Evaluating the tephra input into Pacific Ocean sediments: distribution in space and time

We studied the volcanic contribution to the global sediment budget in the Pacific Ocean basin. It is the world's oldest (174 m.y.) and largest (≈49% of Earth's surface area) ocean basin and has had a high and continuous tephra influx from intraplate and convergent margin volcanoes through time. Computerized shipboard data from 65 legs of the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) and the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) were screened for the presence of volcaniclastic components. Tephra-bearing and tephra-free core sections (standard 1.5- and 0.30-m core catcher sections) were separated, regardless of the mass fraction of tephra present. The percentage of tephra-bearing core sections ("tephra frequency") per site and time span ("age unit") was calculated. The age units were the Quaternary, the subepochs of the Tertiary, and the stages of the Cretaceous. A total of 424 drill sites yielded 1433 usable stratigraphic units. Fifty percent are younger than 13 m.y., corresponding to only approximately 10% of the total interval studied (124.5 m.y.). The percentage of tephra-bearing age units is high throughout (83±6%) and correlates linearly with the total number of age units (R ² =0.998; n=17). The average tephra frequency (30–50%) fluctuates, because the abundance of age units of different tephra frequency classes (0, 1–33, 34–67, 68–100% tephra frequency) varies with time. This indicates that the Cenozoic increase in tephra production results from increase in volcanicity and not spatial extension of volcanic source areas. The Cenozoic sediments that were recovered are dominated by distal tephra from explosive arc volcanism. Pulses of arc volcanism occurred in the Pliocene–Quaternary (since ≈5 m.y.) and mid-Miocene (≈12–15 m.y.). However, the record of explosive arc volcanism in Paleogene and Cretaceous sediments was either not drilled or has been destroyed by subduction. Except for the Cretaceous (≈70–110 m.y.) volcanic pulse, intraplate volcanism is poorly represented in the tephra record because the drill sites are outside the proximal range (>500–1000 km) of the sources. Thus, the tephra record drilled contains significant gaps that bias the estimate of tephra volume towards the less voluminous distal deposits. Most of the volcaniclastic volume accumulated by mass wasting as volcaniclastic aprons surrounding ocean island volcanoes. Volcaniclastic production rates range from 10,000 to 41,800 km³/m.y. for large intraplate volcanoes and approximately 10–13 km³/km arc length per million years for oceanic island arcs. Extrapolation over the lifetime of major Pacific arcs and hotspot chains, combined with a volume estimate of the distal tephra component, indicates a minimum of 9.3×10⁶ km³ of tephra, corresponding to 23 vol.% of the existing Pacific oceanic sediments. At least two thirds of the tephra volume was deposited in the proximal range and at least half of it is derived from intraplate sources. The large proportion of tephra, its composition, and its localized accumulation causes significant spatial and temporal variation in Pacific oceanic sediments that should have a perceptible impact on the elemental fluxes between ocean, crust, and mantle.     

Depth-to-magnetic source analysis of the Arctic Ocean region

Approximately 400,000 line kilometers of high quality, low level Arctic aeromagnetic data collected by the Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Oceanographic Office and the Naval Ocean Reseach and Development Activity from 1972 through 1978 have been analyzed for depth to magnetic source. This data set covers much of the Canada Basin, the Alpha Ridge, the central part of the Makarov Basin, the Lincoln Sea, the Eurasia Basin west and south of the 55°E meridian and the Norwegian-Greenland Sea north of the Jan Mayen Fracture Zone. The analysis uses the autocorrelation algorithm developed by Phillips (1975, 1978) and based on the maximum entropy method of Burg (1967, 1968, 1975). The method is outlined, examples of various error analysis techniques shown and final results presented. Where possible, magnetic source depth estimates are compared with basement depths derived from seismic and bathymetric data.All major known bathymetric features, including Vesteris Bank and the Greenland, Molloy and Spitsbergen fracture zones, as well as the Mohns, Knipovich and Nansen spreading ridges and the Alpha Cordillera appear as regional highs in the calculated magnetic basement topography. Shallow basement was also found under the northeastern Yermak Plateau, the Morris Jesup Rise and under the southern (Greenland-Ellesmere Island) end of the Lomonsosov Ridge. Regional magnetic source deeps are associated with such bathymetric depressions as the Canada, Makarov, Amundsen, Nansen, Greenland and Lofoten basins; more localized magnetic basement deeps are found over the Molloy F.Z. deep and over the Mohns, Knipovich and Nansen rift valleys. A linear magnetic basement deep follows the extension of Nares Strait through the Lincoln Sea toward the Morris Jesup Rise, suggesting the continuation of the Nares Strait or Wegener F.Z. into the Lincoln Sea. A sharp drop in the regional magnetic source depths to the southeast of the Alpha Ridge suggests the Alpha Ridge is not connected to structures in northwest Ellesmere Island as previously postulated from high altitude aeromagnetic collected by Canadian workers. A regional deep under the east Greenland shelf west of the Greenland Escarpment suggests the presence of 5–10 km of post-Paleozoic sediments.     

