ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Spectral Characteristic Changes of Dissolved
Organic Matter in Aquatic Systems Under
the Influences of Agriculture
and Coal Mining
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1
School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, China
2
Environmental Protection Monitoring Station of Huainan city, Huainan, China
Submission date: 2021-09-02
Final revision date: 2021-12-02
Acceptance date: 2021-12-07
Online publication date: 2022-03-23
Publication date: 2022-05-05
Corresponding author
Liangmin Gao
School of Earth and Environment, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(3):2549-2561
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ABSTRACT
Under the combined influence of various factors, the dissolved organic matter (DOM)
in the drainage basin presents complex variation characteristics. In this study, we investigated
the spectral characteristics of DOM in the middle reach of the Huai River aquatic systems under
the influence of complex conditions (i.e., agricultural nonpoint pollution, coal mining activities,
photovoltaics on the water surface, and rural sewage). In addition to the general water quality indices,
ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopy, the excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy
(EEMs) combined with the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), the fluorescence regional integration
(FRI), and the fluorescence indices were used to describe the spectral characteristics of DOM.
The results show that agricultural non-point source input from agricultural activities deteriorates water
quality, but the coal mining activities weaken the agricultural non-point pollution intensity (i.e., occupy
farmland, and subsidence area collected agricultural runoff). The PARAFAC model was composed
of the following three chemical components: fulvic-like (C1), humic-like (C2), and tryptophan-like
(C3). The results of PRAFAC and FRI indicated that the photovoltaic industry significantly influenced
the properties of DOM in the aquatic systems by slowing the photochemical reactions. The principal
component analysis (PCA) and Adonis test showed that under different influencing conditions,
the aquatic systems within the four study areas showed significant differences. Spectral characteristics
of DOM can sensitively indicate water distinction. It is of practical significance to monitor the change
characteristics of DOM in a minor watershed under complex influencing factors by spectroscopy.