Holocene accumulation of organic carbon at the Laptev Sea continental margin (Arctic Ocean): sources, pathways, and sinks

Composition and accumulation rates of organic carbon in Holocene sediments provided data to calculate an organic carbon budget for the Laptev Sea continental margin. Mean Holocene accumulation rates in the inner Laptev Sea vary between 0.14 and 2.7 g C cm⁻² ky⁻¹; maximum values occur close to the Lena River delta. Seawards, the mean accumulation rates decrease from 0.43 to 0.02 g C cm⁻² ky⁻¹. The organic matter is predominantly of terrigenous origin. About 0.9 × 10⁶ t year⁻¹ of organic carbon are buried in the Laptev Sea, and 0.25 × 10⁶ t year⁻¹ on the continental slope. Between about 8.5 and 9 ka, major changes in supply of terrigenous and marine organic carbon occur, related to changes in coastal erosion, Siberian river discharge, and/or Atlantic water inflow along the Eurasian continental margin. Received: 26 October 1998 / Revision accepted: 15 June 1999     

Chlorophyll,primary production,and organic carbon fluxes in the Kara Sea

New maps of the mean monthly distribution of chlorophyll and the primary production in the Kara Sea were compiled using joint processing of CZCS (1978–1986), SeaWiFS (1998–2005), and MODIS (2002–2006) satellite data and field measurements. The annual primary production of phytoplankton is estimated at 22.3 × 10⁶ t of C per year or 70 mg of C/m² per day. The results of the calculations of the organic carbon budget in the Kara Sea are presented.     

A contemporary sediment and organic carbon budget for the Kara Sea shelf (Siberia)

It has recently been realized that the Arctic undergoes drastic changes, probably resulting from global change induced processes. This acts on the cycling of matter and on biogenic elements in the Arctic Ocean having feedback mechanisms with the global climate, for example by interacting with atmospheric trace gas concentration. A contemporary budget for biogenic elements as well as suspended matter for the Arctic Ocean as a baseline for comparison with effects of further global change is, thus, needed. Available budgets are based on the late Holocene sedimentary record and are therefore quiet different from the present which has already been affected by the intense anthropogenic activity of the last centuries.

We calculated a contemporary suspended matter and organic carbon budget for the Kara Sea utilizing the numerous available data from the recent literature as well as our own data from Russian-German SIRRO (Siberian River Run-off) expeditions. For calculation of the budgets we used a multi-box model to simplify the Kara Sea shelf and estuary system: input was assumed to comprise riverine and eolian input as well as coastal erosion, output was assumed to consist of sedimentation and export to the Arctic Ocean. Exchange with the adjacent seas was considered in our budget, and primary production as well as recycling of organic material was taken into account. According to our calculations, about 18.5 × 10⁶ t yr^− 1 of sediments and 0.37 × 10⁶ t yr^− 1 of organic carbon are buried in the estuaries, whereas 20.9 × 10⁶ t yr^− 1 sediment and 0.31 × 10⁶ t yr^− 1 organic carbon are buried on the shelf. Most sources and sinks of our organic carbon budget of the Kara Sea are in the same order of magnitude, making it a region very sensitive to further changes.     

俄罗斯北极海(喀拉海)的生物地球化学

据1995—2003年SIRRO计划的研究成果,喀拉海是研究河流—海洋体系相互作用过程独一无二的地区。巨大的西伯利亚叶尼塞河和鄂毕河注入这个浅海。1995—2003年科学研究船“鲍利斯.彼得罗夫”号对喀拉海进行了国际性考察。提供的工作成果总结了俄罗斯科学院地球化学与分析化学研究所完成的研究成果。对整个海区200多个测站研究了沉积物的水化学参数,有机碳和碳酸盐碳的含量及同位素成分,水中浮游生物和悬浮物质以及烃类和溶解CO2。在大西洋水进入喀拉海区δ13C有机的变化范围为-22‰~-24‰,而在东北海区叶尼塞和鄂毕河口区则为-27‰~-30‰…     

北冰洋楚科奇海陆架到陆坡表层沉积物有机碳载荷的变化

沉积物单位表面积上吸附的有机碳被广泛用于示踪有机碳载荷的变化。本文研究了北冰洋典型边缘海——楚科奇海表层沉积物的有机碳载荷。研究发现陆架区沉积物的有机碳载荷高于陆坡区。相比于已报道的东西伯利亚海和马更些河,楚科奇海陆坡区沉积物的有机碳载荷也较低。这种有机碳载荷的变化可能和陆坡区的初级生产力较低,以及沉积物在传输过程中经历的氧化降解有关。沉积物的有机碳含量和比表面积呈线性相关,在有机碳轴上有正截距,表明一部分有机碳来自于岩石的贡献。此外,陆架区低有机碳载荷的沉积物含有的岩石有机碳更高。本研究的数据有助于深刻理解楚科奇海区域的碳循环问题。     

