatman, Middlesex, U.K.) on board the vessel. The filtrates were placed in acid-cleaned polyethylene bottles, and HgCl2 (final concentration 0.1%) was added to prevent changes in the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients because of biological reactions (Kirkwood, 1992). The filtrates were stored at –20 °C until further laboratory analysis.
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Effect of marine heatwaves on bloom formation of the harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides: Two sides of the same coin?
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Seawater samples (500 mL) for measuring concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients and chlorophyll a were filtered through a GF/F filter (47 mm; Whatman, Middlesex, U.K.) onboard the vessel. The filtrates were placed in acid-cleaned polyethylene bottles, and HgCl2 (final concentration 0.1%) was added to prevent variation in concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients resulting from biological reactions (Kirkwood, 1992). The filters and filtrates were stored at −20°C until further laboratory analysis.
In 2018, the bloom of harmful dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides occurred under abnormally high water temperature (WT) conditions caused by heatwaves in Korean coastal water (KCW). To better understand C. polykrikoides bloom at high WTs in 2018, we conducted field survey and laboratory experiments (the physiological and genetic differences between the two strains, CP2013 and CP2018). The heatwave increased the WT from 24.1°C to 29.2°C for two weeks, leading to strong stratification even in mid July (p < 0.01, Chi square = 94.656, Kruskal–Wallis test). Under early stratification conditions, patch blooms formed more earlier than the average outbreak in the last 17 years in KCW, despite high WT reaching 30°C. In laboratory experiments, although there were no genetic differences in the LSU rDNA, both strains showed a significant different growth response to high WTs; above 28°C, CP2013 did not survive, but CP2018 was able to grow, suggesting that CP2018 had potential growth capacity at high WTs. However, the growth rate and yield of the culture (CP2018) were lowered at 30°C. Also, the blooms of C. polykrikoides in 2018 lasted only 3 weeks, which is unusual short compared to the average duration since 2002. The negative correlation between the average WT and duration of C. polykrikoides bloom in previous 17 years (R² = 0.518, p < 0.01) supports that high WT approaching 30°C is not favorable for C. polykrikoides in KCW. Thus, our findings indicated that in relation to heatwaves, early stratification condition plays a critical role in developing C. polykrikoides blooms, but maintaining bloom are negatively affected under high WT conditions.
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Research paperStability of solutions of nutrient salts during storage

Abstract

Mar. Chem.

Estuarine Coastal Shelf Sci.

Anal. Chim. Acta

Anal. Chim. Acta

Automated analysis of nutrients in seawater

CSIRO Mar. Lab. Rep. 166

The phosphate content of fresh and salt waters in its relationship to the growth of the algal plankton

J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K.

Enzymes in sea water

Arch. Sci. Biol. USSR

Preservation of water samples for inorganic nitrogen analyses with mercuric chloride

Int. J. Air Water Pollut.

Technique de conservation des échantillons d'eau de mer pour le dosage de phosphates, nitrites, nitrates, silice et bore

Cah. Océanogr.

Change of the chemical composition of water samples during their storage

Vopr. Gidrokhim. (Gosudarst. Gidrol. Inst.)

Chemical constituents of biological importance in the English Channel, November 1930 to January 1932

J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K.

Laboratory techniques in marine chemistry

CSIRO Div. Fish. Oceanogr. Rep. 55

Chloroform as a preservative of deep sea water samples for reactive phosphate analysis

On the storage of seawater samples for ammonia determination

Limnol. Oceanogr.

Effects of water sample preservation methods on the release of phosphorus from algae

Limnol. Oceanogr.

Hydrographic observations in the southern North Sea during 1961 and 1962, with particular reference to the distribution of nutrient salts

MAFF Fish. Res. Tech. Rep. 48

Nitrate in the sea

J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K.

Recent Advances in the Chemistry and Biology of Sea Water

The Chemistry and Fertility of Sea Waters

Preservation of water samples

Int. J. Air Water Pollut.

An automatic method for determining nitrate and nitrite in fresh and saline waters

Analyst

Determination of phosphate in water after storing in polyethylene

Limnol. Oceanogr.

Third Progress Report of the Standing Technical Committee on Synthetic Detergents

Comparisons of mercury(II) chloride and sulphuric acid as preservatives for nitrogen forms in water samples

Environ. Sci. Technol.

Research paper
Stability of solutions of nutrient salts during storage