Comparison of the optical properties of dissolved organic matter in two river-influenced coastal regions of the Canadian Arctic

The optical characteristics of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) were analyzed in the Great Whale River and adjacent Hudson Bay (55° N, 77° W) in the eastern Canadian Low Arctic, and in the Mackenzie River and adjacent Beaufort Sea in the western Canadian High Arctic (70° N, 133° W). Sampling was during ice-free open water conditions. Both rivers contained high concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (3 and 6 mg DOC l−1 in the Great Whale River and Mackenzie River, respectively) and CDOM (a320 of 11 and 14 m−1), resulting in a substantial load of organic matter to their coastal seas. There were pronounced differences in the CDOM characteristics of the two rivers, notably in their synchronous fluorescence scans (SFS). The latter showed that the Mackenzie River was depleted in humic materials, implying a more mature catchment relative to the younger, more recently glaciated Great Whale River system. SFS spectra had a similar shape across the freshwater-saltwater transition zone of the Great Whale plume, and DOC was linearly related to salinity implying conservative mixing and no loss by flocculation or biological processes across the salt front. In contrast, there were major differences in SFS spectral shape from the Mackenzie River to the freshwater-influenced coastal ocean, with a marked decrease in the relative importance of fulvic and humic acid materials. The SFS spectra for the coastal Beaufort Sea in September-October strongly resembled those recorded for the Mackenzie River during the high discharge, CDOM-rich, snowmelt period in June, but with some loss of autochthonous materials. These results are consistent with differences in freshwater residence time between the Mackenzie River and Great Whale River coastal ocean systems. Models of arctic continental shelf responses to present and future climate regimes will need to consider these striking regional differences in the organic matter content, biogeochemistry and optics between waters from different catchments and different inshore hydrodynamic regimes.