Fluorescence Characteristics of Size-Fractionated Dissolved Organic Matter: Implications for a Molecular Assembly Based Structure?

Authors

Cristina Romera-Castillo, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International UniversityFollow
Meilian Chen, Southeast Environmental Research Marine Science Program, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International UniversityCenter,Follow
Youhei Yamashita, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido UniversityFollow
Rudolf Jaffe´, Southeast Environmental Research Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University,Follow

Abstract

Surface freshwater samples from Everglades National Park, Florida, were used to investigate the size distributions of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) and associated fluorescence characteristics along the molecular weight continuum. Samples were fractionated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and characterized by spectroscopic means, in particular Excitation-Emission Matrix fluorescence modeled with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC). Most of the eight components obtained from PARAFAC modeling were broadly distributed across the DOM molecular weight range, and the optical properties of the eight size fractions for all samples studied were quite consistent among each other. Humic-like components presented a similar distribution in all the samples, with enrichment in the middle molecular weight range. Some variability in the relative distribution of the different humic-like components was observed among the different size fractions and among samples. The protein like fluorescence, although also generally present in all fractions, was more variable but generally enriched in the highest and lowest molecular weight fractions. These observations are in agreement with the hypothesis of a supramolecular structure for DOM, and suggest that DOM fluorescence characteristics may be controlled by molecular assemblies with similar optical properties, distributed along the molecular weight continuum. This study highlights the importance of studying the molecular structure of DOM on a molecular size distribution perspective, which may have important implications in understanding the environmental dynamics such materials.

Comments

The definitive publisher-authenticated version is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2014.02.017

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation through the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research program under Cooperative Agreements #DBI-0620409 and #DEB-9910514. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Recommended Citation

Romera-Castillo, C., M. Chen, Y. Yamashita, R. Jaffe. 2014. Fluorescence characteristics of size-fractionated dissolved organic matter: Implications for a molecular assembly based structure? Water Research 55: 40-51. DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.02.017