Search

Metal removal by estuarine mixing has been studied for several decades, but few studies emphasize dissolved metal speciation and organic ligand complexation. Findings from the last decade indicate that metal-humic complexation can be significant for dissolved metals including Cu(II), Al(III) and Fe(III), but little consideration is given to the precipitation of these complexes with humic material at pH < 2. Given that total soluble metal analysis involves an acidification step for sample preservation, we show that Mn and other metal concentrations may have been underestimated in estuaries, especially when humic substance concentrations are high. A competitive ligand assay of selected samples from our study site, a coastal waterway bordered by wetlands (Broadkill River, DE), showed that Mn(III)-humic complexation is significant, and that some Mn(III)-L complexes precipitate during acidification. In the oxygenated surface waters of the Broadkill River, total dissolved Mn (dMn T ) was up to 100% complexed to ambient ligands as Mn(III)-L, and we present evidence for humic-type Mn(III)-L complexes. The Mn(III) complexes were kinetically stabilized against Fe(II) reduction, even when [Fe(II)] was 17 times higher than [dMn T ]. Unlike typical oceanic surface waters, [Fe(II)] > [Fe(III)-L] in surface waters, which may be attributed to high rates of photoreduction of Fe(III)-L complexes. Total [Mn(III)-L] ranged from 0.22 to 8.4 μM, in excess of solid MnO x (below 0.28 μM in all samples). Filtration of samples through 0.02 μm filters indicated that all Mn(III)-L complexes pass through the filters and were not colloidal species in contrast to dissolved Fe. Incubation experiments indicated that the reductive dissolution of solid MnO x by ambient ligands may be responsible for Mn(III) formation in this system. Unlike previous studies of estuarine mixing, which demonstrated metal removal during mixing, we show significant export of dMn and dissolved Fe (dFe) in the summer and fall of 2015. Thus, we propose that estuarine removal should be considered seasonal for dMn and dFe, with export in the summer and fall and removal during the winter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dissolved Mn (dMn T ) is thought to be dominated by metastable Mn(II) in the presence of oxygen, as the stable form is insoluble Mn(IV). We show, for the first time, that Mn(III) is also stable as a soluble species in the oxygenated water column, when stabilized by organic ligands as Mn(III)–L complexes. We measured Mn(III)–L complexes in the oxygenated waters of a coastal fjord and a hemipelagic system where they make up to 86% of the dMn T . Although Mn(III) forms similar complexes to Fe(III), unlike most of the analogous Fe(III)–L complexes, the Mn(III)–L complexes are not colloidal, as they pass through both 0.20 μm and 0.02 μm filters. Depending on the kinetic stability of the Mn(III) complexes and the microbial community of a given system, these Mn(III)–L complexes are capable of donating or accepting electrons and may therefore serve as both reductants or oxidants, can be biologically available, and can thus participate in a multitude of redox reactions and biogeochemical processes. Furthermore, sample acidification experiments revealed that Mn(III) binding to humic ligands is responsible for up to 100% of this complexation, which can influence the formation of other metal complexes including Fe(III) and thus impact nutrient availability and uptake. Hence, humic ligands may play a greater role in dissolved Mn transport from coastal areas to the ocean than previously thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]