Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial Variation in the Optical Properties of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) in Lakes on the Canadian Precambrian Shield and Links to Watershed Characteristics

  • Published:
Aquatic Geochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the present study, we explored the use of various optical parameters to detect differences in the composition of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in a set of lakes that are all located on the Canadian Precambrian Shield, but within which Cu and Ni speciation predictions were previously shown to diverge from measured values in some lakes but not in others. Water samples were collected with in situ diffusion samplers in 2007 (N = 18 lakes) and 2008 (N = 8 lakes). Significant differences in DOM quality were identified between the sampling regions (Rouyn-Noranda, Québec and Sudbury, Ontario) and among lakes, based on dissolved organic carbon concentrations ([DOC]), specific UV absorbance (SUVA254), fluorescence indices (FI), and excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence measurements. Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) of the EEM spectra revealed four components, two of which (C3, oxidized quinone fluorophore of allochthonous origin, and C4, tryptophan-like protein fluorescence of autochthonous origin) showed the greatest inter-regional variation. The inter-lake differences in DOM quality were consistent with the regional watershed characteristics as determined from satellite imagery (e.g., watershed-to-lake surface area ratios and relative percentages of surface water, rock outcrops vegetative cover and urban development). Source apportionment plots, built upon PARAFAC components ratios calculated for our lakes, were used to discriminate among DOM sources and to compare them to sources identified in the literature. These results have implications for other areas of research, such as quantifying lake-to-lake variations in the influence of organic matter on the speciation of trace elements in natural aquatic environments.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aeschbacher M, Sander M, Schwarzenbach RP (2010) Novel electrochemical approach to assess the redox properties of humic substances. Environ Sci Technol 44:87–93. doi:10.1021/es902627p

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson CA, Bro R (2000) The N-way toolbox for MATLAB. Chemom Intell Lab Syst 52:1–4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker A (2002) Spectrophotometric discrimination of river dissolved organic matter. Hydrol Process 16:3203–3213. doi:10.1002/hyp.1097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balcarczyk KL, Jones JB, Jaffe R, Maie N (2009) Stream dissolved organic matter bioavailability and composition in watersheds underlain with discontinuous permafrost. Biogeochemistry 94:255–270. doi:10.1007/s10533-009-9324-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett PJ, Bajc AF (2002) Quaternary geology. In: Rousell DH, Jansons KJ (eds) The physical environment of the city of Greater Sudbury, special vol 6. Ontario Geological Survey, pp 67–86

  • Borgmann U, Reynoldson TB, Rosa F, Norwood WP (1998) Final report on the effects of atmospheric deposition of metals from the Sudbury smelters on aquatic ecosystems. Environment Canada, Burlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryan SE, Tipping E, Hamilton-Taylor J (2002) Comparison of measured and modelled copper binding by natural organic matter in freshwaters. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 133:37–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell PGC, Twiss MR, Wilkinson KJ (1997) Accumulation of natural organic matter on the surfaces of living cells: implications for the interaction of toxic solutes with aquatic biota. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 54:2543–2554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carignan R, Nriagu JO (1985) Trace metal deposition and mobility in the sediments of two lakes near Sudbury, Ontario. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 49:1753–1764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chin Y-P, Aiken GR, O’Loughlin E (1994) Molecular weight, polydispersity, and spectroscopic properties of aquatic humic substances. Environ Sci Technol 28:1853–1858

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coble PG (1996) Characterization of marine and terrestrial DOM in seawater using excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy. Mar Chem 51:325–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cory RM, McKnight DM (2005) Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals ubiquitous presence of oxidized and reduced quinones in dissolved organic matter. Environ Sci Technol 39:8142–8149. doi:10.1021/es0506962

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cory RM, Miller MP, McKnight DM, Guerard JJ, Miller PL (2010) Effect of instrument-specific response on the analysis of fulvic acid fluorescence spectra. Limnol Oceanogr Meth 8:67–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dixit A, Alpay S, Dixit S, Smol J (2007) Paleolimnological reconstructions of Rouyn-Noranda lakes within the zone of influence of the Horne Smelter, Québec, Canada. J Paleolimnol 38:209–226. doi:10.1007/s10933-006-9072-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dudal Y, Gérard F (2004) Accounting for natural organic matter in aqueous chemical equilibrium models: a review of the theories and applications. Earth Sci Rev 66:199–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fellman JB, Hood E, Spencer RGM (2010) Fluorescence spectroscopy opens new windows into dissolved organic matter dynamics in freshwater ecosystems: a review. Limnol Oceanogr 55:2452–2462. doi:10.4319/lo.2010.55.6.2452

