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Size characteristics of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in the Chukchi Sea
Author(s) -
Lin Hui,
Chen Min,
Zeng Jian,
Li Qi,
Jia Renming,
Sun Xiuwu,
Zheng Minfang,
Qiu Yusheng
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1002/2016jc011771
Subject(s) - colored dissolved organic matter , dissolved organic carbon , seawater , spectral slope , tracer , chemistry , environmental chemistry , arctic , absorbance , fractionation , environmental science , oceanography , phytoplankton , geology , nutrient , spectral line , chromatography , physics , organic chemistry , astronomy , nuclear physics
With the Arctic warming, terrestrial input plays a more important role in carbon cycle in the Arctic Ocean than before. Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) as a tracer of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (tDOM) becomes more valuable in elucidating the source and compositions of DOM. Although measurements of DOM in the Arctic Ocean have been widely reported, characteristics of high molecular weight colloids are still poorly understood. In this study, the bulk absorbance and size fractograms of CDOM were measured in the Chukchi Seas using an asymmetrical flow field‐flow fractionation (AF4) coupled online with UV‐vis detectors. Both CDOM a 254 , absorption coefficient at 254 nm, and the integrated UV 254 (from AF4 UV‐vis detector) of three colloidal fractions (1–10, 10–100, and >100 kDa) significantly correlated with the fraction of meteoric water ( f mw ) calculated from δ 18 O in seawater, which indicates that the CDOM was mainly derived from terrestrial input and a 254 is a potential tracer of tDOM in the Chukchi Sea. Compared with the larger colloidal fractions (10–100 and >100 kDa), the smaller colloidal fraction (1–10 kDa) showed a stronger correlation with the f mw , suggesting the smaller colloids were of mostly terrigenous origin. Values of field measured spectral slope at 275–295 nm ( s 275–295 ), a tDOM proxy, were significantly lower than the model‐estimated s 275–295 calculated from the MODIS Aqu satellite remote sensing data, which indicated that terrestrial input of CDOM derived from model calculation was likely underestimated in the Chukchi Sea.