Asphalt samples collected from the Chapopote Asphalt volcano from 2900 meter depth during expedition M114 were incubated over a four-week period in artificial seawater. Water-soluble asphalt components (dissolved organic matter; DOM) were qualitatively investigated using ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS) and fluorescence spectroscopy (EEM) with subsequent parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic sulfur (DOS) and dissolved black carbon (DBC) were determined quantitatively.