Current Science

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Characterization of Humic Substances and their Distribution of XAD Fractions by Absorption Spectroscopy in the Godavari Estuary, India


Affiliations
1 Marine Chemistry Laboratory, School of Chemistry, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, India
 

Humic substances (HS) are formed in estuarine regions by biogeochemical processes of terrestrial and in situ produced organic matters. Their structure and distribution may vary seasonally and spatially. To examine this, HS were isolated from Godavari estuarine waters using ion-exchange resins XAD-8 followed by XAD-4 during 2014-2015. The structural differences between the two fractions were characterized by E2/E3 ratio (α250/α365), spectral slope (S275-295), and spectral slope ratio (SR, S275-295/S350-400), which were derived from UV-visible absorbance spectra. Lower values of E2/E3 ratio, S275-295 and SR for XAD-8 fractions than XAD-4, indicate higher aromaticity and higher molecular weight of dissolved organic compounds retained on the former resin. The E2/E3 ratio for XAD-8 and SR for XAD-4 fractions were found to decrease gradually from post-monsoon to monsoon, indicating that the biological process controls the production of organic matter in upstream waters. Lower molecular weight organic compounds formed by bacterial decay and photodegradation during pre-monsoon and higher molecular weight organic compounds formed during the post-monsoon season was attributed to the freshly exudated organic matter from phytoplanktons dominated at the mouth of the estuary.

Keywords

Absorbance Spectra, E2/E3 Ratio, Godavari Estuary, Humic Substances, Spectral Slope Ratio.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Hedges, J. I., Global biogeochemical cylces – progress and problems. Mar. Chem., 1992, 39, 67–93.

  • Hansell, D. A., Carlson, C. A., Repeta, D. J. and Schlitzer, R., Dissolved organic matter in the ocean: a controversy stimulates new insights. Oceanography, 2009, 22, 202–211.

  • Repeta, D. J., Quan, T. M., Aluwihare, L. I. and Accardi, A. M., Chemical characterization of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter in fresh and marine waters. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2002, 66, 955–962.

  • Hedges, J. I. et al., The molecularly uncharacterized component of nonliving organic matter in natural environments. Org. Geochem., 2000, 31, 945–958.

  • Kalle, K., Zum problem der meereswasserfarbe. Ann. Hydrol. Mar. Mitt., 1938, 66, 1–13.

  • Schnitzer, M., Humic substances: chemistry and reactions. In Soil Organic Matter (eds Schnitzer, M. and Khan, S. U.), Elsevier Science Publishers, B.V., Amsterdam, 1978, pp. 1–64.

  • Maillard, L. C., Formation de matieres humiques par action de polypeptides sursucres. Comp. R. Acad. Sci., 1913, 156, 148–149.

  • Gorniak, A., Humic substances and its role in functioning of freshwater ecosystems. Dissertationes Universitatis Varsoviensis Białystok, 1996 (in Polish), p. 488.

  • Frimmel, F. H., Characterization of natural organic matter as major constituents in aquatic systems. J. Conta. Hydro., 1998, 35, 201–216.

  • Thurman, E. M. and Malcolm, R. L., Preparative isolation of aquatic humic substances. Environ. Sci. Tech., 1981, 15, 463–466.

  • Aiken, G. R., Isolation and concentration techniques foraquatichumic substances. In Humic Substances in Soil, Sediment and Water: Geochemistry and Isolation (eds Aiken, G. R. et al.), Wiley-Interscience, New York, 1985, pp. 7–38.

  • Malcolm, R. L., Factors to be considered in the isolation and characterization of aquatic humic substances. In Humic Substances in Aquatic and Terrestrial Environment (eds Allard, B., Bore, H. and Grimvall, A), Springer, Berlin, 1991, pp. 9–36.

  • Aiken, G. R., McKnight, D. M., Thorn, K. A. and Thurman, E. M., Isolation of hydrophobic organic acids from water using non-ionic macroporous resins. Org. Geochem., 1992, 18, 567–573.

  • Esteves, V. I., Otero, M. and Duarte, A. C., Comparative characterization of humic substances from the open ocean, estuarine water and fresh water. Org. Geochem., 2009, 40, 942–950.

  • Esteves, V. I., Otero, M., Santos, E. B. H. and Duarte, A. C., Stable carbon isotope ratios of tandem fractionated humic substances from different water bodies. Org. Geochem., 2007, 38, 957–966.

  • Blough, N. V. and Green, S. A., Spectroscopic characterization and remote sensing of non-living organic matter. In The Role of Nonliving Organic Matter in the Earth’s Carbon Cycle (eds Zepp, R. G. and Sonntag, C.), Wiley, Chichester, England, 1995, pp. 23–45.

  • Peuravouri, J. and Pihlaja, K., Molecular size distribution and spectroscopic properties of aquatic humic substances. Anal. Chim. Acta, 1997, 337, 133–149.

