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CDOM fluorescence as a proxy of DOC concentration in natural waters: a comparison of four contrasting tropical systems

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An Erratum to this article was published on 13 February 2014

Abstract

Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) fluorescence or absorption is often proposed as a rapid alternative to chemical methods for the estimation of bulk dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration in natural waters. However, the robustness of this method across a wide range of systems remains to be shown. We measured CDOM fluorescence and DOC concentration in four tropical freshwater and coastal environments (estuary and coastal, tropical shallow lakes, water from the freshwater lens of two small islands, and soil leachates). We found that although this method can provide an estimation of DOC concentration in sites with low variability in DOC and CDOM sources in systems where the variability of DOC and CDOM sources are high, this method should not be used as it will lead to errors in the estimation of the bulk DOC concentration.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financed by the French IRD, the UMR Bioemco, the French programs EC2CO–Haiphong, EC2CO-Compaqua and CNES/TOSCA-VITEL, the ANR Vulnerabilité-INTERFACE, and the ANR Biodiversité–BIOFUN. JP Torréton and X. Mari are thanked for the access to their fluorometer as are the PIs of the above programs and the researchers and technicians who participated in the sample collection. The MSc. research of AM formed part of this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IRD-Bioemco, UMR 7618, c/o Soils and Fertilisers Research Institute (SFRI), Dong Ngac, Tu Liem District, Hanoi, Vietnam

    E. Rochelle-Newall, J. L. Janeau & A. Merroune

  2. IRD-Bioemco, UMR 7618, UPMC-CNRS-INRA-ENS-IRD-AgroParisTech-Université Paris-Est Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 rue d’Ulm, 75005, Paris, France

    E. Rochelle-Newall

  3. Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR 8079, Univ. Paris-Sud, Orsay, France

    F. D. Hulot

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  1. E. Rochelle-Newall
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  2. F. D. Hulot
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  3. J. L. Janeau
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  4. A. Merroune
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Correspondence to E. Rochelle-Newall.

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Rochelle-Newall, E., Hulot, F.D., Janeau, J.L. et al. CDOM fluorescence as a proxy of DOC concentration in natural waters: a comparison of four contrasting tropical systems. Environ Monit Assess 186, 589–596 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3401-2

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