Organic polymers in seawater: changes with depth in the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

Ultrafiltration has been used to concentrate dissolved organic macromolecules from seawater. Partial characterization of the macromolecular material shows that it differs markedly from its supposed biological source materials. Changes in the amounts in different molecular weight fractions with depth seem to define several layers. The significance of these changes in light of current theories of the nature and cycling of organic matter in the sea is discussed.