Abstract. Since the damming of the Nile, the Rh6ne River is the main freshwater and sediment supplier to the Mediterranean Sea. We estimated for the period 1987-1996, the dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and total suspended matter (

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Colloidal organic C and trace metals from the waters of a highly productive coastal environment (the Venice Lagoon, Italy) have been separated by a cross-flow ultrafiltration device. On average, 18% of organic C, 34% of Cd, 46% of Cu, 87% of Fe, 18% of Ni, 58% of Pb, and 54% of Mn which previously would have been considered in the dissolved phase are actually associated with colloidal material. Thus, past studies overestimate the dissolved trace-metal concentration in the nearshore environment.Compared to total concentration, the proportion of the colloidal fraction represents on average 15% of organic C, 18% of Cd, 28% of Cu, 11% of Fe, 11% of Ni, 29% of Pb, and 12% of Mn. This fraction acts differently from the truly dissolved and macroparticulate phases. The behavior of organic C and trace elements during mixing between freshwater and seawater is more complicated than expected when a colloidal fraction is involved. The flocculation of colloids, encountered normally during estuarine mixing, is not very significant on the time scale of mixing in the lagoon. Conversely, the interaction between colloidal and truly dissolved phases seems important. The partitioning of trace metals between different fractions of organic C appears variable, Fe and Mn are preferentially tied to macroparticulate organic matter, and Cu and Cd are preferentially tied to colloidal organic matter in seawater. Truly dissolved organic C appears to be important for Ni. Pb is mainly associated with macroparticulate organic matter at most stations except in the highly productive region where Pb prefers colloidal organic C.

Marine mesocosms were manipulated with inorganic nutrients over a period of 22 d to investigate organic carbon partitioning under a variety of nutrient regimes. The chemical analyses and biotic measurements included inorganic nutrients, pigment signatures, particulate and dissolved organic species, bacterial production, and community respiration. The biodegradability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was investigated with in vitro decomposition experiments.The net particulate organic carbon (POC) production was 50% of the total organic production during the initial 6 d of nutrient-replete growth and during a major diatom bloom. In all other situations the carbon partitioning was strongly in favor of DOC, which accounted for 82 to 111% of the total production. The production of new DOC preceded new DON by about 1 week. Thus, the new dissolved organic matter (DOM) initially had an infinite C : N ratio, which fell to 11-20 when DON started to accumulate. The highest C : N ratio was measured during a nutrientreplete diatom bloom. Dissolved polysaccharides accounted for 50 to 70% of the new DOC, and the lowest relative amount was produced during a diatom bloom. The chemical analyses unequivocally demonstrated that carbon partitioning in favor of carbon-rich DOM can take place during an active diatom bloom and not only during the decay of a bloom. The DOC-producing mechanisms cannot be fully identified. However, during the different growth phases the DOC production varied, as did the speciation of DOM with respect to the C : N ratios. When net 1 Corresponding author (MSondergaard@zi.ku.dk).

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We investigated the partitioning of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus between particulate and dissolved production using 11-m 3 marine mesocosms (bags) in a Norwegian fjord with a salinity of 28.3, a chlorophyll concentration of 0.6 mg L 21 , an even biomass among five algal groups, and nitrogen limitation as the initial conditions. The experiment lasted 21 days in August. Addition of silicate (+Si) resulted in diatom dominance, while a more diverse community was present in treatments with no added Si (2Si). Addition of inorganic nutrients in a N : P gradient from 64 to 4 either conserved the initial N limitation or forced the plankton communities to P limitation. Per added limiting nutrient, the diatom-dominated bags produced more particulate (POC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) than the other bags. However, the relative partitioning of net production to POC and DOC did not differ as a function of the plankton communities. Between 22% and 33% of the net production accumulated as new DOC. The higher values were found in the N-limited bags. The production of new dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) was variable over time, and short periods of positive production were followed by removal (negative production). Between 6% and 22% of the assimilated N was 1 Corresponding author (msondergaard@bi.ku.dk). AcknowledgmentsWe thank Anne J. Jacobsen, Louise Oriol, and Winnie Martinsen for their technical assistance. The thoughtful comments by two reviewers improved the final product. Bergen LSF is thanked for support (HPRI-CT-2002-00181) as is the European Union (EVK3-CT-2000-00034) and the Niels Bohr Foundation (TK).