Abstract
This chapter reviews the physical and chemical characteristics of aquatic natural organic matter (NOM). The presence of NOM influences a diverse range of processes occurring in natural waters, including contaminant speciation and bioavailability, suspended particle stability, foaming, and aquatic redox reactions. The chapter primarily focuses on aquatic NOM, which is divided into dissolved and particulate forms with recent studies also considering an intermediate colloidal state (COM). NOM samples have a set of average properties, which depend on the source material, the degree of subsequent degradation reactions, and transport-associated fractionation processes. Differences in these average properties can have a marked effect on processes involved in water treatment. The initial source of molecules making up NOM includes higher plants, animals, and microorganisms. NOM produced by the decomposition of aquatic organisms is termed aquogenic whereas that derived from terrestrial sources is termed pedogenic. In most natural aquatic systems NOM is primarily of a pedogenic origin, the usual exceptions being eutrophic freshwater environments and marine water bodies where in-situ biological production can result in the formation of aquogenic NOM.
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