Influence of dissolved organic matter (DOM) on particle-water interactions of trace metals (Co, Cu, and Cd) between particulate (>0.2 um) and dissolved (<0.2 um) phases has been investigated along a salinity gradient using samples from the estuarine area of northern Sagami Bay, Japan. Partitioning experiments were performed by mixing riverine suspended particles with the mixtures of different proportions of river and marine end-members and determining concentrations of Co, Cu and Cd in particulate and dissolved phases. Concentrations and distribution coefficients (Kds) between particulate and dissolved phases of Co and Cu were dependent on the presence of DOM. The Kds of Co and Cu in the mixtures in the presence of DOM were lower than those in mixtures that had been ultraviolet-irradiated (UV-irradiated) (absence of DOM), throughout the salinity gradient. In addition, speciation calculations estimated that a greater fraction of Co and Cu in the dissolved phase was present in organic form throughout the salinity gradient, while the seawater ion concentrations and ligand competition (e.g., competition from Ca and Mg and formation of stable and soluble chloro-, sulphato-, and carbonato complexes) had a small effect on the speciation of Co. These results indicate that DOM may play an important role in controlling the speciation and the particle-water interactions of Co and Cu in the estuarine waters. As for Cd, the effect of DOM on the interactions of this metal was less intense than for Co and Cu. Seawater ions appeared to act as an important variable for controlling the particle-water interactions of Cd in the estuarine waters