  • Stedmon, C. A. and Markager, S., Behaviour of the optical properties of coloured dissolved organic matter under conservative mixing. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 2003, 57, 1–7.

  • Helms, J. R., Stubbins, A., Ritchie, J. D., Minor, E. C., Kieber, D. J. and Mopper, K., Absorption spectral slopes and slope ratios as indicators of molecular weight, source, and photo bleaching of chromophoric dissolved organic matter. Limnol. Oceanogr., 2008, 53, 955–969.

  • Swietlik, J. and Sikorska, E., Characterization of natural organic matter fractions by high pressure size-exclusion chromatography, specific UV Absorbance and total luminescence spectroscopy. Pol. J. Environ. Stud., 2005, 15, 145–153.

  • Esteves, V. I., Cordeiro, N. M. A. and Duarte, A. C., Variation on the adsorption efficiency of humic substances from estuarine waters using XAD resins. Mar. Chem., 1995, 51, 61–66.

  • Anuradha, V., Nair, S. M. and Kumar, N. C., Humic acids from the sediments of three ecologically different estuarine systems – a comparison. Int. J. Environ. Sci., 2011, 2, 174–184.

  • Chakraborty, P., Sarkar, A., Vudamala, K., Naik, R. and Nath, B. N., Organic matter – a key factor in controlling mercury distribution in estuarine sediment. Mar. Chem., 2015, 173, 302–309.

  • Chakraborty, P., Chakraborty, S., Vudamala, K., Sarkar, A. and Nath, B. N., Partitioning of metals in different binding phases of tropical estuarine sediments: importance of metal chemistry. Environ. Sci. Poll. Res., 2016, 23, 3450–3462.

  • Krupadam, R., Sarina, R. and Anjaneyulu, Y., Distribution of trace metals and organic matter in the sediments of Godavari Estuary of Kakinada Bay in East Coast of India. Water Air Soil Pollut., 2003, 150, 299–318.

  • Chakraborty, P., Jayachandran, S., Babu, P. R., Karri, S., Tyadi, P., Yao, K. M. and Sharma, B. M., Intra-annual variations of arsenic totals and species in tropical estuary surface sediments. Chem. Geol., 2012, 322, 172–180.

  • Chakraborty, P. and Babu, P. R., Environmental controls on the speciation and distribution of mercury in surface sediments of a tropical estuary, India. Mar. Pollut. Bull., 2015, 95, 350–357.

  • Chakraborty, P., Yao, K. M., Krushna, V., Kartheek, C. and Raghunath Babu, P. V., Interactions of mercury with different molecular weight fractions of humic substances in aquatic systems. Environ. Earth Sci., 2014, 72, 931–939.

  • Sarma, V. V. S. S. et al., Influence of river discharge on plankton metabolic rates in the tropical monsoon driven Godavari estuary, India. Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci., 2009, 85, 515–524.

  • Gupta, L. P., Subrahmanian, V. and Ittekkot, V., Biogeochemistry of particulate organic matter transported by the Godavari River, India. Biogeochemistry, 1997, 38, 103–128.

  • Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Basin Sub-basin Inventory of Water Pollution Godavari Basin, CPCB, Delhi, 1995.

  • Sarma, V. V. S. S. et al., High CO2 emissions from the tropical Godavari estuary (India) associated with monsoon river discharges. Geophys. Res. Lett., 2011, 38, L08601(1–4); doi:10.1029/2011GL046928.

  • Acharyya, T. et al., Reduced river discharge intensifies phytoplankton bloom in Godavari estuary, India. Mar. Chem., 2012, 132–133, 15–22.

  • Sridevi, B. et al., Variability in stratification and flushing times of the Gautami-Godavari estuary. Ind. J. Ear. Syst. Sci., 2015, 124, 993–1003.

  • Cory, R. M., Boyer, E. W. and McKnight, D. M., Spectral methods to advance understanding of dissolved organic carbon dynamics in forested catchments. In Forest Hydrology and Biogeochemistry, Ecological Studies (eds Levia, D. F., CarlyleMoses, D. and Tanaka, T.), Springer, Netherlands, 2011, pp.117–135.

  • Avagyan, A., Runkle, B. R. K. and Kutzbach, L., Application of high-resolution spectral absorbance measurements to determine dissolved organic carbon concentration in remote areas. J. Hydrol., 2014, 517, 435–446.

  • Shank, C. G., Nelson, K. and Montagna, K., Importance of CDOM distribution and photo reactivity in a shallow Texas Estuary. Estur. Coasts, 2009, 32, 661–677.

  • Pandi, S. R. et al., Contrasting phytoplankton community structure and associated light absorption characteristics of the western Bay of Bengal. Ocean. Dyn., 2014, 64, 89–101.

