The Stratified Distribution of Dissolved Organic Matter in an AMD Lake Revealed by Multi-sample Evaluation Procedure

As a typical extreme environment, acid mine drainage (AMD) has been extensively studied for its biogeochemical cycle, but little is known about the quality of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in AMD. In this study, DOM molecules in an AMD lake were detected with Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), and the change of DOM molecules in the stratified water column was analyzed with a multi-sample evaluation procedure. The results demonstrate that DOM quality is highly stratified and can be linked with severe biogeochemical gradients. In the surface layer, DOM molecules can be distinguished by low quantities and intensities, as well as potential photodegradation products. Oxygen-poor and oxygen-rich molecules alternately dominate the chemocline, which can be explained by the redox-dependent adsorption/desorption of DOM on metastable secondary minerals. A rich and abundant DOM pool with a high proportion of heteroatoms exists at the bottom which can be significantly influenced by material exchange with sediments. These findings emphasize the active role of DOM in extreme AMD environments and expand the understanding of the carbon cycle in the hydrosphere.