Typification of the Earth’s crust of Central Arctic Uplifts in the Arctic Ocean

The modern views on the structure of the oceanic and continental crust are discussed. The presented geological-geophysical information on the deep structure of the Earth’s crust of the Lomonosov Ridge, Mendeleev Rise, and Alpha Ridge, which make up the province of the Central Arctic Uplifts in the Arctic Ocean, is based on CMP, seismic-reflection, and seismic-refraction data obtained by Russian and Western researchers along geotraverses across the Amerasia Basin. It is established that the crust thickness beneath the Central Arctic Uplifts ranges from 22 to 40 km. Comparison of the obtained velocity sections with standard crust sections of different morphostructures in the World Ocean that are underlain by the typical oceanic crust demonstrates their difference with respect to the crustal structure and to the thickness of the entire crust and its individual layers. Within the continental crust, the supercritical waves reflected from the upper mantle surface play the dominant role. Their amplitude exceeds that of head and refracted waves by one to two orders of magnitude. In contrast, the refracted and, probably, interferential head waves are dominant within the oceanic crust. The Moho discontinuity is the only first-order boundary. In the consolidated oceanic crust, such boundaries are not known. The similarity in the velocity characteristics of the crust of the Alpha Ridge and Mendeleev Rise, on the one hand, and the continental crust beneath the Lomonosov Ridge, on the other, gives grounds to state that the crust of the Mendeleev Rise and Alpha Ridge belongs to the continental type. The interference mosaic pattern of the anomalous magnetic field of the Central Arctic Uplifts is an additional argument in favor of this statement. Such patterns are typical of the continental crust with intense intraplate volcanism. Interpretation of seismic crustal sections of the Central Arctic Uplifts and their comparison with allowance for characteristic features of the continental and oceanic crust indicate that the Earth’s crust of the uplifts has the continental structure.     

北冰洋海冰重建方法研究进展

近几十年来,伴随着全球变暖和大气中CO₂的增加,北极海冰的范围和厚度都显著衰减。数值模拟预测在未来20~50年,北冰洋中心海盆在夏季将可能成为无冰区。研究北冰洋海冰历史演变的沉积记录可以更清楚地了解现代海冰减少的控制机制并对预测未来变化趋势提供依据。文章回顾了北冰洋古海冰的重建方法,主要包括指标重建和数值模拟。用于重建古海冰的传统指标有IRD（Ice-Rafted Debris,冰筏碎屑）、微体生物化石以及地球化学指标等,北冰洋IRD和微体生物化石的记录表明北冰洋的海冰出现于大约47.5 Ma,永久性海冰出现于大约14 Ma,是北冰洋古海冰研究的重要发现。但是传统指标是间接指示海冰的变化且不能量化海冰,限制了北冰洋海冰历史演变的研究。近十几年来,海冰的直接指标IP₂₅（Ice Proxy with 25 carbon atoms）的发展,是北极海冰历史演变研究从定性到定量的里程碑,通过与海冰数值模拟结合,首次验证了氧同位素6期北冰洋在陆架边缘存在冰间湖（Polynya）。近年来,最新的气候模式结果显示中全新世北极海冰变化可以影响中低纬度及北半球气候。未来研究中,北冰洋多指标沉积记录与数值模拟研究结合,可以使我们更清楚地了解海冰变化的控制机制及其对全球气候变化的驱动。