  • De haan, H. and De Boer, T., Applicability of light absorbance and fluorescence as measures of concentration and molecular size of dissolved organic carbon in humic Laken Tjeukemeer. Water Res., 1987, 21, 731–734.

  • Thurman, E. M. et al., Isolation of soil and aquatic humic substances. Group Report. In Humic Substances and their Role in the Environment (eds Frimmel, F. H. and Christman, R. F.), Wiley, Chichester, 1988, pp. 31-43.

  • Krishna, M. S., Naidu, S. A., Subbaiah, C. V., Gawade, L., Sarma, V. V. S. S. and Reddy, N. P. C., Sources, distribution and preservation of organic matter in a tropical estuary (Godavari, India). Estuar. Coasts, 2015, 38, 1032–1047.

  • Ogawa, H., Amagai, Y., Koike, I., Kaiser, K. and Benner, R., Production of refractory dissolved organic matter by bacteria. Science, 2001, 292, 917–920.

  • Biddanda, B. and Benner, R., Carbon, nitrogen, and carbohydrate fluxes during the production of particulate and dissolved organic matter by phytoplankton. Limnol. Oceanogr., 1997, 42, 506–518.

  • Yamashita, Y., Nosaka, Y., Suzuki, K., Ogawa, H., Takahashi, K. and Saito, H., Photo bleaching as a factor controlling spectral characteristics of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in open ocean. Biogeoscience, 2013, 10, 7207–7217.

  • Fellman, J. B., Petrone, K. C. and Grierson, P. F., Source, biogeochemical cycling, and fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter in an agro-urban estuary. Limnol. Oceanogr., 2011, 56, 243–256.

  • Santos, L., Pinto, A., Filipe, O., Cunha, Â., Santos, E. B. and Almeida, A., Adelaide almeida1 insights on the optical properties of estuarine DOM – hydrological and biological influences. PLoS ONE, 2016, 11, 0154519 (1–26).

  • Zepp, R. G., Wolfe, N. L., Baughman, G. L. and Hollis, R. C., Singlet oxygen in natural waters. Nature, 1977, 267, 421–423.

  • Zepp, R. G., Schlotzhauer, P. F. and Sink, R. M., Photosensitized transformations involving electronic energy transfer in natural waters: role of humic substances. Environ. Sci. Technol., 1985, 19, 74–81.

  • Li, W. K. W., Subba Rao, D. V., Harrison, W. G., Smith, J. C., Cullen, J. J., Irwin, B. and Platt, T., Autotrophic picoplankton in the tropical ocean. Science, 1983, 219, 292–295.

  • George, B., Nirmal Kumar, J. I. and Kumar. R. N., Study on the influence of hydrochemical parameters on phytoplankton distribution along Tapi estuarine area of Gulf of Khambhat, India. Egypt J. Aqua. Res., 2012, 38, 157–170.

  • Paul, J., DeFlaun, M. F., Jeffrey, W. H. and David, A. W., Seasonal and diel variability in dissolved DNA and in microbial biomass and activity in a subtropical estuary. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 1988, 54, 718–727.


Abstract Views: 310

PDF Views: 90




  • Characterization of Humic Substances and their Distribution of XAD Fractions by Absorption Spectroscopy in the Godavari Estuary, India

Abstract Views: 310  |  PDF Views: 90

Authors

N. V. H. K. Chari
Marine Chemistry Laboratory, School of Chemistry, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, India
Sudarsana Rao Pandi
Marine Chemistry Laboratory, School of Chemistry, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530 003, India

Abstract


Humic substances (HS) are formed in estuarine regions by biogeochemical processes of terrestrial and in situ produced organic matters. Their structure and distribution may vary seasonally and spatially. To examine this, HS were isolated from Godavari estuarine waters using ion-exchange resins XAD-8 followed by XAD-4 during 2014-2015. The structural differences between the two fractions were characterized by E2/E3 ratio (α250/α365), spectral slope (S275-295), and spectral slope ratio (SR, S275-295/S350-400), which were derived from UV-visible absorbance spectra. Lower values of E2/E3 ratio, S275-295 and SR for XAD-8 fractions than XAD-4, indicate higher aromaticity and higher molecular weight of dissolved organic compounds retained on the former resin. The E2/E3 ratio for XAD-8 and SR for XAD-4 fractions were found to decrease gradually from post-monsoon to monsoon, indicating that the biological process controls the production of organic matter in upstream waters. Lower molecular weight organic compounds formed by bacterial decay and photodegradation during pre-monsoon and higher molecular weight organic compounds formed during the post-monsoon season was attributed to the freshly exudated organic matter from phytoplanktons dominated at the mouth of the estuary.

Keywords


Absorbance Spectra, E2/E3 Ratio, Godavari Estuary, Humic Substances, Spectral Slope Ratio.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv113%2Fi02%2F299-303