Guidelines for sampling and determination of phosphate.

Abstract

Phosphate is in many cases in the Baltic Sea the limiting factor for phytoplankton growth. Monitoring of phosphate levels is essential for evaluation of the effects of eutrophication. 1.2 Purpose and aims Monitoring of nutrients in seawater is carried out to identify and quantify the amount of nutrients, which may cause eutrophication. The aim is to provide spatiotemporal information for detection of short-term status and long-term trends and to ensure that the data is comparable for the HELCOM core indicator ‘Dissolved inorganic phosphorus‘. The indicator description, including its monitoring requirements, is given in the HELCOM core indicator web site: http://helcom.fi/baltic-sea-trends/indicators/phosphorus-dip.