Field, Laboratory and Model Studies of CDOM

The principal long-term objective of this work is to determine what factors control the distribution and dynamics of the chromophore-containing constituents of dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in marine and estuarine waters. Two important secondary objectives are 1) to elucidate the photochemical properties of the CDOM and how photochemical reactions affect the optical properties and secondary reactivity of the CDOM, 2) to obtain a clearer understanding of the nature of the underlying lightabsorbing constituents that produce the absorption spectrum of the CDOM. Field measurements are employed to determine the distribution of CDOM and its impact on the aquatic light field, whereas a combination of field and laboratory experiments are used to test mechanisms of its formation and loss. Model systems and spectroscopic methods are being employed to probe the nature of the constituents giving rise to the observed absorption spectrum of CDOM.