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Formation of particulate organic carbon in water from a southeastern swamp‐stream 1
Author(s) -
Mulholland Patrick J.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1981.26.4.0790
Subject(s) - swamp , dissolved organic carbon , estuary , particulates , particulate organic carbon , environmental science , flocculation , seawater , environmental chemistry , hydrology (agriculture) , chemistry , ecology , oceanography , environmental engineering , geology , nutrient , biology , phytoplankton , geotechnical engineering
The rate of particulate organic carbon (POC) formation in water from a small North Carolina swamp‐stream, low in ionic strength but high in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), was low. Mean POC formation rate, expressed as DOC utilization, was about 0.2% of DOC per day and was primarily the result of microbial activity. When Ca 2+ and Hg 2+ were added to swamp water, and when swamp water and seawater were mixed, the rate of POC formation increased as a result of a rapid physiochemical flocculation process. Although the DOC load of rivers and streams of the southeastern U.S. represents a substantial energy input to estuarine regions, these results indicate that only about 25–30% of it is transformed through flocculation to a form more readily retained and utilized within the estuarine system. The remainder may be transported to the sea.