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Photoproduction of dissolved inorganic carbon in temperate and tropical lakes – dependence on wavelength band and dissolved organic carbon concentration

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Abstract

We have evaluated photoeffects of UV-B, UV-A and PAR radiation on dissolved organic matter (DOM). Photochemical production of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) was measured in sterile lake water from Sweden and Brazil after 6 hours of sun exposure. Tubes were exposed to four solar radiation regimes: Full-radiation, Full-radiation minus UV-B, Full-radiation minus UV-B and UV-A (PAR) and darkness.

In both areas, lakes with most DOC (varying between 3 and 40 mg C l-1) were highly humic, resulting in high UV-B attenuation coefficients (Kd = 5–466 m-1). Under Full-radiation, photooxidative DIC-production varied from 0.09 to 1.7 mg C l-1per 6 h, without UV-B from 0.07 to 1.4 mg C l-1 and with PAR only from 0.02 to 0.7 mg C l-1. UV-B radiation explains a minor part (17%) of the photoooxidative DIC-production, while UV-A and PAR have larger effects (39% and 44%, respectively). Photooxidation was proportional to DOC-content and DIC-production was positively related to decrease in DOC and to loss of absorbance at 250 nm. There was no significant difference in DOC and radiation normalized DIC-production between Swedish and Brazilian lakes. The UV-B dose during incubations was approximately 3 times higher in Brazil compared to Sweden, while UV-A and PAR doses were similar. We conclude that DOC from tropical and temperate freshwaters do not seem to differ with respect to sensitivity to photooxidation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Ecology/Limnology, Lund University, Ecology Building, S-223 62, Lund, Sweden

    Wilhelm Granéli* & Måns Lindell

  2. Biological Institute, Dep. of Ecology, Limnology Laboratory, Rio de Janeiro Federal University, Ilha do Fundao, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21941-590

    Bias Marçal de Faria & Francisco de Assis Esteves

Authors
  1. Wilhelm Granéli*
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  2. Måns Lindell
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  3. Bias Marçal de Faria
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  4. Francisco de Assis Esteves
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Correspondence to Wilhelm Granéli*.

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Granéli*, W., Lindell, M., de Faria, B.M. et al. Photoproduction of dissolved inorganic carbon in temperate and tropical lakes – dependence on wavelength band and dissolved organic carbon concentration. Biogeochemistry 43, 175–195 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006042629565

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