Kinetics of superoxide reactions with dissolved organic matter in tropical Atlantic surface waters near Cape Verde (TENATSO)

The decay kinetics of superoxide (O-2(-)) reacting with organic matter was examined in oligotrophic waters at, and nearby, the TENATSO ocean observatory adjacent to the Cape Verde archipelago. Superoxide is the short-lived primary photochemical product of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) photolysis and also reacts with CDOM or trace metals (Cu, Fe) to form H2O2. In the present work we focused our investigations on reactions between CDOM and superoxide. O-2(-) decay kinetics experiments were performed by adding KO2 to diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) amended seawater and utilizing an established chemiluminescence technique for the detection of O-2 at nM levels. In Cape Verdean waters we found a significant reactivity of superoxide with CDOM with maximal rates adjacent to the chlorophyll maximum, presumably from production of new CDOM from bacteria/phytoplankton. This work highlights a poorly understood process which impacts on the biogeochemical cycling of CDOM and trace metals in the open ocean.