Seasonal Investigations of Dissolved Organic Carbon Dynamics in the Tamar Estuary, U.K. |
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| Authors: | A E J Miller |
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| Institution: | NERC Centre for Coastal and Marine Studies, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, West Hoe, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, U.K.;Oceanography Laboratories, Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Liverpool, Bedford Street North, Liverpool, L69 3BX, U.K.;University of Highlands and Islands project, The Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, P.O. Box 3, Oban, Argyll, PA34 4AD, U.K. |
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| Abstract: | A high temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO) technique was used to measure dissolved organic carbon (DOC) during seasonal surveys of the Tamar Estuary, U.K. At the time of the programme, the field of DOC analysis had been plagued by numerous analytical difficulties. However, using thorough calibration of the analytical systems and the systematic analysis of an internal reference material, a valuable estuarine DOC data set was produced. The range of DOC concentrations observed (478–110 μM C) is consistent with the published data for riverine and coastal sea waters respectively. The Tamar Estuary is a freshwater DOC-dominated system, with strong correlation between lateral DOC distribution and salinity. However, mixing behaviour was not strictly conservative. During tidal cycle studies at a fixed station, DOC concentrations appeared to be uncoupled from salinity, and were inversely related to turbidity. It is concluded that tidally-induced resuspension of bottom sediments provided the dominant control mechanism for DOC concentration. The Tamar Estuary shows contrasting behaviour to the larger, more heavily impacted, Severn Estuary. Hence it is likely that the behaviour of DOC in estuaries cannot be classified as typical per se, but is a function of the natural and anthropogenic characteristics of the catchment and hydrology. |
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| Keywords: | dissolved organic carbon seasonal variations macrotidal north European |
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