Evaluation of water salinity through fluorescence: the case of Almiros River (Northeastern Crete, Greece)

ABSTRACT

The present study deals with the fluorescent constituents of Almiros (or Almyros) River in Heraklion, Greece. Water samples have been pre-concentrated by the solid phase extraction (SPE) method and subjected to reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) coupled with a fluorescence detector. Seasonal variations of organic matter were mainly observed while spatial variations were observed in a less extent. The samples from upstream points correspond to more fluorescence peaks and of higher intensity compared to the rest of the samples. Generally, the fluorescence intensity decreases towards downstream. Fluorescent intensities of peaks present an inversely proportional relation to the salinity. In concluding, fluorescence compounds may comprise a well indicator of the salinity fluctuations in well-developed karstification systems below sea level and open to the sea that present high mean flow rates with strong seasonal variability.

KEYWORDS:

• Fluorescent organic compounds
• natural organic matter (NOM)
• proteins
• humic substances
• water quality

Acknowledgments

This study has been implemented in the Laboratory of Water and Soil Quality Control in terms of Master (MSc) in Geo-environmental Resources and Risks. The Laboratory of Applied Geology and Hydrogeology supported the geological part of the present study. We would like to thank the Editor and the reviewers for the time spent and their efforts in handling this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.