生物标志物重建全新世以来黄海浮游植物群落结构时空变化

现有研究对全新世以来浮游植物群落结构在黄海的时空变化还缺乏深入认识,针对这一问题,本研究分析了C02和N05岩心中的生物标志物,并结合已发表岩心生物标志物数据,重建黄海全新世以来浮游植物群落结构的时空变化。在早全新世,长链烯酮相对比例（A/∑PB）和菜子甾醇相对比例（B/∑PB）低,甲藻甾醇相对比例（D/∑PB）高。较高的陆源有机质指标（TMBR'）值说明黄海浮游植物群落结构主要受陆源营养盐输入控制。在中全新世,A/∑PB升高,B/∑PB和D/∑PB减小,是由于高温高盐的黄海暖流入侵有利于颗石藻生长。在空间分布上,以ZY3、ZY2、ZY1和YE-2 4个站位组成的35.5°N断面区域烯酮相对比例大幅升高,西部站位C02与东部N05烯酮比例小幅上升,这是由于黄海暖流主轴流经35.5°N断面,该区域主要受黄海暖流控制,而其他区域仍受陆源营养盐输入控制。从早全新世到中全新世,B/∑PB（D/∑PB）高值相继出现在N05（C02）和C02（N05）区域,这是由于2个站位的控制因素不同,可能与黄海暖流主轴摆动和陆源物质的搬运有关。在晚全新世,A/∑PB继续升高,B/∑PB和D/∑PB减小。晚全新世东亚冬季季风增强使黄海环流体系加强,黄海暖流对颗石藻的影响进一步扩大。甲藻甾醇与菜子甾醇的相对比例（D/B）升高,可能是由于东亚冬季季风增强,使含有更多氮元素的大气物质沉降到黄海,有利于甲藻对硅藻的竞争。     

Late Holocene paleoceanography and climate variability over the Mackenzie Slope (Beaufort Sea,Canadian Arctic)

Late Holocene paleoceanography and climate variability of the Southeastern Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) have been investigated on the basis of sedimentary cores collected over the Mackenzie Slope. Piston, trigger and box cores were sampled at station 803 in 2004 aboard the CCGS Amundsen at 218 m water depth. The chronology of the piston core is constrained by 4 AMS-¹⁴C dates, as the sedimentation rate in the box core is assessed from ²¹⁰Pb data. We obtain a continuous composite sequence covering the last 4600 years, with a sedimentation rate of ~ 140 cm.kyr^? 1. Transfer functions (modern analogue technique) based on dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages were used to reconstruct the evolution of sea-surface conditions over the time period covered by the cores.Palynological data reveal that dinocyst assemblages are dominated by Operculodinium centrocarpum sensu lato (mean of 43.3%) throughout the core, with the accompanying taxa Brigantedinium spp. (19.6%), Islandinium minutum (15.6%) and cysts of Pentapharsodinium dalei (13.7%). Four zones have been established on the basis of dinocyst relative abundances. Dinocyst assemblage zone 1 (D1), from 4600 to 2700 cal years BP, is dominated by O. centrocarpum (mean of 49.0%). In zone D2 (2700–1500 cal years BP), the relative abundances of O. centrocarpum decrease (34.4%) in favour of the opportunistic, heterotrophic taxa Brigantedinium spp. (28.8%) and cysts of Polykrikos sp. var. arctic/quadratus (2.8%). Dinocyst zone D3 (1500–30 cal years BP or 450–1920 AD) is characterised by the high relative abundance of the peridinioid taxa I. minutum (19.9%). The last zone (D4), spanning from 1920 to 2004 AD, is again dominated by O. centrocarpum (44.5%), and shows low relative abundances of Brigantedinium spp. and cf. Echinidinium karaense.Quantitative reconstructions of past sea-surface parameters (August sea-surface temperature: SST, August sea-surface salinity: SSS, and duration of sea-ice cover) indicate relatively stable conditions over the last 4.6 kyr, with episodic cooling events (SST of ~ 1.5 °C below the modern value of 6 °C) that took place between 700 and 1820 AD. We associate the last and the longest of these cooling events (1560–1820 AD) with the Little Ice Age. Reconstructed SSS shows decadal oscillations since 1920 AD that we tentatively associate with the accumulation of freshwater by the Beaufort Gyre and the subsequent Great Salinity Anomalies. Our data suggest that similar salinity anomalies could have occurred ca. 1860 and 1790 AD.Stable isotopic data show a slight increase in δ¹³C values (from ~?27.1‰ at the base to ~?25.8‰ at the top) over the last 4.6 kyr that we associate with the gradual increase in atmospheric CO₂ concentration as recorded by Antarctic ice cores. Variations in the δ¹⁵N profile suggest variations in Pacific water influence from 4600 to ~ 1300 cal years BP, associated with centennial scale shifts of the Arctic Oscillation phases.     

