English Abstract Although blooms of cyanobacteria are a nuisance in many
freshwater ecosystems for many years now, there is still no standardized
method to determine their abundance. In this literature study, wellknown
and potentially interesting methods for the determination of cyanobacterial
abundance in natural populations are discussed with regard to their
applicability in biomonitoring programs. Important criteria are rapidity,
practicability, sensitivity, determination level, reproducibility and costs.
Remote Sensing, optical partial analysis, and analysis of lipidsoluble
pigmints emerge as useful techniques for biomonitoring programs. Each of
these methods allows a different determination level. In vivo absorbance,
in vivo fluorescence, microscopy, and analysis of water-soluble pigments,
lipids, low molecular weight RNA's and specific enzymes are less suitable
for biomonitoring programs because they are too time-consuming with
reference to the results obtained. Based on this literature survey, RIVM
started a study on the applicability of lipid-soluble pigment analysis for
the determination of cyanobacterial abundance in freshwater phytoplankton
assemblages.
