Suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) in Gulf of Mexico estuaries: compound-specific isotope analysis and plant pigment compositions

Suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) in Gulf of Mexico estuaries: compound-specific isotope analysis and plant pigment compositions

Pigment and stable isotopic compositions of suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) were determined in several estuaries along the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Analysis of the composition of accessory pigments suggested that the phytoplankton taxa varied among these bays. The δ 13C values...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Organic geochemistry Vol. 24; no. 8; pp. 875 - 888
Main Authors: Qian, Y., Kennicutt, M.C., Svalberg, J., Macko, S.A., Bidigare, R.R., Walker, Jane
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-08-1996
Elsevier Science
Subjects:
chlorophyll
compound specific isotope analysis
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
estuary
Exact sciences and technology
Gulf of Mexico
Isotope geochemistry
Isotope geochemistry. Geochronology
Marine and continental quaternary
organic carbon
organic nitrogen
particulate organic matter
phytoplankton
pigments
Surficial geology
United States
Texas
North American Atlantic
North Atlantic
Gulf of Mexico
Corpus Christi Bay
Northwest Atlantic
compound specific isotope analysis
pigments
particulate organic matter
estuary
organic nitrogen
chlorophyll
phytoplankton
Gulf of Mexico
organic carbon
stable isotopes
lipids
C-13/C-12
N-15/N-14
production
Atlantic Ocean
nitrogen
North America
water
in situ
suspended materials
composition
fixation
organic materials
plankton
estuaries
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Summary:Pigment and stable isotopic compositions of suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM) were determined in several estuaries along the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Analysis of the composition of accessory pigments suggested that the phytoplankton taxa varied among these bays. The δ 13C values of SPOM, lipids, and chlorophylls in these bays varied from − 18 to − 27, − 20 to − 31, and − 18 to − 31‰, respectively. The δ 13C values of SPOM, lipids, and chlorophylls, and the pigment composition together suggest that the 13C-depleted organic matter in Corpus Christi Bay in June 1992 resulted from the fixation of 13C-depleted CO 2 derived from riverine water or in situ remineralization of organic matter. The lipids and chlorophyll a isolated from the nearly freshwater system of Aransas Bay in 1992 were 13C-enriched and most likely derived from local phytoplankton production. The δ 13C values of SPOM, lipids and chlorophylls in the bays where salinities were closest to that of seawater were in the range expected for marine phytoplankton, i.e., − 18 to − 24‰. The δ 15N values for SPOM, lipids, and chlorophyll a ranged from + 4 to + 14‰ with most between + 6 to + 10‰. These values are similar to the SPOM of marine systems and indicate a common source of nitrogen throughout the estuaries.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
content type line 23
ISSN:0146-6380
1873-5290
DOI:10.1016/S0146-6380(96)00072-1