Assessing the quality of dissolved organic matter in forest soils using ultraviolet absorption spectrophotometry

Abbreviations: DOC, dissolved organic carbon; SUVA, specifi c ultraviolet absorbance; UV, ultraviolet. Ultraviolet spectrophotometry was used to investigate the effects, 30 yr after planting, of tree species substitution on the aromatic C content and related properties of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Precautions were taken to correct measurements for the absorbance of NO 3 and dissolved Fe. In litter leachates, a signifi cant reduction in the aromatic content of DOC was found in the Douglas-fi r [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] plantation but not in the beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) plantation. The disturbance of short-term C dynamics thus revealed agreed well with fi eld observations…