Genesis of organic matter in the Kara Sea bottom sediments

Based on simultaneous use of organic and geochemical indicators (δ¹³C, C/N, and n-alkanes), the genesis of organic matter (OM) in recent bottom sediments of the Kara Sea was characterized. Maps for percentages and absolute masses of marine and terrigenous OM were drawn. The masses of buried marine and terrigenous OM were compared to its supply to the sea and onto the sea bottom.     

Sources and transport of organic carbon to shelf,slope, and basin surface sediments of the Arctic Ocean

Lipids in surface sediment transects across the Arctic Ocean were identified to define the sources of organic carbon and the transport of material in the ocean basin. Sterols representing diatoms (24-methylcholesta-5,24(28)-dien-3β-ol, 24-methylcholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol) and dinoflagellates (4α,23,24-trimethylcholest-22-en-3β-ol) together with algal polyunsaturated fatty acids (20:5, 22:6) demonstrated the importance of primary production to organic matter inputs on the Chukchi Shelf. The presence of terrestrial biomarkers including long-chain n-alkanes and mono- and dicarboxylic acids in shelf sediments indicated that while the fraction of terrestrial biomarkers was small compared to marine material, the transport of allochthonous material impacts carbon cycling on the shelf. Algal biomarkers were found in all surficial sediments from the central Arctic basins, demonstrating that some fraction of primary production reached bottom sediments despite ice cover and light limitation. Marine markers represented a small fraction of the total lipids in central basin sediments. This implies that the basins are less productive than shallow waters, significant degradation occurs before the organic matter reaches the sediment–water interface, and substantial amounts of vascular plant material are exported to the central Arctic. Circulation and topographical features, such as the Transpolar Drift and the Lomonosov Ridge, appear to have an important influence on the transport and focusing of terrestrial material in the Arctic Ocean basins.     

北极海洋沉积物中持久性有机污染物分布特征及分子地层学记录的研究

持久性有机污染物(POPs)普遍存在于各种环境介质中,其中有机氯农药(OCPs)和多氯联苯(PCBs)化学性质稳定,在环境中能持久残留.它们经食物链浓缩并在生物体内累积,大多数具有致癌、致畸、致突变效应,构成对人类和生态系统的潜在危害,成为世界公认的全球性环境公害.     

Paleoceanographic records in the Chukchi Basin, western Arctic Ocean during the late Quaternary

The late Quaternary paleoceanographic changes in the western Arctic Ocean are revealed by quantitative studies of foraminiferal abundance, ice-rafted detritus (IRD) and its mineralogical and petrological compositions, planktonic Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sin.) (Nps)-δ¹⁸O and -δ¹³C, biogenic and non-biogenic components in Core M03 token from the Chukchi Basin during the Second Chinese National Arctic Expedition cruise. Seven IRD events appeared at MIS 7, 5, 3 and 1. These IRD were carried in massive icebergs, which were exported to the Beaufort Sea through the M'Clure Strait Ice Stream, Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and then transported into the Chukchi Basin by the Beaufort Gyre. Low IRD deposition occurred during the glacial times when more extended ice cover and weakened Beaufort Gyre, while the open water condition and the intensified Beaufort Gyre during interglacial periods favored the IRD deposition. Therefore, the IRD events not only indicate the provenance of coarser detritus and ice export events, but also reflect the evolutionary histories of the Beaufort Gyre and North American ice sheet. Seven light Nps-δ¹⁸O and -δ¹³C excursions could respond to enhanced rates of sea ice formation resulting in the production and sinking of isotopically light brines, but was irrelevant to the warm Atlantic water and freshwater inputs. Whereas, the heavy Nps-δ¹⁸O and -δ¹³C values separately reflect the lessened Arctic freshwater and Pacific water, and well-ventilated surface water from the continental shelf and halocline water. Variations of CaCO₃ content and planktonic foraminiferal abundance during the interglacial and glacial periods can demonstrate the incremental or diminishing input of the Atlantic water, while the total organic carbon (TOC) and opal contents increased and decreased during the glacial and interglacial periods, respectively, which could be related to the TOC degradation, opal dissolution and redox conditions of interface between the bottom water and sediments.     

