Optical properties of sedimentary dissolved organic matter in intertidal zones along the coast of China: Influence of anthropogenic activities

Zhe Wang; Min Lv; Chu-Long Huang; Dong-Dong Zhang; Ruixia Han; Gang Li; Ling-Xin Chen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161159

Optical properties of sedimentary dissolved organic matter in intertidal zones along the coast of China: Influence of anthropogenic activities

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Mar 15:864:161159. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161159. Epub 2022 Dec 23.

Authors

Zhe Wang¹, Min Lv², Chu-Long Huang³, Dong-Dong Zhang⁴, Ruixia Han⁵, Gang Li⁶, Ling-Xin Chen²

Affiliations

¹ CAS Engineering Laboratory for Recycling Technology of Municipal Solid Waste, CAS Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environmental Observatory and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhejiang Key Lab of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, China.
³ Department of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Quanzhou Normal University, Quanzhou 362000, China.
⁴ Institute of Marine Biology and Pharmacology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan 316021, China.
⁵ CAS Engineering Laboratory for Recycling Technology of Municipal Solid Waste, CAS Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environmental Observatory and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; Zhejiang Key Lab of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China. Electronic address: rxhan@iue.ac.cn.
⁶ CAS Engineering Laboratory for Recycling Technology of Municipal Solid Waste, CAS Key Lab of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Urban Environmental Observatory and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Zhejiang Key Lab of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, CAS Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Center in Beilun, Ningbo 315830, China. Electronic address: gli@iue.ac.cn.

PMID: 36572289
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161159

Abstract

The intertidal zone, due to its location in the transition zone of terrestrial and marine ecosystems, is seriously disturbed by anthropogenic activities such as fuel combustion and industrial production, causing significant increase in dissolved organic matter (DOM). However, the distribution and properties of DOM in intertidal sediments at the large scale and their correlations with local socio-economic indicators remain unclear. In this study, we collected sediment samples from 13 intertidal zones across 11 coastal provinces in China and analyzed optical properties and compositions of sedimentary DOM. The results showed that the physico-chemical properties of sediment, such as pH and texture, affected the content of organic matter, thereby influencing the concentration of sedimentary DOM indirectly. The contents of fulvic acid- and protein-like components were relatively higher than humic acid-like component at all sampling sites. Moreover, urbanization could lead to the release of aromatic and humified organic matters into intertidal zones. Unlike coal, oil consumption exhibited positive correlation with SUVA₂₅₄, indicating that the combustion of oil released more aromatic compounds. These findings revealed the impact of anthropogenic activities on sedimentary DOM and provided theoretical basis for predicting and regulating intertidal carbon sink.

Keywords: Anthropogenic activities; Dissolved organic matter (DOM); Intertidal zone; Sediment.