Premium
Seawater and porewater fluorescence in the Santa Barbara Basin
Author(s) -
Chen Robert F.,
Bada Jeffrey L.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl016i007p00687
Subject(s) - seawater , alkalinity , fluorescence , environmental chemistry , structural basin , water column , titration , oceanography , surface water , geology , mineralogy , chemistry , environmental science , geomorphology , inorganic chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , environmental engineering
The fluorescence of filtered seawater and porewaters from the Santa Barbara Basin has been measured. Porewater fluorescence exceeded that in the overlying seawater by a factor of 10–500. The water column profile of fluorescence can be explained by photochemical degradation of fluorescent components in surface waters and diffusion of “marine humic substances” from the sediments into basin bottom waters. Porewater fluorescence increases linearly with depth to at least 2 m and correlates well with titration alkalinity and ammonium ion concentration. The sources and the type of molecules responsible for fluorescence remain unknown.