Spatio-temporal variability of organic matter contents in the waters of the Caspian Sea

Abstract

We analyzed spatio-temporal changes in concentrations and elemental compositions of dissolved organic matter in the waters of the Caspian Sea over the period 2010–2015. These studies showed that over the past 5 years of lowering of sea levels, mean concentrations of Corg and Norg remained virtually unchanged, whereas concentrations of Porg decreased more than three-fold, suggesting a qualitative change in organic matter. Based on data averages, concentrations of Corg, Norg, and Porg in Southern waters were slightly higher than in the North and Middle-Caspian waters during the monitoring period. In deep areas at the border region of hydrogen sulfide occurrence, concentrations of Corg, Norg, and Porg increase. Hence, the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the deep waters of the Derbent and South Caspian basins, and the corresponding increase in organic matter contents, indicates no radical improvement of vertical mixing of the sea in these areas during the eight years of our regression model. Moreover, according to the carbohydrate distribution, organic substances of petroleum hydrocarbons contribute considerably to a common pool.