Investigation of seasonal variability of CDOM fluorescence in the southern Changjiang River Estuary by EEM-PARAFAC

The southern Changjiang River Estuary has attracted considerable attention from marine scientists because it is a highly biologically active area and is biogeochemically significant. Moreover, land-ocean interactions strongly impact the estuary, and harmful algal blooms （HABs） frequently occur in the area. In October 2010 and May 2011, water samples of chromophoric dissolved organic matter （CDOM） were collected from the southern Changjiang River Estuary. Parallel factor analysis （PARAFAC） was used to assess the samples＇ CDOM composition using excitation-emission matrix （EEM） spectroscopy. Four components were identified： three were humic-like （C1, C2 and C3） and one was protein-like （C4）. Analysis based on spatial and seasonal distributions, as well as relationships with salinity, Chl a and apparent oxygen utilization （AOU）, revealed that terrestrial inputs had the most significant effect on the three humic-like Components C1, C2 and C3 in autumn. In spring, microbial processes and phytoplankton blooms were also important factors that impacted the three components. The protein-like Component C4 had autochthonous and allochthonous origins and likely represented a biologically labile component. CDOM in the southern Changjiang River Estuary was mostly affected by terrestrial inputs. Microbial processes and phytoplankton blooms were also important sources of CDOM, especially in spring. The fluorescence intensities of the four components were significantly higher in spring than in autumn. On average, C1, C2, C3, C4 and the total fluorescence intensity （TFI） in the surface, middle and bottom layers increased by 123%-242%, 105%-195%, 167%-665%, 483%-567% and 184%-245% in spring than in autumn, respectively. This finding corresponded with a Chl a concentration that was 16-20 times higher in spring than in autumn and an AOU that was two to four times lower in spring than in autumn. The humification index （HIX） was lower in spring that in autumn, and the fluorescence index （FI） was higher in spring than in autumn. This result indicated that the CDOM was labile and the biological activity was intense in spring.

Simultaneous monitoring of the fluorescence and refractive index by surface plasmon coupled emission: A proof-of-concept study

Simultaneous acquisition of fluorescence property and refractive index using a single surface plasmon coupled emission(SPCE)measurement has been achieved,thus achieving synchronicity in real time.The SPCE sensor was employed for monitoring the adsorption of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)by dyeencapsulated metal-organic frameworks(Dye@MOFs).Refractive index can reveal surface molecular adsorption and the fluorescence with information on refractive index can provide a comprehensive analysis of the adsorption events of VOCs on the interface.Meantime,the signal intensity can be amplified by combining the responses caused by changes in refractive index and the fluorescence property in parallel.This all-in-one method opens up a route to monitoring multiple processes simultaneously occurring on the interface.

Spatial Distribution and Fluorescence Properties of Soil Dissolved Organic Carbon Across a Riparian Buffer Wetland in Chongming Island,China

The migration of soil dissolved organic carbon(DOC) from terrestrial to aquatic environments has important impacts on the adjacent water quality and the transport of organic and inorganic contaminants.However,few studies have investigated the sources and properties of DOC in riparian zones.A total of 34 soil samples were collected across four riparian buffer zones(Zones A-D) on Chongming Island,China.The vertical distributions of soil organic carbon(SOC) and DOC,fluorescence excitation-emission matrix(EEM) spectra of DOC and the optical indices,including fluorescence index(FI),index of recent autochthonous contribution(BIX),and humification index(HIX),were measured across the riparian environment to investigate the sources and fluorescence properties of DOC.The results showed that SOC stored in the surface soil(0-30 cm) accounted for 40%of the total soil profile SOC.The DOC accumulated in Zones A-C,which accounted for 5%of the SOC.The fluorescence EEM spectra of DOC showed that DOC contained humic-like and protein-like substances,which were mainly derived from recent plant debris by microbes.A large amount of humic-like substances were sorbed to minerals in the surface soil(0-30 cm).In addition,the riparian topography and soil physico-chemical properties(pH,EC and moisture) dictated the transformation and transport of DOC.The results suggested that EEMs could reveal the source of DOC in riparian soil systems,and that optical indices were complementary tools that revealed the characteristics of soil DOC and provided supplemental evidence about DOC sources.

