Dynamics of dissolved organic matter: A view from two dimensional correlation spectroscopy techniques

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is the most reactive organic carbon pool in earth. However, the heterogeneity of this organic mixture makes it difficult to investigate its dynamics under different external perturbations. In this review, we present the potential of using the two dimensional correlation spectroscopy analysis (2D correlations) as a tool to study the dynamic of DOM. We demonstrate the application of the 2D correlation analysis on high molecular weight DOM (HMW-DOM) with the salinity as perturbation parameter. We used four different chemical probes: Carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS).