Effects of changing land use on dissolved organic matter in a subtropical river watershed, southeast China

The composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is an important determinant for its biogeochemical role in the aquatic environments. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the effects of changing land use on the DOM composition in the river watershed. Water samples were collected from the outlets of 15 sub-watersheds in the subtropical Jiulong River (southeast China) for fluorescence measurements and parallel factor analysis. Two humic-like (C1 and C2) and one protein-like (C3) fluorescent components were identified. Overall, DOM in the Jiulong River watershed was dominated by humic-like materials, probably due to the fact that 69% of the watershed is covered with forest. The 15 sub-watersheds were grouped into four clusters based on the proportion of each fluorescent component in the total fluorescence, suggesting that the DOM composition could be very different among sub-watersheds. There was a strong negative correlation between C2 and C3%. C1% correlated with the water body fraction, likely associated with the aquatic production of C1. C3% correlated positively with the residential area fraction, likely indicating the influence of anthropogenic activities. These results are useful for assessing the effects of land use/land cover changes on the composition and hence biogeochemical roles of DOM in aquatic environments.