Issue 10, 2022

Changes in light absorption and composition of chromophoric marine-dissolved organic matter across a microbial bloom

Abstract

Marine chromophoric dissolved organic matter (m-CDOM) mediates many vital photochemical processes at the ocean's surface. Isolating m-CDOM within the chemical complexity of marine dissolved organic matter has remained an analytical challenge. The SeaSCAPE campaign, a large-scale mesocosm experiment, provided a unique opportunity to probe the in situ production of m-CDOM across phytoplankton and microbial blooms. Results from mass spectrometry coupled with UV-VIS spectroscopy reveal production of a chemodiverse set of compounds well-correlated with increases in absorbance after a bacterial bloom, indicative of autochthonous m-CDOM production. Notably, many of the absorbing compounds were found to be enriched in nitrogen, which may be essential to chromophore function. From these results, quinoids, porphyrins, flavones, and amide-like compounds were identified via structural analysis and may serve as important photosensitizers in the marine boundary layer. Overall, this study demonstrates a step forward in identifying and characterizing m-CDOM using temporal mesocosm data and integrated UV-VIS spectroscopy and mass spectrometry analyses.

Graphical abstract: Changes in light absorption and composition of chromophoric marine-dissolved organic matter across a microbial bloom

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Apr. 2022
Accepted
22 Aug. 2022
First published
08 Sept. 2022

Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022,24, 1923-1933

Author version available

Changes in light absorption and composition of chromophoric marine-dissolved organic matter across a microbial bloom

M. R. Alves, E. K. Coward, D. Gonzales, J. S. Sauer, K. J. Mayer, K. A. Prather and V. H. Grassian, Environ. Sci.: Processes Impacts, 2022, 24, 1923 DOI: 10.1039/D2EM00150K

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