Colored and fluorescent DOM in the sea-surface microlayer: response to a phytoplankton bloom and photodegradation  in a mesocosm study

Thölen, Claudia; Wollschläger, Jochen; Novak, Michael G.; Röttgers, Rüdiger; Zielinski, Oliver

doi:10.5194/bg-23-3697-2026

Articles | Volume 23, issue 11

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3697-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

Biogeochemical processes and Air–sea exchange in the...

https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3697-2026

© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 23, issue 11

Research article

|

03 Jun 2026

Research article |

| 03 Jun 2026

Colored and fluorescent DOM in the sea-surface microlayer: response to a phytoplankton bloom and photodegradation in a mesocosm study

Claudia Thölen, Jochen Wollschläger, Michael G. Novak, Rüdiger Röttgers, and Oliver Zielinski

Data sets

PARAFAC components and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) indices on organic matter transformation processes in the sea-surface microlayer and the underlying water during a mesocosm phytoplankton bloom in 2023 C. Thölen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.988058

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) absorption coefficients in the sea-surface microlayer and the underlying water during a mesocosm phytoplankton bloom in 2023 C. Thölen et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.987974

Physical, chemical, and biogeochemical parameters from a mesocosm experiment at the Sea Surface Facility (SURF), Wilhelmshaven, Germany, spring 2023 R. Bibi et al. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.984101

Short summary

In a mesocosm study, the investigation of colored and fluorescent dissolved organic matter provided information on its transformation, enrichment, and exchange processes within the sea-surface microlayer and the underlying water. Photodegradation was suggested as the main sink, exceeding microbial alteration, and indicating that light and biological processes, such as the induced phytoplankton bloom, jointly shaped organic matter composition under strong vertical mixing.