The anoxic stress conditions explored at the nanoscale by atomic force microscopy in highly eutrophic and sulfidic marine lake

Abstract

Marine Rogoznica lake (RL), an eutrophic and euxinic environment situated at the eastern Adriatic coast was used as a natural laboratory to test the application of atomic force microscopy (AFM) in combination with the electrochemical and high temperature catalytic oxidation (HTCO) measurements for characterization of water column organic matter (OM) and reduced sulfur species (RSS) in relation to seasonal changes of environmental conditions. Water column of RL was explored at the nanoscale by the AFM during the anoxic holomictic event (S1, October 2011) and stratified winter (S2, January 2012) and spring (S3, May 2012) conditions in the oxic and anoxic water samples. Obtained results from the AFM uphold the electrochemical and HTCO measurements, indicating significant difference in the present type of OM during the holomictic, anoxic stress conditions in comparison to the samples collected during the stratification period. Differences in the OM type were discussed in line with the physical and biological processes that occurred in RL during sampling: mixing processes characterized by fast turnover of water layers and biological activity characterized by low (January 2012) and high (May 2012) primary production of diatoms and zooplankton grazing activities.