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. 2022 Apr 19;19(9):4958.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19094958.

Changes in the Dissolved Organic Matter Characteristics Released from Sediment According to Precipitation in the Namhan River with Weirs: A Laboratory Experiment

Haeseong Oh  1 , Jung-Hyun Choi  1
Affiliations

Changes in the Dissolved Organic Matter Characteristics Released from Sediment According to Precipitation in the Namhan River with Weirs: A Laboratory Experiment

Haeseong Oh et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

In this study, changes in the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) released from sediments into water layers were investigated. To analyze the spatial and temporal variation in dissolved organic carbon (DOC), sediment and bottom water samples were collected upstream of the Gangcheon, Yeoju, and Ipo weirs of the Namhan River during the rainy and non-rainy seasons. The initial DOC was correlated with precipitation (R2 = 0.295, p = 0.034) and residence time (R2 = 0.275, p = 0.040). The change in the bottom water DOC concentration resulted from the DOC released from the sediments, which may cause water quality issues in the bottom water. The fluorescence analysis revealed that the DOM contained higher levels of hydrophilic and low-molecular-weight (LMW) organic matter in the non-rainy season and higher levels of hydrophobic and high-molecular-weight (HMW) organic matter in the rainy season. Since the Namhan River is the main resource of drinking water for the Seoul metropolitan area, our results can help to optimize the drinking water treatment process by reflecting the DOM characteristics that vary with the seasons. Furthermore, the statistical analysis confirmed that the nutrient content of pore-water and sediment can be used to estimate the DOM release rate from the sediment to the water layer. The results of this study provide a better understanding of DOM movement in aquatic ecosystems and the influences of rainfall on the water quality of the surface waterbody.

Keywords: dissolved organic matter (DOM); optical properties; release rate; sediment; sediment-water interface.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of sampling locations in the Namhan River basin, Korea. Detailed sampling site indications are provided (Gangcheon, Yeoju, and Ipo weir).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Precipitation during the sampling period.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Changes in the DOC concentration in the samples and two controls during the incubation period.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlation between (a) the initial DOC concentration (day 0) and monthly average precipitation; (b) the initial DOC concentration (day 0) and the residence time.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Changes in the optical properties of DOM: (a) SUVA254, (b) HIX, and (c) FI during the incubation period.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Contour plots of (a) Component 1 (terrestrial humic-like components) and (b) Component 2 (terrestrial tryptophan-like components; higher intensities in red). Changes in the intensity of PARAFAC components: (c) humic-like component (C1) and (d) tryptophan-like component (C2).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Score plots for PC1 and PC2 as a function of sampling (a) time and (b) location.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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