The organic carbon in the water,the particulate matter,and the upper layer of the bottom sediments of the west Kara Sea

In three sections in the Kara Sea, the contents of the dissolved and particulate organic carbon (the DOC and POC, respectively), as well as of the organic carbon of the bottom sediments (C_org) were determined. The contents of varied from 6.3 to 2400 μg/l for the DOC and from 0.84 to 12.2 mg of C/l for the POC. The average concentrations for all the samples tested amounted to 200 μg/l for the DOC (n = 78, σ = 368) and 2.7 mg/l for the POC (n = 92, σ = 2.7). The concentrations of Corg in the samples of the upper layer of the bottom sediments of the area treated varied from 0.13 to 2.10% of the dry substance at an average value of 0.9% (n = 21, σ= 0.49%). It is shown that the distribution of the different forms of organic matter (OM) is an indicator of the supply and spreading of the particulate matter in the Kara Sea and that the DOC and POC of the Kara Sea are formed under the impact of the runoff of the Ob and Yenisei river waters. It is found that the distribution of the OM of the bottom sediments in the surveyed area of the Kara Sea is closely related to their grain-size composition and to the structure of the currents in the area studied. The variations in the Corg content in the bottom sediment cores from the zone of riverine and marine water mixing represent the variability of the OM burial.     

Microbial processes of the carbon and sulfur cycles in the Kara Sea

The results of microbiological, biogeochemical, and isotope geochemical studies in the Kara Sea are described. The samples for these studies were obtained during the 54th voyage of the research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in September 2007. The studied area covered the northern, central, and southwestern parts of the Kara Sea and the Gulf of Ob. The quantitative characteristics of the total bacterial population and the activity of the microbial processes in the water column and bottom sediments were obtained. The total population of the bacterioplankton (BP) varied from 250000 cells/ml in the northern water area to 3000000 cells/ml in the Gulf of Ob. The BP population depended on the content of the water suspension. The net BP production was minimal in the central water area, amounting to 0.15–0.2 μg C/(l day), and maximal (0.5–0.75 μg C/(l day)) in the Gulf of Ob. The organic material at the majority of the stations in the Ob transect predominantly contained light carbon isotopes (−28.0 to −30.18‰) of terrigenous origin. The methane content in the surface water layer varied from 0.18 to 2.0 μl CH₄/l, and the methane oxidation rate changed in the range of 0.1–100 nl CH₄/(l day). The methane concentration in the upper sediment layer varied from 30 to 300 μl CH₄/dm³; the rate of the methanogenesis was 44 to 500 nl CH₄/(dm³ day) and that of the methane oxidation, 30 to 2000 nl CH₄/(dm³ day). The rate of the sulfate reduction varied from 4 to 184 μg S/(dm³ day).     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Arctic: Ob and Yenisei Estuaries and Kara Sea Shelf

Suspended matter (SM) and surface sediments were analysed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) throughout the Ob and Yenisei River estuaries and in the Kara Sea in order to evaluate the contamination of Arctic shelves by these two major Siberian rivers. PAH concentrations were extremely low, among the lowest measured up to now in the Arctic region. Particle-associated PAH were in many cases non-detectable. A total PAH maximum value of 3·2ngl ^{− 1}was found in surface waters. In surficial sediments, they spanned a range from 24 to 115ngg ^{− 2}in the Ob River, from 40 to 131ngg ^{− 2}in the Yenisei and from 16 to 94ngg ^{− 2}in the Kara Sea. Compositional features revealed a contribution of detrital material eroded from soils of the drainage basins and inputs from airborne pyrolytic PAH emitted at lower latitudes and from industrial complexes in Siberia. Particulate and sedimentary PAH distributions were highly variable both in type and concentration. The Ob and Yenisei estuaries are geographically large features where hydro-dynamical and sedimentary processes are complex. As a consequence, inhomogeneities—in the form of patch-structures—develop and make it difficult to resolve the fate of riverborne constituents based on ship measurements only. Remote sensing in conjunction with oceanographic observations may provide further guidance to study large river systems.     

