Environmental factors influence evaluation on the structure, dynamics and optical properties of the aquatic humic substances form the

Ursula Fabiola Rodríguez Zúñiga

Nowadays, one of the major world concerning is focused in the increasing of the damaging ultraviolet (UV) radiation and its impact on the aquatic ecosystems. In addition, the Rio Negro, one of the principal tributaries of the Amazon Basin, is an appropriate site for studying the influence of the UV radiation in the dissolved organic matter (DOM) biogeochemistry, since its high level of organic carbon (OC) production, the high rates of solar exposition and the seasonal variation of the system. The present research had the intent to evaluate the dynamics and functionality of the Rio Negro aquatic humic substances (AHS) influenced by environmental factors such as pluviometric and fluviometric levels and the UV-vis irradiation. In order to reach these objective, the AHS from one year were classified in seasonal groups (summer, autumn, winter and spring) and characterized through the elemental analysis, copper (Cu+2) complexation capacity (CC) and through the spectroscopic techniques as electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR), nuclear magnetic resonance of 13C (NMR 13C), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and UV-visible absorbance and fluorescence. The results revealed the river seasonal changes effects on the DOM structure, being that, the winter AHS (flooding season), evidenced the highest aliphatic character from the NMR 13C analysis, that can be related with the high fluviometric levels that would increasing the presence of fresh hydrophilic and not totally stabilized (MOD) from terrestrial sources. In contrast, the summer and autumn AHS (dry season) showed the greatest aromatic presence, high concentration of semiquinone free radicals, the greatest humification degrees from the fluorescence and the elevated long wavelength absorbance. Complementarily, the AHS optical and structural properties were assessed as a function of its exposure to UV-visible irradiation using an Hg-Xe lamp (290-475 nm). In general there were observed a progressive decreasing of absorbance and color, a mineralization with a 75% carbon loss and the formation of the less complex structures inferred from the change of the maximum fluorescence to shorter wavelengths. In addition there were registered the system acidification (6- 4,5) and a total loss of the Cu+2 CC during the first 300 minutes of the radiation exposure. As expected, the structure seasonal dependence influenced in the photodegradation behavior of the winter and summer AHS. The summer AHS sample (with the highest aromaticity) showed slower kinetics (k=10,33 x 10-4), but higher susceptibility to the UV irradiation with a 87% loss of absorbance, explained by the highest concentration of aromatic structures more resonant with the irradiation applied. On the counterpart, the winter AHS (with the highest aliphaticity) presented faster kinetics (k=12,33 x 10-4), reaching rapidly a stationary state with a total absorbance loss of 79%, as a result of an accelerated decomposition of its aliphatic fractions and/or the production of absorbing light recalcitrant compounds, unreactive to the wavelengths applied in this study. Finally, these results contribute for a better understanding of the OC river fluxes and the subsequent quantification of the terrestrial and aquatic C sources and its dependence with diverse environmental factors.

AUTOR(ES)

DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

RESUMO

ASSUNTO(S)

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

Documentos Relacionados