ORGANICALLY-BOUND FERROUS IRON (ORG-FE(II)) AS AN INDICATOR OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH - A COMPARISON OF SUBURBANIZED AND FORESTED STREAMS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN US
T. Kawaguchi et al., ORGANICALLY-BOUND FERROUS IRON (ORG-FE(II)) AS AN INDICATOR OF ECOSYSTEM HEALTH - A COMPARISON OF SUBURBANIZED AND FORESTED STREAMS IN THE SOUTHEASTERN US, Journal of environmental science and health. Part A: Environmental science and engineering, 29(9), 1994, pp. 1761-1776
Iron is one of the essential micronutrients for phytoplankton growth.
However, most iron in a flowing surface stream is oxidized to form fer
ric hydroxide (Fe(OH)(3)) which phytoplankton cannot assimilate. Disso
lved organic Matter (DOM) in streams act as a ''vehicle'' to complex w
ith ferrous iron (Fe(II)) and maintain it in a Fe(II) state until it r
eaches the estuary, where it can be utilized by phytoplankton. Residen
tial development represented by the Dog Creek watershed exhibits typic
al trend in coastal zones throughout the southeastern US. Development
is generally characterized by increasing impervious areas of the water
shed, which decreases the infiltration of water and increases surface
runoff and pollutants. The reduction of org.- Fe(II) observed in the s
uburbanized stream suggests that runoff from the suburbanized watershe
d, has less association with organic-rich soils (i.e., humate). Since
org.- Fe(II) is a positive parameter of the southeastern US stream wat
er quality supporting primary productivity in coastal zone, its concen
tration could be used to represent an indicator of ecosystem health.