Issue 11, 2022

Controls on the photochemical production of hydrogen peroxide in Lake Erie

Abstract

In Lake Erie, toxin-forming harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur following high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Correlation between H2O2 concentrations and HABs revealed knowledge gaps on the controls of H2O2 production in Lake Erie. One way H2O2 is produced is upon absorption of sunlight by the chromophoric fraction of dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Rates of this photochemical production of H2O2 may increase in proportion to the apparent quantum yield of H2O2 (ΦH2O2) from CDOM. However, the ΦH2O2 for H2O2 production from CDOM remains too poorly constrained to predict the magnitude and range of photochemically produced H2O2, particularly in freshwaters like Lake Erie. To address this knowledge gap, the ΦH2O2 was measured approximately biweekly from June–September 2019 in the western basin of Lake Erie along with supporting analyses (e.g., CDOM concentration and composition). The average ΦH2O2 in Lake Erie was within previously reported ranges. However, the ΦH2O2 varied 5-fold in space and time. The highest ΦH2O2 was observed in the Maumee River, a tributary of Lake Erie. In nearshore waters of Lake Erie, the ΦH2O2 decreased about five-fold from June through September. Integration of the controls of photochemical production of H2O2 in Lake Erie show that the variability in rates of photochemical H2O2 production was predominantly due to the ΦH2O2. In offshore waters, CDOM concentration also strongly influenced photochemical H2O2 production. Together, the results confirm prior work suggesting that photochemical production of H2O2 contributes but likely cannot account for all the H2O2 associated with HABs in Lake Erie.

Graphical abstract: Controls on the photochemical production of hydrogen peroxide in Lake Erie

  • This article is part of the themed collection: Geochemistry

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 août 2022
Accepted
28 sept. 2022
First published
28 sept. 2022

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022,24, 2108-2118

Author version available

Controls on the photochemical production of hydrogen peroxide in Lake Erie

D. R. Pandey, C. Polik and R. M. Cory, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022, 24, 2108 DOI: 10.1039/D2EM00327A

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