0000000000952020
AUTHOR
Anssi Vähätalo
Revisiting the disappearance of terrestrial dissolved organic matter in the ocean: A δ13C study
Abstract. Organic carbon (OC) depleted in 13 C is a widely used tracer for terrestrial organic matter (OM) in aquatic sys- tems. Photochemical reactions can, however, change δ 13 C of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) when chromophoric, aromatic-rich terrestrial OC is selectively mineralized. We assessed the robustness of the δ 13 C signature of DOC ( δ 13 C DOC ) as a tracer for terrestrial OM by estimating its change during the photobleaching of chromophoric DOM (CDOM) from 10 large rivers. These rivers cumulatively ac- count for approximately one-third of the world’s freshwater discharge to the global ocean. Photobleaching of CDOM by simulated solar radiation was associated with the photoch…
The effect of iron on the biodegradation of natural dissolved organic matter
Iron (Fe) may alter the biodegradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM), by interacting with DOM, phosphorus (P), and microbes. We isolated DOM and a bacterial community from boreal lake water and examined bacterial growth on DOM in laboratory experiments. Fe was introduced either together with DOM (DOM-Fe) or into bacterial suspension, which led to the formation of insoluble Fe precipitates on bacterial surfaces (Fe coating). In the latter case, the density of planktonic bacteria was an order of magnitude lower than that in the corresponding treatment without introduced Fe. The association of Fe with DOM decreased bacterial growth, respiration, and growth efficiency compared with DOM alon…