1. Introduction
Nitrate is one of the principal nutrients that stimulates the growth of macrophytes and phytoplankton causing so-called eutrophication of aquatic systems [1] and [2], and it is frequently the limiting nutrient in marine systems. Increases in nitrate concentrations in coastal and inland waters are mainly due to anthropogenic sources such as agriculture, and domestic and industrial wastewater discharges. In aquatic environments, the most common ionic forms of inorganic nitrogen are ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate. Ammonium tends to oxidize to nitrate in a two step process (NH4+ → NO+ → NO3−) which is mediated by aerobic chemoautotrophic bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter), even if levels of dissolved oxygen decline to value as low as 1.0 mg O2 L−1 [3]. Therefore, the concentration of nitrate in well-oxygenated surface waters is generally much higher than that of ammonium and nitrite.