A disproportionate amount of research in water chemistry has been directed towards defining trace levels of organic contaminants in water whereas the structures and characteristics of natural organic substances, in the dissolved, suspended, and bed sediment phases, are very poorly understood. A better knowledge of the nature of natural organic substances in water is essential to the advancement of many diverse sciences, such as organic geochemistry, aquatic biology, soil science, hydrology involving contaminant transport, and even atmospheric chemistry involving carbon cycle research. The Water Resources Division is conducting significant research on the nature of humic substances in water, which comprise less than one-half of the [...]
