On December 2, 1970, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in response to the dawning realization that human activity can have major effects on the water, air and land of our planet. The new responsibilities of the EPA included research on the fate and transport of chemicals in the environment, including the effects of light on chemical reactions. In 1984 the emerging importance of research on photochemical reactions in aquatic environments was highlighted in a meeting at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts that was published in the journal ES&T (Zafiriou, et al 1984. Photochemistry of natural waters. <i>ES&T, 18</i>, 358A-371A) Here I discuss examples of: 1) direct and sensitized aqueous photoreactions of contaminants and natural compounds, including emerging materials such as nanomaterials and their composites with polymers; 2) the effects of photochemistry on fragmentations leading to microplastics and the biological availability and toxicity of contaminants; 3) aquatic photochemical sources and sinks of atmospherically-important trace gases; 4) photobleaching and its impact on aquatic optics and the remote sensing of ocean color; 5) the role of photochemistry in biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur; and 6) links between photochemical and biological processes, including photoinactivation of pathogens and related indicators. Intriguing interactions between these light driven processes will be emphasized such as the role played by the colored component of dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in controlling the availability of solar UV radiation in aquatic systems and initiating indirect photoreactions.

Multifaceted contributions of light-induced reactions to transformations of contaminants and natural compounds in aquatic environments

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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