Rapid removal of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon over the Eurasian shelves of the Arctic Ocean

The fate of terrigenous dissolved organic carbon (tDOC) delivered to the Arctic Ocean by rivers remains poorly constrained on both spatial and temporal scales. Early reports suggested Arctic tDOC was refractory to degradation, while recent studies have shown tDOC removal to be an active but slow process. Here we present observations of DOC, salinity, δ¹⁸O, and ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra in the Polar Surface Layer (PSL) over the outer East Siberian/Chukchi shelf and the adjacent Makarov and Eurasian basins of the eastern Arctic Ocean. This off-shelf system receives meteoric water, introduced by rivers, after a few years residence on the shelf. Elevated concentrations of DOC (> 120 μM C) were observed in low salinity (~ 27) water over the Makarov Basin, suggesting inputs of tDOC-enriched river water to the source waters of the Transpolar Drift. The regression of DOC against salinity indicated an apparent tDOC concentration of 315 ± 7 μM C in the river water fraction, which is significantly lower than the estimated DOC concentration in the riverine sources to the region (724 ± 55 μM C). To obtain the timescale of removal, estimates of shelf residence were coupled with measurements of dissolved ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra, an isotopic tracer of time since shelf residence. Shelf residence time coupled with DOC distributions indicates a first order tDOC removal rate constant, λ = 0.24 ± 0.07 yr^-1, for the eastern Arctic, 2.5–4 times higher than rates previously observed in the western Arctic. The observed removal of tDOC in the eastern Arctic occurs over the expansive shelf area, highlighting the initial lability of tDOC upon delivery to the Arctic Ocean, and suggests that tDOC is composed of multiple compartments defined by reactivity. The relatively rapid remineralization of tDOC on the shelves may mitigate the strength of the Arctic Ocean atmospheric CO₂ sink if a projected increase in labile tDOC flux occurs.     

渤海南部海域柱状沉积物中氮的形态与有机碳的分解

海洋沉积物中氮形态的研究是研究其生物地球化学循环的重要前提,柱状沉积物中氮的形态分布在一定程度上反映了其早期成岩作用的进程及结果.利用分级浸取分离方法首次对渤海南部海域自然粒度下5个柱状沉积物样品进行了分析,依据是否可由试剂提取将其分为可转化态和非转化态,系统地研究了可转化态中各形态氮的分布特征及早期成岩作用.研究表明,渤海南部海域自然粒度下柱状沉积物中,OSF-N和IEF-N是可转化态氮的优势形态.各形态氮的含量随深度变化趋势不同,成岩作用亦不同.沉积物中有机氮的分解速率常数为15.51×10-3a,且对各生源要素的分解速率常数有N>P>C>Si;OC/TN比值远小于OC/ON,说明沉积物中保留了大量无机氮(IN)和非转化的有机氮,OC/ON值随深度增加而减小是由于沉积物中富集了ON;柱状沉积物中,表层比深层可转化态氮占其总量的比例高,在局部区域由于深层沉积物中氮的“再活化”导致二者几乎相同.     

Nitrogen forms and decomposition of organic carbon in the southern Bohai Sea core sediments

Study on form characteristics of nitrogen in marine sediments is the primary method to research its biogeochemical cycling and nitrogen form characteristics in core sediments can reflect the process and results of early diagenesis in a certain degree. In this paper, Sequential extraction process in natural grain size was used for studying the existent forms of nitrogen in five core sediments of the southern Bohai Sea for the first time. Nitrogen was divided into two parts -transferable and fixed based on whether it could be extracted by the reagent. Distributions and early diagenesis of transferable nitrogen forms in the southern Bohai Sea were researched integratedly. Results indicate that IEF - N and OSF-N are predominant forms in transferable part in the studied core sediments. Contents of different nitrogen forms vary differently with depth, and have different diagenesis process. Decomposition constant of organic nitrogen (ON) and OC are about 15.51 × 10~(-3)a~(-1)and 4.79× 10~(-3)a~(-1) respective     

Environmental evolution of the southern Chukchi Sea in the Holocene

The molluscan shells from three drill and two piston cores obtained in the southern Russian sector of the Chukchi Sea are dated by the AMS ¹⁴C measurement method back to 0.8–3.5 and 9.2–10.5 ka. The period of 9–10 ka was marked by increased sedimentation rates related to the transgression onset. The fossils in the lower Holocene section exhibit the successive upward replacement of brackish-water organisms by their marine counterparts. After the opening of the Bering Strait in the middle Holocene, the sedimentation was under influence of the increased bioproductivity of the waters. The climatic optimum in the Chukotka region corresponds to the early Holocene, while the late Holocene was characterized by the wider development of the ice cover on the shelf.     

Bottom Communities of Sedova Bay (Novaya Zemlya,the Kara Sea)

Oceanology - The benthic fauna of Sedova Bay (Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlya Archipelago) was studied during two cruises of the R/V Academik Mstislav Keldysh in 2015–2016. Three macrobenthic...     

Benthic Fauna of Oga Bay (Novaya Zemlya,Kara Sea)

Oceanology - The benthic fauna of Oga Bay (Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlya archipelago) was studied in 2015–2016 during the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh expeditions. Five grab stations at depths of...