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fortin C, Couillard Y, Vigneault B, Campbell PGC (2010) Determination of free Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations in lake waters by in situ diffusion followed by column equilibration ion-exchange. Aquat Geochem 16:151–172. doi:10.1007/s10498-009-9074-3

    Google Scholar 

  • Gondar D, Thacker SA, Tipping E, Baker A (2008) Functional variability of dissolved organic matter from the surface water of a productive lake. Water Res 42:81–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green SA, Blough NV (1994) Optical absorption and fluorescence properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in natural waters. Limnol Oceanogr 39:1903–1916

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jaffé R, McKnight DM, Maie N, Cory RM, McDowell WH, Campbell JL (2008) Spatial and temporal variations in DOM composition in ecosystems: the importance of long-term monitoring of optical properties. J Geophys Res 113:G04032. doi:10.1029/2008JG000683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelton N, Molot LA, Dillon PJ (2007) Spectrofluorometric properties of dissolved organic matter from Central and Southern Ontario streams and the influence of iron and irradiation. Water Res 41:638–646. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2006.11.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohler S, Buffam I, Jonsson A, Bishop K (2002) Photochemical and microbial processing of stream and soilwater dissolved organic matter in a boreal forested catchment in northern Sweden. Aquat Sci 64:269–281

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawaetz AJ, Stedmon CA (2009) Fluorescence intensity calibration using the Raman scatter peak of water. Appl Spectrosc 63:936–940

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mattsson T, Kortelainen P, Raike A (2005) Export of DOM from boreal catchments: impacts of land use cover and climate. Biogeochemistry 76:373–394. doi:10.1007/s10533-005-6897-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKnight DM, Boyer EW, Westerhoff PK, Doran PT, Kulbe T, Andersen DT (2001) Spectrofluorometric characterization of dissolved organic matter for identification of precursor organic material and aromaticity. Limnol Oceanogr 46:38–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller MP, McKnight DM (2010) Comparison of seasonal changes in fluorescent dissolved organic matter among aquatic lake and stream sites in the Green Lakes Valley. J Geophys Res 115. doi:G00F12 10.1029/2009jg000985

  • Miller MP, Simone BE, McKnight DM, Cory RM, Williams MW, Boyer EW (2010) New light on a dark subject: comment. Aquat Sci 72:269–275. doi:10.1007/s00027-010-0130-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milne CJ, Kinniburgh DG, Van Riemsdijk WH, Tipping E (2003) Generic NICA-Donnan model parameters for metal-ion binding by humic substances. Environ Sci Technol 37:958–971

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mobed JJ, Hemmingsen SL, Autry JL, McGown LB (1996) Fluorescence characterization of IHSS humic substances: total luminescence spectra with absorbance correction. Environ Sci Technol 30:3061–3065

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller KK, Fortin C, Campbell PGC (2010) Exploring links between fluorophores and metal binding by natural organic matter. In: Paper presented at the international DOM spectroscopy workshop in Granada, Spain, 19–21 May

  • O’Donnell JA, Aiken GR, Kane ES, Jones JB (2010) Source water controls on the character and origin of dissolved organic matter in streams of the Yukon River basin, Alaska. J Geophys Res 115. doi:G03025 10.1029/2009jg001153

  • Pearson DAB, Gunn JM, Keller W (2002) The past, present and future of Sudbury’s lakes. In: Rousell DH, Jansons KJ (eds) The physical environment of the city of Greater Sudbury, special vol 6. Ontario Geological Survey, pp 195–215

  • Schumacher M, Christl I, Vogt RD, Barmettler K, Jacobsen C, Kretzschmar R (2006) Chemical composition of aquatic dissolved organic matter in five boreal forest catchments sampled in spring and fall seasons. Biogeochemistry 80:263–275. doi:10.1007/s10533-006-9022-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Senesi N (1990) Molecular and quantitative aspects of the chemistry of fulvic-acid and its interactions with metal-ions and organic-chemicals. Part II. The fluorescence spectroscopy approach. Anal Chim Acta 232:77–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shuman MS, Calmano W, De Haan H, Fredrickson HL, Henriksen A, Kramer JR, Mannio JY, Morel FMM, Niemeyer J, Ohman LO, Perdue EM, Weis M (1990) Group report: how are acid-base properties of “DOC” measured and modeled, and how do they affect aquatic ecosystems? In: Perdue EM, Gjessing ET (eds) Organic acids in aquatic ecosystems. Wiley, New York, pp 141–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Sobek S, Tranvik LJ, Prairie YT, Kortelainen P, Cole JJ (2007) Patterns and regulation of dissolved organic carbon: an analysis of 7,500 widely distributed lakes. Limnol Oceanogr 52:1208–1219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedmon CA, Bro R (2008) Characterizing dissolved organic matter fluorescence with parallel factor analysis: a tutorial. Limnol Oceanogr Meth 6:572–579

