Spatio-temporal variability of fluorescent dissolved organicmatter in the Rhône River delta and the Fos-Marseille marinearea (NW Mediterranean Sea, France)

The spatio-temporal variability of fluorescent dissolvedorganic matter (FDOM) and its relationships withphysical (temperature, salinity) and chemical (nutrients, chlorophyll a, dissolved and particulate organic carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) parameters were investigated in inland waters of the Rhône River delta and the Fos-Marseille marine area (northwestern Mediterranean, France). Samples were taken approximately twice per month in two inland sites and three marine sites from February 2011 to January 2012. FDOM was analysed using fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) coupled with parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). In inland waters, humic-like components C1 (λEx/λEm: 250 (330)/394 nm) and C3 (λEx/λEm: 250 (350)/ 454 nm) dominated over one tryptophan-like component C2 (λEx/λEm: 230 (280)/340 nm), reflecting a background contribution of terrigenous material (~67% of total fluorescence intensity, in quinine sulphate unit (QSU)) throughout the year. In marine waters, protein-like material, with tyrosine-like C4 (λEx/λEm: