Fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter in coastal Mediterranean waters influenced by a municipal sewage effluent (Bay of Marseilles, France)

Article

<< Previous

Next >>

Contents Vol 9(5)

doi:10.1071/EN12081

Environmental problems - Chemical approaches

	Search




	Advanced Search



	Journal Home

	About the Journal

	Editorial Boards

	Contacts



	Content

	Online Early

	Current Issue

	Just Accepted

	All Issues

	Special Issues

	Research Fronts

	Sample Issue



	For Authors

	General Information

	Notice to Authors

	Submit Article

	Open Access



	For Referees

	Referee Guidelines

	Review Article



	For Subscribers

	Subscription Prices

	Customer Service

e-Alerts

Subscribe to our Email Alert or

feeds for the latest journal papers.

Connect with us

Fluorescence properties of dissolved organic matter in coastal Mediterranean waters influenced by a municipal sewage effluent (Bay of Marseilles, France)

M. Tedetti ^A ^B, R. Longhitano ^A, N. Garcia ^A, C. Guigue ^A, N. Ferretto ^A and M. Goutx ^A

^A Aix-Marseille Université, Université du Sud Toulon-Var, CNRS/INSU, IRD, MIO, UM 110, F-13288 Marseille, Cedex 09, France.
^B Corresponding author. Email: marc.tedetti@univ-amu.fr

Environmental Chemistry 9(5) 438-449 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/EN12081
Submitted: 5 June 2012 Accepted: 1 August 2012 Published: 31 August 2012





	PDF (733 KB) $25



	Export Citation

Print

Environmental context. Marine dissolved organic matter plays a key role in the global carbon cycle. Questions remain, however, as to the influence of anthropogenic activities on its composition and distribution in coastal waters. It was found that dissolved organic matter in the vicinity of a municipal sewage effluent (Marseilles City, France) contained a high proportion of protein-like material, thereby demonstrating the influence of human activities on coastal dissolved organic matter.

Abstract. Fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in coastal marine waters influenced by the municipal sewage effluent (SE) from Marseilles City (France, north-western Mediterranean Sea) has been characterised. Samples were collected eleven times from September 2008 to June 2010 in the Bay of Marseilles along a coast–open sea transect from the SE outlet in the South Bay and at the Mediterranean Institute Observation site in the central Bay. Fluorescence excitation–emission matrices combined with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) allowed the identification of two protein-like (tyrosine C1, with excitation maxima (λ_Ex) and an emission maximum (λ_Em) of <230, 275/306 nm; tryptophan C2, λ_Ex/λ_Em <230, 270/346 nm) and three humic-like components (marine humic C3, λ_Ex/λ_Em 280/386 nm; C4, λ_Ex/λ_Em 235, 340/410 nm; C5, λ_Ex/λ_Em 255, 365/474 nm). From the SE outlet to the central Bay, a gradient appeared, with decreasing FDOM intensities, decreasing dissolved organic carbon, particulate carbon, nutrients and faecal bacteria concentrations and increasing salinity values. This gradient was associated with decreasing abundances in protein-like fluorophores and rising abundances in humic-like (C3 and C5) materials. This shift in FDOM composition illustrated the decrease in wastewater inputs and the increase in marine sources of DOM along the transect. FDOM data showed that the Marseilles SE spread up to 1500 m off the outlet, but it did not reach the central Bay. Tryptophan-like material was the dominant fluorophore in the SE and displayed the highest correlations with biogeochemical parameters (organic carbon, phosphates, faecal bacteria). Therefore, it is proposed to use its fluorescence intensity to detect and track SE inputs in the Marseilles coastal marine waters.

Additional keywords: Cortiou, EEM fluorescence, PARAFAC, tryptophan.

References

[1] J. I. Hedges, Why dissolved organics matter? in Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter (Eds D. A. Hansell, C. A. Carlson) 2002, pp. 1–33 (Academic Press: San Diego, CA).

[2] C. A. Carlson, Production and removal processes, in Biogeochemistry of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter (Eds D. A. Hansell, C. A. Carlson) 2002, pp. 91–152 (Academic Press: San Diego, CA).