     

Advances on Studies of Methane in the Arctic Ocean

Methane(CH₄) is an important greenhouse gas, CH₄ concentrations in atmosphere hve increased by 2-3 times since the Industrial Revolution. Considering the huge CH₄ storage in the Arctic Ocean, the fast increasing flux and their consequences are attracting more and more attention. This paper summarized the advances in the study of CH₄ in the Arctic Ocean, especially the distribution pattern and air-sea flux and its biogeochemical cycle in the Arctic Ocean. It also presented the research prospect for the future.     

Organic matter in present-day ecosystems of the Arctic Ocean

Doklady Earth Sciences -     

Iron, manganese, and lead at Hawaii Ocean Time-series station ALOHA: Temporal variability and an intermediate water hydrothermal plume

Trace metal clean techniques were used to sample Hawaii Ocean Time-series (HOT) station ALOHA on seven occasions between November 1998 and October 2002. On three occasions, full water-column profile samples were obtained; on the other four occasions, surface and near-surface euphotic zone profiles were obtained. Together with three other published samplings, this site may have been monitored for “dissolved” (≤0.4 or ≤0.2 μm) Fe more frequently than any other open ocean site in the world.Low Fe concentrations (<0.1 nmol kg⁻¹) are seen in the lower euphotic zone, and Fe concentrations increase to a maximum in intermediate waters. In the deepwaters (>2500 m), the concentrations we observe (0.4-0.5 nmol kg⁻¹) are significantly lower than some other deep North Pacific stations but are similar to values that have been reported for a station 350 miles to the northeast. We attribute these low deepwater values to transport of low-Fe Antarctic Bottom Water into the basin and a balance between Fe regeneration and scavenging in the deep water. Near-surface waters have higher Fe levels than observed in the lower euphotic zone. Significant temporal variability is seen in near-surface Fe concentrations (ranging from 0.2-0.7 nmol kg⁻¹); we attribute these surface Fe fluctuations to variable dust deposition, biological uptake, and changes in the mixed layer depth. This variability could occur only if the surface layer Fe residence time is less than a few years, and based on that constraint, it appears that a higher percentage of the total Fe must be released from North Pacific aerosols compared to North Atlantic aerosols. Surprisingly, significant temporal variability and high particulate Fe concentrations are observed for intermediate waters (1000-1500 m). These features are seen in the depth interval where high δ³He from the nearby Loihi Seamount hydrothermal fields has been observed; the total Fe/³He ratio implies that the hydrothermal vents are the source of the high and variable Fe.The vertical profile of Mn at ALOHA qualitatively resembles other North Pacific Mn profiles with surface and intermediate water maxima, but there are some significant quantitative differences from other reported profiles. The ≤0.4 μm Mn concentration is highest near the surface, decreases sharply in the upper 500 m, then shows an intermediate water maximum at 800 m and then decreases in the deepest waters; these concentrations are higher than observed at a station 350 miles to the northeast that shows similar vertical variations. It appears that there is a significant Mn gradient (throughout the water column) from HOT towards the northeast.Compared to the first valid oceanic Pb data for samples collected in 1976, Pb at ALOHA in 1997-1999 shows decreases in surface waters and waters shallower than 200 m. Pb concentrations in central North Pacific surface waters have decreased by a factor of 2 during the past 25 yr (from ∼65 to ∼30 pmol kg⁻¹); surface water Pb concentrations in the central North Atlantic and central North Pacific are now comparable. We attribute the surface water Pb decrease to the elimination of leaded gasoline in Japan and to some extent by the U.S. and Canada. We attribute most of the remaining Pb in Pacific surface waters to Asian emissions, more likely due to high-temperature industrial activities such as coal burning rather than to leaded gasoline consumption. A 3-year mixed-layer time series from the nearby HALE-ALOHA mooring site (1997-1999) shows that there is an annual cycle in Pb with concentrations ∼20% higher in winter months; this rise may be created by downward mixing of the winter mixed layer into the steep gradient of higher Pb in the upper thermocline (Pb concentrations double between the surface and 200 m). From 200 m to the bottom, Pb concentrations decrease to levels of 5-9 pmol kg⁻¹ near the bottom; for most of the water column, thermocline and deepwater Pb concentrations do not appear to have changed significantly during the 23-yr interval.     

