Grayson, RP and Holden, J (2016) Improved automation of dissolved organic carbon sampling for organic-rich surface waters. Science of the Total Environment, 543 (A). 44 - 51. ISSN 0048-9697
Abstract
In-situ UV-Vis spectrophotometers offer the potential for improved estimates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes for organic-rich systems such as peatlands because they are able to sample and log DOC proxies automatically through time at low cost. In turn, this could enable improved total carbon budget estimates for peatlands. The ability of such instruments to accurately measure DOC depends on a number of factors, not least of which is how absorbance measurements relate to DOC and the environmental conditions. Here we test the ability of a S::can Spectro::lyserTM for measuring DOC in peatland streams with routinely high DOC concentrations. Through analysis of the spectral response data collected by the instrument we have been able to accurately measure DOC up to 66 mg L-1, which is more than double the original upper calibration limit for this particular instrument. A linear regression modelling approach resulted in an accuracy > 95%. The greatest accuracy was achieved when absorbance values for several different wavelengths were used at the same time in the model. However, an accuracy > 90% was achieved using absorbance values for a single wavelength to predict DOC concentration. Our calculations indicated that, for organic-rich systems, in-situ measurement with a scanning spectrophotometer can improve fluvial DOC flux estimates by 6 to 8% compared with traditional sampling methods. Thus, our techniques pave the way for improved long-term carbon budget calculations from organic-rich systems such as peatlands.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This is an author produced version of a paper published in Science of the Total Environment. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | absorbance; peatlands; DOC; spectrophotometer; carbon fluxes |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number Royal Society NONE GIVEN |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Nov 2015 11:34 |
Last Modified: | 15 Nov 2016 20:51 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.149 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.149 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:91540 |