Authors : S. Suratman, Y.Y. Hee, N. Mohd Tahir and N. Mohd Tahir
Abstract: Mean concentrations of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and Particulate Organic Carbon (POC) were in the ranges of 180-5390 and 1310-2610 μg/LC, respectively. Generally, higher concentrations of DOC and POC were recorded in downstream areas as a result of inputs from anthropogenic activities. DOC was size fractionated into high molecular weight (HMW, <100 kDa) and low molecular weight (LMW, <30 kDa). The HMW DOC fraction generally dominated the total DOC. The HMW DOC dominance was associated with agricultural, aquaculture and urban areas inputs. Resuspension of river sediment may also have played an important role in controlling the HMW DOC distribution. The LMW DOC was significantly correlated with chlorophyll-a (chl-a) suggesting processes related to phytoplankton may influence LMW DOC in the water column. The DOC and POC concentrations were also influenced by climatological factors with high values occurring during the monsoon season and lower values during non-monsoon season. In conclusion, the results from this study aim to improve understanding of the dynamics of DOC and POC concentrations in the tropical region.
S. Suratman, Y.Y. Hee, N. Mohd Tahir and N. Mohd Tahir, 2017. Distribution of Dissolved and Particulate Organic Carbon in the Setiu River Basin, Malaysia. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 12: 2499-2505.