Cyanate is a nitrogen and energy source for diverse marine microorganisms, playing important roles in the nitrogen cycle. Despite the extensive research on cyanate utilization, the sources of this nitrogen compound remain largely enigmatic. To unravel the sources of cyanate, distributions and production of cyanate during photochemical degradation of natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated across various enviro...

Extracellular and intracellular dissolved organic matter (E‐DOM and I‐DOM, respectively) produced in axenic cultures by the cosmopolitan cyanobacteria Microcystis aeruginosa were characterized, and photoreactivity, bioreactivity, and the effects of phototransformations on bioavailability of E‐DOM and I‐DOM were assessed in laboratory experiments. Chromophoric (CDOM) and fluorescent (FDOM) properties were analyzed by spectropho...

Congo River water was filtered and then irradiated for 57 d in a solar simulator, resulting in extensive photodegradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Whole‐water (i.e., unfractionated) DOM was analyzed pre‐ and post‐irradiation using ultrahigh resolution Fourier transform ion cyclotron mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR MS), revealing the following three pools of DOM classified based upon their photoreactivity: (1) photo‐resista...

A new approach for parameterizing dissolved organic matter (DOM) ultraviolet‐visible absorption spectra is presented. Two distinct spectral slope regions (275‐295 nm and 350‐400 nm) within log‐transformed absorption spectra were used to compare DOM from contrasting water types, ranging from wetlands (Great Dismal Swamp and Suwannee River) to photobleached oceanic water (Atlantic Ocean). On the basis of DOM size‐fractionation s...

Experiments were performed to examine the role of surface‐active polysaccharides in the formation of transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) by bubble adsorption in seawater. Filtered (1.0 µm, 0.45 µm) and ultrafiltered (0.1 µm, 100 kDa, and 10 kDa) seawater samples were bubbled in a glass foam tower. The neutral sugar composition, concentration of TEP, and concentration of surface‐active carbohydrates in generated foam samples...

A free‐floating drifter was designed to directly determine in situ photochemical production rates, photolysis rates, and light fluxes in seawater. This drifter consisted of six trays that were suspended in series from a single buoy line. The trays were constructed so that the attached quartz vessels, containing filtered seawater, were exposed to both downwelling and upwelling irradiation. The quartz vessels were sealed at both...