Temporal and Spatial Distribution and Fluorescence Spectra of Dissolved Organic Matter in Plateau Lakes -- A Case Study of Qinghai Lake

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) has a great influence on the main pollution indexes of lakes (such as COD). Therefore, DOM research is the basis for understanding the water environmental quality and the law of pollutant migration and transformation in the basin. In this study, the water quality monitoring data of Qinghai Lake water body and 8 rivers around the lake from 2010 to 2020 were collected, and the dissolved organic matter (DOM) was synchronously sampled in May, September and October 2020. The optical characteristics of DOM, the temporal and spatial distribution of CDOM and the fluorescence spectrum and fluorescence component characteristics of FDOM were analyzed and studied. The results show that: (1) From 2010 to 2020, the annual mean value of COD Cr of Qinghai Lake water body fluctuates in the range of Class III to Class V according to the environmental quality standard of the surface water, and shows a downward trend first and then an upward one. In general, the mean value of COD Cr concentration in Qinghai Lake water body is at a high level and varies slightly among different months. (2) The mean value of COD Cr concentration of the eight main rivers entering Qinghai Lake from 2010 to 2020 can be sorted from lowest to highest as follows: Ganzi River, Buha River, Jilmeng River, Hargai River, Shaliu River, Quanji River, HeMa River, and DaoTang River. (3) The concentration of CDOM in Qinghai Lake shows not only obvious seasonal variation (October, September and May, in the descending order) but also spatial variation. (4) The three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum matrix data of DOM in Qinghai Lake were analyzed by PARAFAC model, and four DOM fluorescence components with single maximum emission wavelength were analyzed.