BIGELOW LABORATORY FOR OCEAN SCIENCES: NEW SEAWEED FIXED-AMOUNT GRANT. CONTROL NUMBER: 1953-1624 TITLE: ''COST-EFFECTIVE AND BENCHMARKED INDUSTRY STANDARDS TO QUANTIFY NUTRIENT BIOEXTRATION BY SEAWEED'' BIGELOW LABORATORY FOR OCEAN SCIENCES WILL DEVELOP THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY TO STANDARDIZE VALUATION OF NITROGEN EXTRACTION BY FARMED SEAWEED USING PRAGMATIC AND BENCHMARKED APPROACHES. TO DATE, ONLY STATE-OF-THE-ART EQUIPMENT AND TESTING FACILITIES EXIST FOR QUANTIFICATION OF NITROGEN CONCENTRATIONS IN SEAWATER, BUT NOT IN ALGAL BIOMASS. WITHOUT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES OR UNIVERSALLY ADOPTED BEST-PRACTICES, ACCREDIATION FOR NITROGREN REMOVAL BY SEAWEED FROM COGNIZANT AGENCIES IS AT AN IMPASS.