Diurnal and seasonal DOC and POC variability in the land-locked sea

Organic matter is a minor yet important component of the marine environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the diurnal and seasonal changes in dissolved and particulate organic carbon (DOC and POC, respectively). Thus, DOC and POC as well as chlorophyll a (Chl a), δ13C, NO3−, NO2−, NH4+, PO43−, salinity, pH, and temperature were regularly measured in samples collected for 24 h (2-h resolution) in the Gdańsk Deep (54°44.730′N, 19°08.531′E) at three water depths (1, 10, and 40 m) during sampling campaigns in 2011 (May), 2014 (May), and 2015 (January, March, May, July, September, November). Seasonal variations in DOC and POC followed the seasonality of Chl a (proportional trend) and nutrients (reverse trend) concentrations. Diurnal oscillations were detected in six out of the eight measurement series. The strongest diurnal variability in both POC and DOC occurred in May 2011 and March 2015, when phytoplankton activity was highest (high Chl a). The surprisingly low δ13C values (range: −28‰ to −24‰) measured over the course of the study revealed the gaps in our knowledge of the isotopic characteristics of terrestrial- vs. marine-derived particulate organic matter.