Dissolved inorganic nutrients from two microcosm incubation experiments conducted on sample water collected from West Bay of the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina USA in 2021 and 2022

Dissolved inorganic nutrients were collected for two microcosm incubation experiments. Sample water originated from West Bay of the Neuse River Estuary, North Carolina USA in 2021 and 2022. The microcosms were 60 liters, conducted in biological duplicates under three light treatment incubations: 12-hour light-dark cycle of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), 12-hour light-dark cycle of UV-B radiation, or darkness. Samples were collected from the microcosms in duplicate every few days for over one month to examine how light and the resulting microbial activity altered the concentrations of dissolved inorganic nutrients (total dissolved nitrate and nitrite or NOx, ammonium or NH4, and soluble reactive phosphorus or SRP) over time. Concentrations of these inorganic nutrients were quantified via colorimetric assays on a Genesys 10S UV-Vis spectrophotometer or Tecan Infinite 200Pro plate reader.