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CHANGES IN SPECTRAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COLORED DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER IN A COASTAL ESTUARY
Citation:
Zepp, R G., M. A. Moran, AND W. Sheldon. CHANGES IN SPECTRAL AND PHOTOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF COLORED DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER IN A COASTAL ESTUARY. Presented at 20th Annual Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, November 14-18, 1999.
Description:
Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is the primary determinant of UV penetration and exposure in freshwater and coastal environments. CDOM is photochemically reactive and its photoreactions can lead to reductions in UV absorbance and increased UV exposure in aquatic ecosystems. CDOM also is an important photosensitizer of the production of various reactive oxygen species (singlet molecular oxygen, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide and possibly OH radicals), that influence the oxidizing capacity of surface waters. The fluorescent component of CDOM (FDOM) has been used as an indicator of its concentration and distribution in various aquatic environments. Here we report observations of the changes in photochemical properties, UV-visible and fluorescence spectra and relevant ancillary data along a transect of increasing salinity in the well-mixed estuary of the Satilla River, a high-DOC river located on the Georgia coast.