The analysis of the inorganic components is roughly divided in two parts: most cations are routinely measured with inductively coupled plasma coupled to an optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), whereas mainly anionic nutrients are quantified with a segmented flow analyser (AA).
With these analysers the nutrients are routinely measured in aqueous samples, such as surface water and seawater, and in soil extracts. The two AA machines available (produced by Skalar, Breda, the Netherlands) are adapted to their specific purpose.