Ammonia nitrogen (ammonia or ammonium) is widely present in natural waters and can significantly affect aquatic flora and fauna. It plays an extremely important role in human production and health as well as ecosystem stability. Many detection methods, including spectrophotometric methods and ion-selective electrodes, have been developed for the analysis of ammonia nitrogen in water. Herein, recent developments in optical detection, electrochemical detection, and biological enzyme detection systems for aqueous ammonia nitrogen detection are reviewed. The detection principles are described, advantages and disadvantages of each method are highlighted, and reagent optimization, technological innovations, and novel sensitive materials to improve the detection limits and reduce interference are discussed in detail. For oceanographers and related researchers, this review will serve as a reference of promising detection techniques.

氨氮（氨或铵）广泛存在于自然水域中，并且会严重影响水生动植物。它在人类生产与健康以及生态系统稳定中发挥着极其重要的作用。已经开发出许多检测方法，包括分光光度法和离子选择电极，用于分析水中的氨氮。在此，对用于氨水氮检测的光学检测，电化学检测和生物酶检测系统的最新进展进行了综述。描述了检测原理，重点介绍了每种方法的优缺点，并详细讨论了试剂优化，技术创新以及提高检测限和减少干扰的新型敏感材料。