NYCSEA

Abstract: Detritus from riverine inputs and hurricanes is a source of dissolved organic matter in aquatic environments, the optically active form of which is called chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), or gelbstoff. The absorption due to CDOM (aCDOM) has been studied remotely, although the absence of standard corrections renders accurate aCDOM estimations difficult. A study conducted on the eastern US seaboard demonstrated the applicability of a novel algorithm for measuring aCDOM (Mannino et al., 2008). The current study adapted this algorithm to analyze the impacts of storms, including Hudson River floods and Atlantic hurricanes, on aCDOM in the NY/NJ Bight between 2002 and 2021. The aCDOM results were also compared to an existing measure for gelbstoff in the OceanColor database; furthermore, chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a) were considered, as algae impedes accurate aCDOM analysis. The study found that the adapted algorithm correlated accurately with the existing OceanColor gelbstoff algorithm. Although evidence of a positive relationship between hurricanes and aCDOM was demonstrated, the pattern was inconsistent and may have been influenced by algal contributions to satellite measurements. Future experimenters should continue testing the algorithm’s applicability. In situ measurements of aCDOM are also critical to distinguishing detritus inputs from algal inputs. Dissolved organic matter includes organic carbon; thus, isolating aCDOM measurements accurately can provide insight into changes and patterns in the global carbon cycle.

Keywords:  Detritus, riverine inputs, dissolved organic matter, chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM), absorption due to CDOM (aCDOM)

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