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Seasonal and storm-driven changes in chemical composition of dissolved organic matter: a case study of a reservoir and its forested tributaries

Environmental Science and Pollution Research volume 23, pages 24834–24845 (2016)Cite this article

Abstract

Many drinking water supplies are located in forested watersheds, which operate as an important source of dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, monthly sampling campaigns were conducted from a reservoir (Daecheong Reservoir, South Korea) and its forested tributaries for five consecutive months (June to October) to examine the variations of DOM composition. Excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) was applied to track the variations of different fluorescent components within bulk DOM. Selected samples were further separated into hydrophobic (Ho) and hydrophilic (Hi) fractions. Water quality and DOM composition varied greatly with the sampling locations including the upstream and the downstream tributary sites, and the reservoir. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) provided the information on the DOM sources and the potential processes leading to the observed DOM changes. Four of the five fluorescent components, identified by EEM-PARAFAC, were well correlated with the flow rates of the tributaries, suggesting hydrological control on DOM composition. The greatest effects were found on two terrestrial humic-like components (C1 and C2). The Ho fraction of DOM was more abundant for the post-storm samples versus the non-storm samples, supporting the important roles of hydrology on the changes in chemical composition of DOM. The amounts of the DOM resin fractions, either Ho or Hi, showed strong relationships with C1 and C2, suggesting that DOM fluorescence could be successfully applied to estimate different DOM chemical constituents in forested watersheds.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MSIP) (No.2014R1A2A2A09049496). It was also funded by the National Institute of Environmental Research, Republic of Korea. The views expressed are not necessarily those of NIER.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment and Energy, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, South Korea

    Penghui Li, Yun Kyung Lee & Jin Hur

  2. Environmental Measurement Analysis Center, National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Incheon, 22689, South Korea

    Sang Hee Lee

  3. Water Environmental Engineering Research Division, National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Incheon, 22689, South Korea

    Soo Hyung Lee

  4. Geum River Water Environmental Research Center, National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Incheon, 404-708, South Korea

    Jun-Bae Lee

  5. Department of Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University of Science and Technology, Seoul, 139-743, South Korea

    Hyun-Sang Shin

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  1. Penghui Li
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  2. Sang Hee Lee
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  5. Yun Kyung Lee
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  7. Jin Hur
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Correspondence to Jin Hur.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Li, P., Lee, S.H., Lee, S.H. et al. Seasonal and storm-driven changes in chemical composition of dissolved organic matter: a case study of a reservoir and its forested tributaries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 24834–24845 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7720-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7720-z

Keywords

  • Fluorescence
  • Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC)
  • Flow rate
  • Hydrology
  • Resin fractionation