3rd HyMeX workshop 1-4 June 2009 Heraklion (Gournes), Crete-Greece
River run-off, dynamics and properties of terrestrial dissolved organic matter in Eastern Mediterranean coastal watersMaria Tzortziou (Hellenic Center for Marine Research & University of Maryland - NASA Goddard Space Flight Center); E. Dimitriou, C. Zeri, D. Tsoliakos, P. Neale, P. Megonigal, A. Gogou, A. Papadopoulos, E. Anagnostou
Coastal margin ecosystems are hot spots of carbon cycling because of intense physical and biological activity. In these systems, the amount, quality and distribution of dissolved organic matter (DOM) reflect a balance between inputs and decomposition. Inputs include seasonal in-situ production and terrestrial organic matter introduced mainly through river run-off and wetland discharges. The properties and dynamics of dissolved organic matter and its coloured component, CDOM, were examined in various river systems of the Eastern Mediterranean that vary widely in environmental characteristics. Measurements of hydrologic, water quality and physicochemical parameters, detailed CDOM absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy analyses and DOM compositional analyses were performed on samples collected along river transects from the freshwater end-member to the coastal zone. Results provide new and important information on the fluxes, quality and transformation pathways of the exported terrestrial organic matter and its effects on E. Mediterranean coastal water photochemical processes, biogeochemistry and ecosystem functioning.