The dissolved Beryllium isotope composition of the Arctic Ocean

We present the first comprehensive set of dissolved ¹⁰Be and ⁹Be concentrations in surface waters and vertical profiles of all major sub-basins of the Arctic Ocean, which are complemented by data from the major Arctic rivers Mackenzie, Lena, Yenisey and Ob. The results show that ¹⁰Be and ⁹Be concentrations in waters below 150 m depth are low and only vary within a factor of 2 throughout the Arctic Basin (350-750 atoms/g and 9-15 pmol/kg, respectively). In marked contrast, Be isotope compositions in the upper 150 m are highly variable and show systematic variations. Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be concentrations range from 150 to 1000 atoms/g and concentrations of terrigenous ⁹Be range from 7 to 65 pmol/kg, resulting in ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios (atom/atom) between 0.5 and 14 × 10⁻⁸. Inflowing Atlantic water masses in the Eurasian Basin are characterized by a ¹⁰Be/⁹Be signature of 7 × 10⁻⁸. The inflow of Pacific water masses across the Bering Strait is characterized by lower ratios of 2-3 × 10⁻⁸, which can be traced into the central Arctic Ocean, possibly as far as the Fram Strait. A comparison of the high dissolved surface ¹⁰Be and ⁹Be concentrations (corresponding to low ¹⁰Be/⁹Be signatures of ∼2 × 10⁻⁸) in the Eurasian Basin with hydrographic parameters and river data documents efficient and rapid transport of Be with Siberian river waters across the Siberian Arctic shelves into the central Arctic Basin, although significant loss and exchange of Be on the shelves occurs. In contrast, fresh surface waters from the Canada Basin also show high cosmogenic ¹⁰Be contents, but are not enriched in terrigenous ⁹Be (resulting in high ¹⁰Be/⁹Be signatures of up to 14 × 10⁻⁸). This is explained by a combination of efficient scavenging of Be in the Mackenzie River estuary and the shelves and additional supply of cosmogenic ¹⁰Be via atmospheric fallout and melting of old sea ice. The residence time of Be in the deep Arctic Ocean estimated from our data is 800 years and thus similar to the average Be residence time in the global ocean.     

Carbonate characteristics of waters of the Arctic Ocean continental slope

Carbonate characteristics of the water mass of the deepwater part of the Arctic Ocean (AO) in the continental slope area were determined, and the range and reasons of their variability during summer-fall season were revealed. The AO water area is a meaningful sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. The warm intermediate Atlantic waters (AW) are also undersaturated with carbon dioxide relative to its content in the atmosphere. While these waters move along AO continental slope, the value pCO₂ in the AW core decreases to 8–10 μatm (mainly, due to drop in the water temperature). The potential absorption capacity of the AO deepwater basin is estimated at approximately 48 Tg of carbon (without sea ice taken into account). Joint analysis of carbonate and hydrological parameters showed that near-bottom waters formed on the shallow shelf of the Laptev Sea, which is rich in inorganic and organic carbon of terrestrial and marine genesis, take part in formation of halocline waters of the AO. They are modified due to interaction with AW penetrating to the shelf and are transferred to the deepwater AO segment, where they occur in the halocline according to their density. Transformed near-bottom waters of the Laptev Sea shelf, similar to waters of the halocline of Pacific origin in the eastern sector of the AO, are traced above the continental slope in Amundsen Basin on the basis of higher CO₂ concentrations.     

