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Dark production of H 2 O 2 in the Sargasso Sea
Author(s) -
Palenik B.,
Morel F. M. M.
Publication year - 1988
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.1988.33.6part2.1606
Subject(s) - sargasso sea , diel vertical migration , environmental chemistry , hydrogen peroxide , biota , chemistry , seawater , oceanography , atmosphere (unit) , environmental science , ecology , meteorology , geology , biology , geography , organic chemistry
Hydrogen peroxide is introduced into the marine environment by wet and dry deposition and is produced there by photochemical reactions. Dark production, particularly by the biota, has not been demonstrated in situ. To investigate dark H 2 O 2 production, we adapted a method of measuring H 2 O 2 for use in the field. The method uses the enzyme‐catalyzed oxidation by H 2 O 2 of hydroxyphenylpropionic acid to a fluorescent dimer; its detection limit is about 3 nM. Results of a field study in the Sargasso Sea (32°N, 62°W) confirmed several general characteristics of H 2 O 2 distributions—a surface maximum and a diel cycle in surface waters. Data from the Sargasso Sea also demonstrated that dark, probably biological, production was occurring at significant rates at depths of 40–60 m.