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Humic substances from seawater

Nature volume 250, pages 480–481 (1974)Cite this article

Abstract

SINCE the first spectroscopic observation of humic substances in seawater1, it has been presumed that they constitute a considerable fraction of the dissolved organic matter in the sea2–4. Base-soluble organics were first isolated from seawater in 1958 (ref. 5), but the chemical composition and source of these materials has remained speculative and controversial3,6–9. We here present evidence that humic substances in the Sargasso Sea display bulk characteristics which differ from those of humics from coastal waters and especially from those of humic substances isolated from soils and marine sediments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543

    DANIEL H. STUERMER & GEORGE R. HARVEY

Authors
  1. DANIEL H. STUERMER
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  2. GEORGE R. HARVEY
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STUERMER, D., HARVEY, G. Humic substances from seawater. Nature 250, 480–481 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250480a0

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