Systems and processes for early detection of biological ammonia oxidation in water using fluorometry

A method of determining whether a body of water requires remedial action to prevent biological ammonia oxidation, said method comprising the steps of:

• a) selecting a fluorescence excitation-emission wavelength pair having a signal that changes relative to a baseline fluorescence signal established over a period of time preceding biological ammonia oxidation in the body of water;
• b) determining a value representative of the baseline fluorescence signal for the selected fluorescence excitation-emission wavelength pair for the body of water, wherein the value represents the baseline fluorescence signal or a derived value thereof during a period of time during which an acceptable amount of ammonia oxidation has occurred in the body of water;
• c) selecting a value representative of a corrective action threshold fluorescence signal relative to a threshold amount of the baseline fluorescence signal, wherein the corrective action threshold fluorescence signal represents an acceptable level of ammonia oxidation in the body of water;
• d) collecting a sample of water from the body of water;
• e) exciting the sample of water at the selected fluorescence excitation wavelength;
• f) measuring a value representative of an amount of fluorescence signal from the excited sample of water at the selected fluorescence emission wavelength;
• g) comparing said value representative of said measured amount of fluorescence signal with said value representative of the baseline amount of fluorescence signal;
• h) if said value representative of said measured amount of fluorescence signal is greater than said value representative of said corrective action threshold fluorescence signal, determining that the body of water requires a remedial action to prevent or decrease the amount of ammonia oxidation;
• i) if said value representative of said measured amount of fluorescence signal is equal to or less than said value representative of said corrective action threshold fluorescence signal, determining that the body of water does not require a remedial action and repeating at least steps (c) through (g) until said value representative of said corrective action threshold fluorescence signal is exceeded;
• and
• j) if said value representative of said measured fluorescence signal has exceeded said value representative of the corrective action threshold fluorescence signal, initiating a remedial action until the value representative of the measured fluorescence signal is less than said value representative of the corrective action threshold fluorescence signal.