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Science 3 February 1984:
Vol. 223. no. 4635, pp. 485 - 487
DOI: 10.1126/science.223.4635.485
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Articles

Lignin Signature of Aquatic Humic Substances

JOHN R. ERTEL 1, JOHN I. HEDGES 1, and EDWARD M. PERDUE 2

1 School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle 98195
2 School of Geophysical Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta 30332

Lignin-derived phenols dominate the cupric oxide oxidation products of dissolved humic substances from river and lake waters. The relative distributions of these phenols suggest the presence of intact, though oxidized, lignin, which is indicative of the locally dominant vascular plant vegetation. Recognizable lignin is present mostly in humic acid as opposed to fulvic acid fractions. This lignin component represents a source-specific and process-dependent tracer that can uniquely characterize dissolved organic matter.

Submitted on September 12, 1983
Accepted on November 8, 1983

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)