Significant production of humic fluorescent dissolved organic matter in the continental shelf waters of the northwestern Pacific Ocean

Fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) is important for marine organisms and the global carbon cycle contributing to the optical properties of surface seawater and organic carbon budgets. Rivers are known to be the main source of FDOM in coastal oceans and marginal seas. In this study, however, we show that the contribution of FDOM produced from organic sediments of the northwestern Pacific continental shelf is similar to that from the Changjiang River. FDOM showed relatively higher concentrations at stations off the Changjiang River mouth and in the central Yellow Sea. Based on temperature-salinity diagrams, the major source of surface FDOM in summer surface waters was found to be from the Changjiang River while that observed in the winter water column was produced mainly in the continental shelf. A good correlation between (228)Ra and the humic-like FDOM (FDOM(H)) during the winter suggests that the FDOM(H) is produced mainly from marine sediments and enriched in water over the water residence times. A simple mass balance calculation shows that the excess FDOM(H) fluxes produced from marine sediments account for 30–40% of the riverine source. This result suggests that the continental shelf is an important hidden source of FDOM in the upper ocean.