Composition and characteristics of the ferromanganese crusts from the western Arctic Ocean

Layered ferromanganese crusts collected by dredge from a water depth range of 2770 to 2200 m on Mendeleev Ridge, Arctic Ocean, were analyzed for mineralogical and chemical compositions and dated using the excess ²³⁰Th technique. Comparison with crusts from other oceans reveals that Fe-Mn deposits of Mendeleev Ridge have the highest Fe/Mn ratios, are depleted in Mn, Co, and Ni, and enriched in Si and Al as well as some minor elements, Li, Th, Sc, As and V. However, the upper layer of the crusts shows Mn, Co, and Ni contents comparable to crusts from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Growth rates vary from 3.03 to 3.97 mm/Myr measured on the uppermost 2 mm. Mn and Fe oxyhydroxides (vernadite, ferroxyhyte, birnessite, todorokite and goethite) and nonmetalliferous detrital minerals characterize the Arctic crusts. Temporal changes in crust composition reflect changes in the depositional environment. Crust formation was dominated by three main processes: precipitation of Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides from ambient ocean water, sorption of metals by those Fe and Mn phases, and fluctuating but large inputs of terrigenous debris.     

Dispersed iron and manganese in Pacific Ocean sediments

The article considers the areal distribution of dispersed iron and manganese on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. -Author.     

Continental ridges in the Arctic Ocean: Lorex constraints

Recent multidisciplinary geophysical measurements over the Lomonosov Ridge close to the North Pole support the widely held belief that it was formerly part of Eurasia. The known lithologies, ages, P-wave velocity structure and thickness of the crust along the outer Barents and Kara continental shelves are similar to permitted or measured values of these parameters newly acquired over the Lomonosov Ridge. Seismic, gravity and magnetic data in particular show that the ridge basement is most likely formed of early Mesozoic or older sedimentary or low-grade metasedimentary rocks over a crystalline core that is intermediate to basic in composition. Short-wavelength magnetic anomaly highs along the upper ridge flanks and crest may denote the presence of shallow igneous rocks. Because of the uncertain component of ice-rafted material, seafloor sediments recovered from the ridge by shallow sampling techniques cannot be clearly related to ridge basement lithology without further detailed analysis. The ridge is cut at the surface and at depth by normal faults that appear related to the development of the Makarov Basin. This and other data are consistent with the idea that the Makarov Basin was formed by continental stretching rather than simple seafloor spreading. Hence the flanking Alpha and Lomonosov ridges may originally have been part of the same continental block. It is suggested that in Late Cretaceous time this block was sheared from Eurasia along a trans-Arctic left-lateral offset that may have been associated with the opening of Baffin Bay. The continental block was later separated from Eurasia when the North Altantic rift extended into the Arctic region in the Early Tertiary. The data suggest that the Makarov Basin did not form before the onset of rifting in the Artic.     

Oceanic basins in prehistory of the evolution of the Arctic Ocean

During geodynamic reconstruction of the Late Mezozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the Arctic Ocean, a problem arises: did this ocean originate as a legacy structure of ancient basins, or did it evolve independently? Solution of this problem requires finding indicators of older oceanic basins within the limits of the Arctic Region. The Arctic Region has structural-material complexes of several ancient oceans, namely, Mesoproterozoic, Late Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic (Caledonian and Hercynian), Middle Paleozoic-Late Jurassic, and those of the Arctic Ocean, including the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous Canadian, the Late Cretaceous-Paleocene Podvodnikov-Makarov, and the Cenozoic Eurasian basins. The appearances of all these oceans were determined by a complex of global geodynamical factors, which were principally changed in time, and, as a result of this, location and configuration of newly opened oceans, as well as ones of adjacent continents, which varied from stage to stage. By the end of the Paleozoic, fragments of the crust corresponding to Precambrian and Caledonian oceans were transported during plate-tectonic motions from southern and near equatorial latitudes to moderately high and arctic ones, and, finally, became parts of the Pangea II supercontinent. The Arctic Ocean that appeared after the Pangea II breakup (being a part of the Atlantic Ocean) has no direct either genetic or spatial relation with more ancient oceans.     

Interannual variability of Pacific summer waters in the Arctic Ocean

This work is devoted to study of interannual variability of characteristics of Pacific summer waters (PSWs) supplied into the AO in summer. The distribution area, volume, and heat content of PSWs have been calculated for the first time for the entire Arctic Basin in the periods of 1950–1989 and 2008–2009 demonstrating the presence of substantial interannual variability. From 1953 until 1983 a negative trend and since 1984 a positive trend have been observed; the latter lasted until 2009, when the heat content, volume, and distribution area of PSWs reached their maximal values for the entire period considered. It has been shown that PSW quantity in the Arctic Basin, identified by temperature, rather depends on the intensity of heat flux through the Bering Strait, and the calculated value for PSW life in the Arctic Basin is seven years.     

