Rivers and estuaries are the main link between land and ocean, transferring significant amounts of dissolved organic carbon. These ecosystems receive large amount of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from diverse sources, both allochthonous and autochthonous. Within this pool, dissolved free amino acids (DFAA) represent the most labile fraction, offering valuable insights into DOM composition and diagenetic processes. Our study focused on three Iberian Atlantic estuaries—Guadalquivir, Guadiana, and Tinto-Odiel— that differ in hydrology, land use and DOM sources. We studied the longitudinal distribution of DFAA and their response to tidal cycles across these estuaries. Despite similar DFAA concentrations between estuaries (176.6 nM to 1770 nM) were found, variations in specific amino acids like glutamic acid, taurine, and aspartic acid pointed to a substantial influence of terrestrial inputs in Guadalquivir and Guadiana estuaries and an anthropogenic influence in Tinto-Odiel. Predominant amino acids—serine, glycine, ornithine, and asparagine —comprised more than 50 mol% of the estuarine DFAA pool. The dominance of serine, glycine, and ornithine indicated substantial DOM degradation, possibly associated with the loss of labile DOM during estuarine transport. Concurrently, asparagine prevalence was linked to allochthonous DOM input particularly associated with terrestrial runoff, lateral input, and anthropogenic activities at estuarine margins. Our results underscore the impact of tidal cycles on DFAA distribution and emphasize the potential of DFAA in unraveling estuarine DOM dynamics and their role as indicators of reactivity and composition in estuarine biogeochemistry.
Monthly water samples were collected from the lower Mississippi and Pearl Rivers between January 2009 and August 2011 to investigate the heterogeneity in the dynamic variations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), colloidal organic carbon, chromophoric and fluorescence dissolved organic matter (CDOM and FDOM), PARAFAC-derived fluorescent components, and other optical properties including spectral slope, specific UV absorbance (SUVA), and fluorescence indices between the two contrasting river systems. The lower Mississippi River exhibits relatively lower concentrations of DOC (306 ± 41 μM C) and CDOM (27.9 ± 5.7 m−1 at 254 nm), featuring lower aromaticity (indicated by SUVA254) and apparent molecular weight (or higher spectral slope) with weak seasonal variability. The Pearl River, in contrast, has elevated levels of DOC (537 ± 212 μM C) and CDOM (66.4 ± 31.4 m−1), characterized by higher aromaticity, higher molecular weight, and significant seasonality, primarily originating from soil-derived allochthonous sources. The abundance of the >1 kDa colloidal DOC was, on average, 58 ± 3 % of the bulk DOC in the lower Mississippi River and 68 ± 6 % in the lower Pearl River. The >1 kDa high-molecular weight DOM (HMW-DOM) consistently had lower spectral slope and biological index (BIX) values, but higher humification index (HIX) values compared to both bulk DOM and low-molecular-weight DOM (LMW-DOM) counterparts. These trends could be representative of other similar large and small rivers. Four PARAFAC-derived fluorescent components (three humic-like and one protein-like) were identified for both rivers. A positive correlation between discharge and terrestrial humic-like fluorescent components indicated their dominant allochthonous sources, while the protein-like component decreased with increasing discharge, consistent with its autochthonic source and a dilution effect during high flow seasons. The occurrence of large flood events during the sampling period contributed to large DOC pulses, with DOM of higher aromaticity and HMW-DOM. This has important implications for coastal ocean ecosystems, which are increasingly impacted by river flooding events under changing climate conditions. Our results also provide an improved understanding of DOM dynamics in two representative rivers and establish a baseline dataset for future studies to assess changes in sources and composition of DOM and their impacts on the coastal ocean in response to climate, hydrological, and anthropogenic influences.
We present a new method for imaging dissolved manganese at millimeter scale by coupling DET (diffusive equilibrium in thin film) and colorimetric techniques. The method is an adaptation of the porphyrin approach for the measurement of dissolved Mn by substitution of Mn(II) and Mn(III) to Cd in the Cd(II)–POR complex. Optimization of the Cd-POR concentrations was required for transposition to 2D-DET. A commercial flatbed scanner and a hyperspectral camera were used for imaging. Using the hyperspectral camera, detection limit is about 5 μM and measuring range is up to 520 μM. The method was applied on the field in a tidal mudflat of the French Atlantic coast and in sediments inhabited by polychaetes. These first images allowed to precisely describe two-dimensional millimeter features such as burrows and highlighted the role of bioirrigation in benthic Mn fluxes. This new technique offers the possibility to investigate the reactivity of microenvironments towards dissolved Mn in two dimensions in a wide range of laboratory and in situ studies using a non-destructive tool.
This study investigated the redox speciation and mobility of V in the acid-extractable fraction of surface sediments from the Krka River estuary using an optimized IC-UV/Vis analytical method. The separation of V(IV) and V(V) redox species was done using anion-exchange based chromatographic method, while pseudo-total V concentrations were measured using HR ICP-MS analytical instrumentation. Extracted V concentrations from the sediment fraction (pH = 5, HCl) and determined pseudo-total V concentrations were used to calculate the Enrichment Factor (EF) and Risk Assessment Code (RAC), indicating potential anthropogenic influence and environmental risk. A simple PHREEQC model was developed to asses V speciation in the oxic bottom seawater layer simulating possible remobilization of the leached sediment phase. The results of the study show that minor fraction of V is present in the acid-extractable phase across the surface sediment of Krka River estuary. Higher V mobility is mostly observed at locations rich with clay minerals, terrigenous input, and carbonates. Anthropogenic influence was linked to higher enrichment but lower mobility, suggesting binding to less mobile sediment phases (reducible, organic and residual fractions). The predominance of reduced V(IV) species in the acid-extractable sediment fraction indicates a potentially low V toxicity risk in the sediments of Krka River estuary, even in cases of high potential remobilization of V. However, the model predicted complete oxidation of V(IV) to V(V) upon remobilization into the oxic bottom water layer. This highlights the complexity of V behavior in natural estuarine systems, where the toxicity risks of possible V remobilization still remain unclear. Results of this study demonstrate the need for the strengthening efforts in speciation of V in the mobile sediment phase to obtain a cohesive outlook on its potential toxicity and biogeochemical cycling.