Spectral Characteristics of Dissolved Organic Matter in Farmland Soils around Urumqi, China

Abstract

The dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the most sensitive indicators of changes in the soil environment, and it is the most mobile and active soil component that serves as an easily available source of nutrients and energy for microbes and other living organisms. In this paper, DOM structural characteristics and main properties were investigated by three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM) and UV–visible spectrum technology in the farmland soils around Urumqi of China, and its possible sources and pathways were analyzed by spectroscopic indices. The results showed that humic-like substances were the main composition of the soil DOM, and its autogenesis characteristics were not obvious. Main DOM properties such as aromatability, hydrophobicity, molecular weight, molecular size, and humification degree in the southern region of Urumqi were higher than those of the northern region of Urumqi and Fukang in China, and higher on the upper layers of the soil (0–0.1 and 0.2 m) than in the deeper layer (0.2–0.3 m).This may be because the tilled layer is more subjected to fertilization and conducive to microbial activities. The spectroscopic analysis showed that the source of DOM of these regions is mainly from microbial metabolites. These results provide basic scientific data for the further research on the environmental chemical behavior of pollutants and pollution control in this region.