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Compositional and structural characteristics of dissolved organic matter in overlying water of the Chaobai River and its environment significance

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Abstract

The composition and structure of dissolved organic matter (DOM) play vital roles in the material cycle of river ecosystems. Based on ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy, and ultrahigh-resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry technology, this study comprehensively characterized the composition and structure of DOM in the overlying water of the Chaobai River in order to determine the potential environmental impact of DOM on the water quality. The results showed that the DOM content of the overlying water in the Chaobai River was between 10.94 and 28.13 mg/L. The main DOM component of the overlying water was humus (70.94%). The relative abundance of CHOS compounds in the Chaobai River was lower than Maozhou River (urbanized river) and significantly higher than Xiangxi Bay (suburban river). In addition, the DOM composition and structure of the overlying water were closely related to anthropogenic input, microbial activity, and phytoplankton. In particular, chlorophyll a can indirectly reflect fresh autochthonous DOM content and composition in the overlying water. The results of this study further reveal the characteristics of suburban rivers and provide theoretical basis and guidance for the water quality evaluation and pollution control of the Chaobai River and other suburban rivers worldwide.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Beijing Major Science and Technology Projects (Z181100005318001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41503113), Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Water Resource Protection and Utilization in Coal Mining (Grant No. GJNY-18-73.18), and Shandong Key Research and Development Program (2020CXGC1140403).

Availability of data and materials

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the Beijing Major Science and Technology Projects (Z181100005318001), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41503113), Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Water Resource Protection and Utilization in Coal Mining (Grant No. GJNY-18-73.18), and Shandong Key Research and Development Program (2020CXGC1140403).

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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Conceptualization: Li Zhang, Yue You; methodology and writing—review & editing: Li Zhang; investigation: Qingxuan Sun, Kai Zhang; formal analysis and writing—original draft: Qingxuan Sun; supervision: Chundi Gao; visualization: Yongzhen Peng. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Li Zhang.

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Zhang, L., Sun, Q., You, Y. et al. Compositional and structural characteristics of dissolved organic matter in overlying water of the Chaobai River and its environment significance. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 59673–59686 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14929-9

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