Characterizing variations in dissolved organic matter (DOM) properties in Nansi Lake: a typical macrophytes-derived lake in northern China

Nansi Lake is the largest lake along the eastern route of China’s South-to-North Water Diversion Project (SNWDP). It is divided into the upper lake and the lower lake by a dam. By using UV-Vis spectroscopy, synchronous fluorescence (SF) spectroscopy, excitation-emission matrix and parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC), spatial, and temporal differences in the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were found in the 2 areas of Nansi Lake under different hydrological conditions. A total of 5 fluorescence components were obtained by EEM-PARAFAC, which included 3 humic-like components (C1–C3) and 2 protein-like components (C4 and C5). On the spatial scale, the fluorescence intensities (Fₘₐₓ) of humic-like substances and the ratio of the fluorescence intensity of humic-like components to the total fluorescence intensity (%Fₘₐₓ) and degree of humification (HIX) in the upper lake were higher than those in the lower lake. This indicated the strong contributions of terrestrial sources to the upper lake, while DOM properties in the lower lake were more endogenous than those in the upper lake. On the temporal scale, protein-like substances played a more important role in DOM properties in April (Fₘₐₓ=0.72±0.03 in the upper lake and 1.84±0.13 in the lower lake) and July (Fₘₐₓ=1.10±0.05 in the upper lake and 1.49±0.04 in the lower lake) than in October. This result might be related to the water transfer of the eastern route of the SNWDP and to the death of submerged plants. However, the contents of humic-like substances (ranging from 55.61±1.23% to 66.56±0.58% for the upper lake and 29.98±1.56% to 61.98±0.99% for the lower lake) and degree of humification (from 2.23±0.06 to 3.10±0.05 for the upper lake and 1.06±0.05 to 2.62±0.08 for the lower lake) in Nansi Lake showed an increasing trend from April to October. In addition, significant correlations and good linear relationships between humic-like components, a₂₅₄, and DOC in the 3 months reflected the continuous contribution of humic-like substances to DOM properties in Nansi Lake. Rapid changes in the fluorescence signal were largely dependent on changes in water quality. The fluorescence signal could be a tool for the management of water quality in Nansi Lake.