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedmon CA, Markager S (2005) Resolving the variability in dissolved organic matter fluorescence in a temperate estuary and its catchment using PARAFAC analysis. Limnol Oceanogr 50:686–697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stedmon CA, Markager S, Bro R (2003) Tracing dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments using a new approach to fluorescence spectroscopy. Mar Chem 82:239–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ter Braack CJF, Smilauer P (2002) Reference manual and CanoDraw for Windows user’s guide: software for canonical community ordination, 4.5th edn. Micropower, Ithaca

    Google Scholar 

  • Thurman EM (1985) Organic geochemistry of natural waters. Martinus Nijoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers (Kluwer Academic Publishers Group), Dordrecht

  • Tipping E (2002) Cation binding by humic substances. Environmental chemistry series. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tipping E, Lofts S, Lawlor AJ (1998) Modeling the chemical speciation of trace metals in the surface waters. Sci Tot Environ 210:63–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Unsworth ER, Warnken KW, Zhang H, Davison W, Black F, Buffle J, Cao J, Cleven R, Galceran J, Gunkel P, Kalis E, Kistler D, van Leeuwen HP, Martin M, Noel S, Nur Y, Odzak O, Puy J, Van Riemsdijk W, Sigg L, Temminghoff E, Tercier-Waeber ML, Toepperwein S, Town RM, Weng L, Xue H (2006) Model predictions of metal speciation in freshwaters compared to measurements by in situ techniques. Environ Sci Technol 40:1942–1949

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veillette JJ, Paradis SJ, Buckle J (2005) Bedrock and surficial geology of the general area around Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec and Ontario. In: Bonham-Carter GF (ed) Metals in the environment around smelters at Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, and Belledune, New Brunswick: results and conclusions of the GSC MITE Point Sources Project, Bulletin 584. Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada, p 16

  • Weishaar JL, Aiken GR, Bergamaschi BA, Fram MS, Fujii R, Mopper K (2003) Evaluation of specific ultraviolet absorbance as an indicator of the chemical composition and reactivity of dissolved organic carbon. Environ Sci Technol 37:4702–4708

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wetzel RG (2001) Limnology: lake and river ecosystems, 3rd edn. Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamashita Y, Scinto L, Maie N, Jaffé R (2010) Dissolved organic matter characteristics across a subtropical wetland’s landscape: application of optical properties in the assessment of environmental dynamics. Ecosystems 13:1006–1019. doi:10.1007/s10021-010-9370-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan ND, Miller GE (1984) Effects of deposition of acids and metals on chemistry and biology of lakes near Sudbury, Ontario. In: Nriagu JO (ed) Environmental impacts of smelters. Wiley, New York, pp 243–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoshioka T, Mostofa KMG, Konohira E, Tanoue E, Hayakawa K, Takahashi M, Ueda S, Katsuyama M, Khodzher T, Bashenkhaeva N, Korovvakova I, Sorokovikova L, Dorbunova L (2007) Distribution and characteristics of molecular size fractions of freshwater dissolved organic matter in watershed environments: its implication to degradation. Limnology 8:29–44. doi:10.1007/s10201-006-0194-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the technical assistance provided by M.G. Bordeleau, S. Duval and J. Perreault in the laboratory and P. Girard and P. Marcoux in the field. We also thank M.-A. Robin for providing GIS data, as well as S. Smith and C. Stedmon for helpful discussions on PARAFAC modeling. I. Lavoie provided invaluable assistance with the multivariate statistical analyses. Sampling was greatly facilitated by the personnel of the Laurentian University Cooperative Freshwater Ecology Unit, led by J. Gunn, in the Sudbury area and by L. Jourdain of the Ministère des ressources naturelles et de la faune du Québec in the Rouyn-Noranda area. Comments provided by R.-M. Couture on earlier versions of the MS were greatly appreciated. Financial support was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and by the Metals in the Human Environment Research Network (www.mithe-rn.org). P.G.C. Campbell and C. Fortin are supported by the Canada Research Chair Program. The constructive comments of two anonymous referees are gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INRS Eau Terre et Environnement, Université du Québec, 490 de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada

    Kristin K. Mueller, Claude Fortin & Peter G. C. Campbell

Authors
  1. Kristin K. Mueller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Claude Fortin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Peter G. C. Campbell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter G. C. Campbell.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOC 286 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Mueller, K.K., Fortin, C. & Campbell, P.G.C. Spatial Variation in the Optical Properties of Dissolved Organic Matter (DOM) in Lakes on the Canadian Precambrian Shield and Links to Watershed Characteristics. Aquat Geochem 18, 21–44 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-011-9147-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-011-9147-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation