Photochemical Sinks of Organic Pollutants in Estuarine and Near-Shore Environments

The principal objective of this work has been to assess the quantitative importance of homogenous and heterogeneous photochemistry as a sink of pollutants in the aquatic environment. Using a combination of chemical trapping techniques, steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic methods and product analysis, we have examined the mechanisms and magnitude of the photochemical production of strong oxidants and reductants by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), as well as how these species may contribute to the degradation of common pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and halogenated organic compounds. The relative contributions of both the direct and sensitized photochemical destruction of these pollutant classes is under investigation. Ultimately, we plan to employ the information acquired from these studies to develop simple models that can be utilized to predict the photochemical rates of pollutant loss.