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Photochemical degradation of dissolved organic carbon and its impact on the oceanic carbon cycle

Nature volume 353, pages 60–62 (1991)Cite this article

Abstract

THE processes that regulate the cycling of oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC), one of the largest carbon reservoirs on the Earth's surface1, are largely unknown. DOC residues in the deep sea, below 500 m, seem to be composed mainly of biologically refractory compounds2–10 such as humic substances11. The average apparent 14C age of this refractory DOC is >6,000 yr in the deep Pacific2, suggesting that its rate of turnover is slow, but the pathways and rates responsible for this apparent slow turnover are unknown. Several studies have shown that aquatic humic substances are photochemically degraded by sunlight into biologically labile and/or volatile organic compounds12–14 and carbon monoxide15,16. Here we present new data which suggest that this photochemical degradation pathway is the rate-limiting step for the removal of a large fraction of oceanic DOC. This rate will increase with increasing flux of solar ultraviolet-B radiation. We estimate the oceanic residence time of biologically refractory, photochemically reactive DOC to be 500–2,100 yr, which is less than its average apparent 14C age. The injection of 'old carbon' from sediments into the deep sea may explain this discrepancy.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Kenneth Mopper

    Present address: Department of Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, 99164-4630, USA

  2. Xianliang Zhou

    Present address: DAS/ECD, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, 11973, USA

  3. Robert J. Kieber

    Present address: Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, North Carolina, 28403, USA

  4. David J. Kieber

    Present address: Department of Chemistry, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, Syracuse, New York, 13210, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida, 33149, USA

    Kenneth Mopper, Xianliang Zhou, Robert J. Kieber, David J. Kieber & Richard J. Sikorski

  2. Drinking Water Research Center and Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, 33199, USA

    Ronald D. Jones

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  6. Ronald D. Jones
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Mopper, K., Zhou, X., Kieber, R. et al. Photochemical degradation of dissolved organic carbon and its impact on the oceanic carbon cycle. Nature 353, 60–62 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/353060a0

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