[3] N. Jiao, G. J. Herndl, D. A. Hansell, R. Benner, G. Kattner, S. W. Wilhelm, D. L. Kirchman, M. G. Weinbauer, T. Luo, F. Chen, F. Azam, Microbial production of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter: long-term carbon storage in the global ocean Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 2010, 8, 593.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[4] P. G. Coble, Characterization of marine and terrestrial DOM in seawater using excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy Mar. Chem. 1996, 51, 325.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[5] P. G. Coble, Marine optical biogeochemistry – the chemistry of ocean color Chem. Rev. 2007, 107, 402.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[6] N. Hudson, A. Baker, D. Reynolds, Fluorescence analysis of dissolved organic matter in natural, waste and polluted waters – a review River Res. Appl. 2007, 23, 631.
| CrossRef |

[7] J. B. Fellman, E. Hood, R. G. M. Spencer, Fluorescence spectroscopy opens new windows into dissolved organic matter dynamics in freshwater ecosystems: a review Limnol. Oceanogr. 2010, 55, 2452.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[8] Y. Yamashita, E. Tanoue, Chemical characterization of protein-like fluorophores in DOM in relation to aromatic amino acids Mar. Chem. 2003, 82, 255.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[9] C. J. Brown, B. W. Knight, M. E. McMaster, K. R. Munkittrick, K. D. Oakes, G. R. Tetreault, M. R. Servos, The effects of tertiary treated municipal wastewater on fish communities of a small river tributary in southern Ontario, Canada Environ. Pollut. 2011, 159, 1923.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[10] S. E. Holm, J. G. Windsor, Exposure assessment of sewage treatment plant effluent by a selected chemical marker method Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 1990, 19, 674.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[11] P. A. Chambers, M. Allard, S. L. Walker, J. Marsalek, J. Lawrence, M. Servos, J. Busnarda, K. S. Munger, C. Jefferson, R. A. Kent, M. P. Wong, K. Adare, Impacts of municipal wastewater effluents on Canadian waters: a review Water Qual. Res. J. Canada 1997, 32, 659.
| CAS |

[12] K. P. Singh, D. Mohan, S. Sinha, R. Dalwani, Impact assessment of treated/untreated wastewater toxicants discharged by sewage treatment plants on health, agricultural, and environmental quality in the wastewater disposal area Chemosphere 2004, 55, 227.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[13] R. P. Galapate, A. U. Baes, K. Ito, T. Mukai, E. Shoto, M. Okada, Detection of domestic wastes in Kurose River using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy Water Res. 1998, 32, 2232.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[14] A. Baker, R. Inverarity, M. E. Charlton, S. Richmond, Detecting river pollution using fluorescence spectrophotometry: case studies from the Ouseburn, NE England Environ. Pollut. 2003, 124, 57.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[15] R. D. Holbrook, J. Breidenich, P. C. DeRose, Impact of reclaimed water on select organic matter properties of a receiving stream-fluorescence and perylene sorption behavior Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, 39, 6453.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[16] R. K. Henderson, A. Baker, K. R. Murphy, A. Hambly, R. M. Stuetz, S. J. Khan, Fluorescence as a potential monitoring tool for recycled water systems: A review Water Res. 2009, 43, 863.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[17] D. M. Reynolds, S. R. Ahmad, Rapid and direct determination of wastewater BOD values using a fluorescence technique Water Res. 1997, 31, 2012.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[18] R. Arunachalam, H. K. Shah, L.-K. Ju, Monitoring aerobic sludge digestion by online scanning fluorometry Water Res. 2005, 39, 1205.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[19] I. Saadi, M. Borisover, R. Armon, Y. Laor, Monitoring of effluent DOM biodegradation using fluorescence, UV and DOC measurements Chemosphere 2006, 63, 530.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[20] D. M. Reynolds, The differentiation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable dissolved organic matter in wastewaters using fluorescence spectroscopy J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 2002, 77, 965.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[21] S. Elliott, J. R. Lead, A. Baker, Characterisation of the fluorescence from freshwater, planktonic bacteria Water Res. 2006, 40, 2075.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[22] N. Hudson, A. Baker, D. Ward, D. M. Reynolds, C. Brunsdon, C. Carliell-Marquet, S. Browning, Can fluorescence spectrometry be used as a surrogate for the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) test in water quality assessment? An example from south west England Sci. Total Environ. 2008, 391, 149.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[23] S. R. Ahmad, D. M. Reynolds, Monitoring of water quality using fluorescence technique: prospect of on-line process control Water Res. 1999, 33, 2069.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[24] A. Baker, Fluorescence properties of some farm wastes: implications for water quality monitoring Water Res. 2002, 36, 189.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[25] A. Baker, D. Ward, S. H. Lieten, R. Periera, E. C. Simpson, M. Slater, Measurement of protein-like fluorescence in river and waste water using a handheld spectrophotometer Water Res. 2004, 38, 2934.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[26] R. G. M. Spencer, A. Baker, J. M. E. Ahad, G. L. Cowie, R. Ganeshram, R. C. Upstill-Goddard, G. Uher, Discriminatory classification of natural and anthropogenic waters in two U.K. estuaries Sci. Total Environ. 2007, 373, 305.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[27] K. C. Filippino, M. R. Mulholland, P. W. Bernhardt, G. E. Boneillo, R. E. Morse, M. Semcheski, H. Marshall, N. G. Love, Q. Roberts, D. A. Bronk, The bioavailability of effluent-derived organic nitrogen along an estuarine salinity gradient Estuaries Coasts 2011, 34, 269.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[28] A. A. Petrenko, B. H. Jones, T. D. Dickey, M. LeHaitre, C. Moore, Effects of a sewage plume on the biology, optical characteristics, and particle size distributions of coastal waters J. Geophys. Res. 1997, 102, 25061.
| CrossRef |

