Limitations on using CDOM as a proxy for DOC in temperate lakes

Colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has been widely studied as part of efforts to improve understanding of the aquatic carbon cycle, by laboratory, in situ, and remote sensing methods. We studied ecoregion-scale differences in CDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to understand variability in organic matter composition and the use of CDOM as a proxy for DOC. Data from 299 lakes across the U.S. Upper Midwest showed that CDOM, measured as...