Characterization of chromophoric dissolved organic matter(CDOM) in the East China Sea in autumn using excitationemission matrix(EEM) fluorescence and parallel factor analysis(PARAFAC)

Samples of chromophoric dissolved organic matter （CDOM） in the East China Sea in autumn （October in 2011） were analyzed by excitation emission matrix （EEM） fluorescence spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis （PARAFAC）. Three terrestrial humic-like components （C1, C2 and C3） and one protein-like component （C4） were identified. Based on spatial dis- tributions, as well as relationships with salinity, the following assignments were made. The three humic-like components （CI, C2 and C3） showed conservative mixing behavior and came mainly from riverine input. The protein-like component （C4） was considered a combination of autochthonous production and terrestrial inputs and a biologically labile component. Path analysis of samples from the middle and bottom layers revealed that the causal effects on C1 were -78.46% for salinity, and -21.54% for apparent oxygen utilization （AOU）; those on C2 were -76.43% for salinity, and -23.57% for AOU; those on C3 were -70.49% for salinity, 7.01% for Chl-a, and -22.50% for AOU; those on C4 were -55.54% for salinity, 14.6% for Chl-a, and -29.86% for AOU in middle layer; and those on C4 were -57.37% for salinity, 29.02% for Chl-a, and -13.61% for AOU in bottom layer. Results indicated that CDOM in tile East China Sea was mainly affected by terrestrial inputs, and microbial ac- tivities also played a key role in biogeochemical processes of CDOM. The application of the EEM-PARAFAC model present- ed a unique opportunity to observe compositional changes in CDOM in the East China Sea. In addition, the humification index （HIX） suggested that CDOM from the East China Sea was less stable and stayed shorter in the environment.

Remote Sensing Indices to Measure the Seasonal Dynamics of Photosynthesis in a Southern China Subtropical Evergreen Forest

The accurate measurement of the dynamics of photosynthesis in China’s subtropical evergreen forest ecosystems is an important contribution to carbon(C) sink estimates in global terrestrial ecosystems and their responses to climate change. Eddy covariance has historically been the only direct method to assess C flux of whole ecosystems with high temporal resolution, but it suffers from limited spatial resolution. During the last decade, continuous global monitoring of plant primary productivity from spectroradiometer sensors on flux towers and satellites has extended the temporal and spatial coverage of C flux observations. In this study, we evaluated the performance of two physiological remote sensing indices, fluorescence reflectance index(FRI) and photochemical reflectance index(PRI), to measure the seasonal variations of photosynthesis in a subtropical evergreen forest ecosystem using continuous canopy spectral and flux measurements in the Dinghushan Nature Reserve in southern China.The more commonly used NDVI has been shown to be saturated and mainly affected by illumination(R^2=0.88, p <0.001), but FRI and PRI could better track the seasonal dynamics of plant photosynthetic functioning by comparison and are less affected by illumination(R^2=0.13 and R^2=0.51, respectively) at the seasonal scale. FRI correlated better with daily gross primary production(GPP) in the morning hours than in the afternoon hours, in contrast to PRI which correlated better with light-use efficiency(LUE) in the afternoon hours. Both FRI and PRI could show greater correlations with GPP and LUE respectively in the senescence season than in the recovery-growth season. When incident PAR was taken into account, the relationship between GPP and FRI was improved and the correlation coefficient increased from 0.22 to 0.69(p < 0.001). The strength of the correlation increased significantly in the senescence season(R^2=0.79, p < 0.001). Our results demonstrate the application of FRI and PRI as physiological indices for the accurate measurement of the seasonal dynamics of plant community photosynthesis in a subtropical evergreen forest, and suggest these indices may be applied to carbon cycle models to improve the estimation of regional carbon budgets.