Chemical determination of particulate nitrogen in San Francisco Bay. A comparison of two estimates

Particulate nitrogen was measured by both the ultra-violet light-catalyzed peroxide method and the high temperature combustion method. The difference between values obtained with the two methods (combustion minus UV) was found to be linearly correlated with the concentration of total suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the sample. The slope of this correlation was taken to be the concentration of refractory nitrogen associated with the suspended matter, which may be ammonium ions fixed in lattices of clay minerals or organic nitrogen compounds did not vary significantly with SPM, location, water depth or salinity. Refractory nitrogen concentration were possibly related to concentrations of chlorophyll a and to cruise date, but in neither case was the evidence conclusive. Based on the indirect evidence presented, the UV method appears to provide a good measure of biologically reactive nitrogen in this system.