The contrasting biogeochemistry of iron and manganese in the Pacific Ocean

Vertical and horizontal distributions of dissolved and suspended particulate Fe and Mn, and vertical fluxes of these metals (obtained with sediment traps) were determined throughout the Pacific Ocean. In general, dissolved Fe is low in surface and deep waters (0.1 to 0.7 nmol/kg), with maxima associated with the intermediate depth oxygen minimum zone (2.0 to 6.6 nmol/kg). Vertical distributions of dissolved Mn are similar to previous reports, exhibiting a surface maximum, a subsurface minimum, a Mn maximum layer coincident with the oxygen minimum zone, and lowest values in deep waters.Near-shore removal processes are more intense for dissolved Fe than for dissolved Mn. Dissolved Mn in the surface mixed layer remains elevated much farther offshore than dissolved Fe. Elevated near-surface dissolved Mn concentrations occur in the North Pacific Equatorial Current, suggesting transport from the eastern boundary. Near-surface mixed-layer dissolved Mn concentrations are higher in the North Pacific gyre reflecting enhanced northern hemisphere aeolian sources.Residence time estimates for the settling of refractory paniculate Fe and Mn from the upper water column are 62–220 days (Fe), and 105–235 days (Mn). In contrast, residence times for the scavenging of dissolved Fe and Mn are 2–13 years (Fe) and 3–74 years (Mn). Scavenging residence times for dissolved Mn based on horizontal mixing in the surface mixed layer of the northeast Pacific are 0.4 years (nearshore) to 19 years (1000 km offshore).There is no evidence for in situ Fe redox dissolution within sub-oxic waters in the eastern tropical North Pacific. Dissolved Fe appeared to be controlled by dissolution from sub-oxic sediments, with oxidative scavenging in the water column or upper sediment layers. However, in situ Mn dissolution within the oxygen minimum zone was evident.     

Incursion of the Pacific Ocean Water into the Indian Ocean

Using the data collected during the International Indian Ocean Expedition, maps showing the distribution of depth, acceleration potential, salinity and oxyty were prepared for the northeast monsoon for the four potential thermosteric anomaly surfaces: 160, 120, 80 and 60 cl/t. Zonal components of current along 84°E were computed from the geopotential dynamic heights. From such an analysis, it became clear that low-salinity water from the Pacific intrudes into the western Indian Ocean through the Banda and Timor seas in the upper layers above 100 cl/t surface, while the North Indian Ocean Water penetrates towards the Eastern Archipelago below 100 cl/t surface. The South Equatorial Countercurrent and the Tropical Countercurrent are well depicted on the vertical section of zonal components as well as on the distribution of acceleration potential.     

The Processing and Impact of Dissolved Riverine Nitrogen in the Arctic Ocean

Although the Arctic Ocean is the most riverine-influenced of all of the world’s oceans, the importance of terrigenous nutrients in this environment is poorly understood. This study couples estimates of circumpolar riverine nutrient fluxes from the PARTNERS (Pan-Arctic River Transport of Nutrients, Organic Matter, and Suspended Sediments) Project with a regionally configured version of the MIT general circulation model to develop estimates of the distribution and availability of dissolved riverine N in the Arctic Ocean, assess its importance for primary production, and compare these estimates to potential bacterial production fueled by riverine C. Because riverine dissolved organic nitrogen is remineralized slowly, riverine N is available for uptake well into the open ocean. Despite this, we estimate that even when recycling is considered, riverine N may support 0.5–1.5 Tmol C year⁻¹ of primary production, a small proportion of total Arctic Ocean photosynthesis. Rapid uptake of dissolved inorganic nitrogen coupled with relatively high rates of dissolved organic nitrogen regeneration in N-limited nearshore regions, however, leads to potential localized rates of riverine-supported photosynthesis that represent a substantial proportion of nearshore production.