In SUVA calculation, which pairing is correct?

In SUVA calculation, which pairing is correct?

• A. UV254 absorbance multiplied by TOC
• B. UV254 absorbance divided by TOC
• C. UV254 absorbance multiplied by DOC
• D. UV254 absorbance divided by DOC

Answer: (B)

SUVA measures how aromatic the dissolved organic matter is by relating how strongly it absorbs UV light at 254 nm to how much organic carbon is present. Normalizing the UV254 signal by the amount of carbon makes the value reflect the quality (aromatic character) of the organic matter, not just how much there is. That’s why dividing UV254 absorbance by the carbon concentration gives the meaningful SUVA value. In this context, using TOC as the carbon reference aligns with the concept, so UV254 divided by TOC is the correct pairing. If you multiplied by carbon instead, or divided or multiplied by a different metric, you’d be mixing quantity with quality rather than isolating aromatic content per unit carbon.

SUVA measures how aromatic the dissolved organic matter is by relating how strongly it absorbs UV light at 254 nm to how much organic carbon is present. Normalizing the UV254 signal by the amount of carbon makes the value reflect the quality (aromatic character) of the organic matter, not just how much there is. That’s why dividing UV254 absorbance by the carbon concentration gives the meaningful SUVA value. In this context, using TOC as the carbon reference aligns with the concept, so UV254 divided by TOC is the correct pairing. If you multiplied by carbon instead, or divided or multiplied by a different metric, you’d be mixing quantity with quality rather than isolating aromatic content per unit carbon.