[29] C. D. Clark, A. P. O’Connor, D. M. Foley, W. J. de Bruyn, A study of fecal coliform sources at a coastal site using colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) as a water source tracer Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2007, 54, 1507.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[30] J. F. Zhuo, W. D. Guo, X. Deng, Z. Y. Zhang, J. Xu, L. F. Huang, Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy of CDOM from Yundang Lagoon and its indication for organic pollution Spectrosc. Spect. Anal. 2010, 30, 1539.
| CAS |

[31] G. Bellan, M. Bourcier, C. Salen-Picard, A. Arnoux, S. Casserley, Benthic ecosystem changes associated with wastewater treatment at marseille: implications for the protection and restoration of the Mediterranean coastal shelf ecosystems Water Environ. Res. 1999, 71, 483.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[32] R. Arfi, A. Arnoux, G. Bellan, D. Bellan-Santini, M. Bourcier, S. Dunkan, J.-P. Durbec, L. Laubier, J. Marinopoulos, C. Millot, T. Moutin, G. Patriti, C. Pergent-Martini, A. Petrenko, Impact du grand émissaire de Marseille et de l’Huveaune détournée sur l’environnement marin de Cortiou – Etude bibliographique raisonnée 1960–2000 2000 (Centre d’Océanologie de Marseille: Ville de Marseille).

[33] A. Togola, H. Budzinski, Multi-residue analysis of pharmaceutical compounds in aqueous samples J. Chromatogr. A 2008, 1177, 150.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[34] A. D. Syakti, L. Asia, F. Kanzari, H. Umasangadji, L. Malleret, Y. Ternois, G. Mille, P. Doumenq, Distribution of organochlorine pesticides (OCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in marine sediments directly exposed to wastewater from Cortiou, Marseille Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res 2012, 19, 1524.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[35] I. L. Pairaud, J. Gatti, N. Bensoussan, R. Verney, P. Garreau, Hydrology and circulation in a coastal area off Marseille: Validation of a nested 3D model with observations J. Mar. Syst. 2011, 88, 20.
| CrossRef |

[36] R. Arfi, G. Patriti, Impact d’une pollution urbaine sur la partie zooplanctonique d’un systeme neritique (Marseille – Cortiou) Hydrobiologia 1987, 144, 11.
| CrossRef |

[37] M. Tedetti, C. Guigue, M. Goutx, Utilization of a submersible UV fluorometer for monitoring anthropogenic inputs in the Mediterranean coastal waters Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2010, 60, 350.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[38] T. Ohno, Fluorescence inner-filtering correction for determining the humification index of dissolved organic matter Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36, 742.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[39] K. R. Murphy, K. D. Butler, R. G. Spencer, C. A. Stedmon, J. R. Boehme, G. R. Aiken, Measurement of dissolved organic matter fluorescence in aquatic environments: an interlaboratory comparison Environ. Sci. Technol. 2010, 44, 9405.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[40] R. Sohrin, R. Sempéré, Seasonal variation in total organic carbon in the Northeast Atlantic in 2000–2001 J. Geophys. Res. 2005, 110, C10S90.
| CrossRef |

[41] A. Aminot, R. Kérouel, Hydrologie des écosystèmes marins. Paramètres et analyses 2004.

[42] A. Aminot, R. Kérouel, Dosage automatique des nutriments dans les eaux marines: méthodes en flux continu, in Méthodes d’analyses en milieu marin 2007 (Ifremer: Brest, France).

[43] J. F. Hernandez, J. M. Guilbert, J. M. Delattre, C. Oger, C. Charrière, B. Hughes, R. Serceau, F. Sinègre, Evaluation of a miniaturized procedure for enumeration of Escherichia coli in sea water, based upon hydrolysis of 4-methylumbelliferyl β-d-glucuronide Water Res. 1991, 25, 1073.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[44] R. Bro, PARAFAC: tutorial and applications Chemom. Intell. Lab. Syst. 1997, 38, 149.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[45] C. A. Stedmon, S. Markager, R. Bro, Tracing dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments using a new approach to fluorescence spectroscopy Mar. Chem. 2003, 82, 239.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[46] C. Stedmon, R. Bro, Characterizing dissolved organic matter fluorescence with parallel factor analysis: a tutorial Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods 2008, 6, 572.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[47] P. Brasseur, J. M. Beckers, J. M. Brankart, R. Schoenauen, Seasonal temperature and salinity fields in the Mediterranean Sea: climatological analyses of a historical data set Deep Sea Res. Part I Oceanogr. Res. Pap. 1996, 43, 159.
| CrossRef |

