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Short-term photodegradation of autochthonous and allochthonous dissolved organic matter in Lake Taihu, China

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Abstract

Photochemistry is one of the key processes that shape the quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in aquatic systems, yet the photoreactivity of DOM from different sources remains largely unclear. In this study, DOM from 10 typical autochthonous and allochthonous sources in Lake Taihu basin were exposed to simulated sunlight, and quantitative and compositional changes of the DOM were explored by measuring its UV–Visable absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. Photochemical release of nutrients was also explored during the incubations. Results showed that, although DOM from most sources experienced photobleaching effects with decreased absorption coefficients at 254 nm (a(254)) and fluorescence component intensities after light exposure, photochemical alterations of DOM linked to their original composition. Macrophyte-derived (Potamogeton malaianus) DOM, with the largest molecular size, showed increased a(254), humic- and protein-like fluorescence component (C1 and C2) abundances, and inorganic nutrient concentrations relative to dark controls, indicating photo-release of labile components. However, DOM with relatively higher aromaticity, e.g., from agricultural water and the lake, showed photobleaching effects and increased humification degree, probably due to the loss of aromatic components. Allochthonous anthropogenic DOM, e.g., from sewage, showed stronger photo-ammonification, likely relating to the fresh labile N-containing compositions. The form of inorganic nutrient releases during the DOM photolysis also varied with the original DOM sources. Macrophyte-derived DOM incubations showed larger photo-releases of NO3− and PO43−, while NO2− dominated inorganic nutrient releases during groundwater DOM light incubations. Thus, this study concludes that the photoreactivity of DOM closely relates to its original composition and sources.

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Funding

This study was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province in China (BK20201098) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42107445 and 41930760).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, 210008, China

    Yanan Liu, Lu Zhang & Xiaolong Yao

  2. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi, 435002, China

    Yanan Liu & Zhifan Gui

  3. School of Geography Science, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Jingya Xue

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  1. Yanan Liu
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  3. Zhifan Gui
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Contributions

Yanan Liu: Investigation, Data curation, Visualization, Writing- Original draft preparation, Writing- Reviewing and Editing. Jingya Xue: Investigation, Writing- Reviewing and Editing. Zhifan Gui: Supervision. Lu Zhang: Conceptualization, Supervision, Resources, Writing- Reviewing and Editing. Xiaolong Yao: Conceptualization, Supervision, Resources, Data curation, Writing- Reviewing and Editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Xiaolong Yao.

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Liu, Y., Xue, J., Gui, Z. et al. Short-term photodegradation of autochthonous and allochthonous dissolved organic matter in Lake Taihu, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 111982–111994 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30107-5

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