Study on organic matter fractions in the surface microlayer in the Baltic Sea by spectrophotometric and spectrofluorometric methods

Abstract. The fluorescence and absorption measurements of the samples collected from a surface microlayer (SML) and a subsurface layer (SS), at a depth of 1 m, were studied during three research cruises in the Baltic Sea along with hydrophysical studies and meteorological observations. Several absorption (E₂ : E₃,  S,  S_R) and fluorescence (fluorescence intensities at Coble classified peaks: A,  C,  M,  T the ratio M + T∕A + C,  HIX (humification index)) indices of colored and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (CDOM and FDOM) helped to describe the changes in molecular size and weight as well as in composition of organic matter. The investigation allowed the assessment of a decrease in the contribution of two terrestrial components (A and C) with increasing salinity ( ∼  1.64 and  ∼  1.89 % in the SML and  ∼  0.78 and  ∼  0.71 % in the SS, respectively) and an increase in components produced in situ (M and T) with salinity ( ∼  0.52 and  ∼  2.83 % in the SML and  ∼  0.98 and  ∼  1.87 % in the SS, respectively). Hence, a component T reveals the biggest relative changes along the transect from the Vistula River outlet to Gdansk Deep, in both the SML and SS, although an increase was higher in the SML than in the SS ( ∼  18.5 and  ∼  12.3 %, respectively). The ratio E₂ : E₃ points to greater changes in the molecular weight of CDOM affected by a higher rate of photobleaching in the SML. The HIX index reflects a more advanced stage of humification and condensation processes in the SS. Finally, the results reveal a higher rate of degradation processes occurring in the SML than in the SS. Thus, the specific physical properties of surface active organic molecules (surfactants) may modify, in a specific way, the solar light spectrum entering the sea and a penetration depth of the solar radiation. Research on the influence of surfactants on the physical processes linked to the sea surface becomes an important task, especially in coastal waters and in the vicinity of the river mouths.