[48] J.-C. Marty, J. Chiaverini, M.-D. Pizay, B. Avril, Seasonal and interannual dynamics of nutrients and phytoplankton pigments in the western Mediterranean Sea at the DYFAMED time-series station (1991–1999) Deep Sea Res. Part II Top. Stud. Oceanogr. 2002, 49, 1965.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[49] M. Goutx, C. Guigue, D. Aritio, J. F. Ghiglione, M. Pujo-Pay, V. Raybaud, M. Duflos, L. Prieur, Short term summer to autumn variability of dissolved lipid classes in the Ligurian sea (NW Mediterranean) Biogeosciences 2009, 6, 1229.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[50] E. Parlanti, K. Wörz, L. Geoffroy, M. Lamotte, Dissolved organic matter fluorescence spectroscopy as a tool to estimate biological activity in a coastal zone submitted to anthropogenic inputs Org. Geochem. 2000, 31, 1765.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[51] C. Romera-Castillo, H. Sarmento, X. A. Álvarez-Salgado, J. M. Gasol, C. Marrasé, Production of chromophoric dissolved organic matter by marine phytoplankton Limnol. Oceanogr. 2010, 55, 446.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[52] Y. Yamashita, R. M. Cory, J. Nishiok, K. Kumad, E. Tanoue, R. Jaffe, Fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter in the deep waters of the Okhotsk Sea and the northwestern North Pacific Ocean Deep-Sea Res. 2010, 57, 1478.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[53] C. Lønborg, X. A. Álvarez-Salgado, K. Davidson, S. Martínez-García, E. Teira, Assessing the microbial bioavailability and degradation rate constants of dissolved organic matter by fluorescence spectroscopy in the coastal upwelling system of the Ría de Vigo Mar. Chem. 2010, 119, 121.
| CrossRef |

[54] J. R. Lakowicz, Principles of Fluorescence Spectroscopy 1983 (Plenum Press: New York).

[55] Y. Yamashita, E. Tanoue, In situ production of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in coastal environments Geophys. Res. Lett. 2004, 31, L14302.
| CrossRef |

[56] C. Lønborg, X. A. Álvarez-Salgado, K. Davidson, A. E. J. Miller, Production of bioavailable and refractory dissolved organic matter by coastal heterotrophic microbial populations Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 2009, 82, 682.
| CrossRef |

[57] K. Shimotori, K. Watanabe, T. Hama, Fluorescence characteristics of humic-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter produced by various taxa of marine bacteria Aquat. Microb. Ecol. 2012, 65, 249.
| CrossRef |

[58] S. Singh, E. J. D’Sa, E. M. Swenson, Chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) variability in Barataria Basin using excitation–emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) Sci. Total Environ. 2010, 408, 3211.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[59] J. Para, P. G. Coble, B. Charrière, M. Tedetti, C. Fontana, R. Sempéré, Fluorescence and absorption properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in coastal surface waters of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, influence of the Rhône River Biogeosciences 2010, 7, 4083.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[60] K. R. Murphy, A. Hambly, S. Singh, R. K. Henderson, A. Baker, R. Stuetz, S. J. Khan, Organic matter fluorescence in municipal water recycling schemes: toward a unified PARAFAC model Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 2909.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[61] C. A. Stedmon, S. Markager, Resolving the variability in dissolved organic matter fluorescence in a temperate estuary and its catchment using PARAFAC analysis Limnol. Oceanogr. 2005, 50, 686.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[62] P. Kowalczuk, M. J. Durako, H. Young, A. E. Kahn, W. J. Cooper, M. Gonsior, Characterization of dissolved organic matter fluorescence in the South Atlantic Bight with use of PARAFAC model: Interannual variability Mar. Chem. 2009, 113, 182.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[63] Y. Zhang, E. Zhang, Y. Yin, M. A. van Dijk, L. Feng, Z. Shi, M. Liu, B. Qin, Characteristics and sources of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in lakes of the Yungui Plateau, China, differing in trophic state and altitude Limnol. Oceanogr. 2010, 55, 2645.
| CAS |

[64] J. Fellman, K. Petrone, P. Grierson, Source, biogeochemical cycling, and fluorescence characteristics of dissolved organic matter in an agro-urban estuary Limnol. Oceanogr. 2011, 56, 243.
| CrossRef | CAS |

[65] M. Tedetti, P. Cuet, C. Guigue, M. Goutx, Characterization of dissolved organic matter in a coral reef ecosystem subjected to anthropogenic pressures (La Réunion Island, Indian Ocean) using multi-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy Sci. Total Environ. 2011, 409, 2198.
| CrossRef | CAS |

Subscriber Login

	Username: Password:

Legal & Privacy | Contact Us | Help