Diatoms in surface sediments of the Sea of Okhotsk and the northwest Pacific Ocean

The present investigation was targeted at diatom composition studies in the surface sediments (0–1 cm) sampled in the Sea of Okhotsk and the northwest Pacific in the depth range from 130 to 6110 m. The taxonomic analysis, as well as the quantitative (the diatom cell abundance per sediment dry weight unit) content and ecological group definition, was applied. Ten diatom taxa are the main body (80–100%) of the diatom assemblages: Bacterosira bathyomphala, Chaetoceros spp. (spores), Actinocyclus curvatulus, Thalassiosira latimarginata (group), T. antarctica (spores), Neodenticula seminae, Rhizosolenia hebetata f. hiemalis, Thalassiothrix longissima, Coscinodiscus marginatus, Coscinodiscus oculus iridis. The relative content of these species reflects the sedimentation conditions for different parts of the sea: the shelf, the continental slope, the open sea, and the ocean. The highest diatom content (45.6.3–60.0 10⁶ per g of dry weight) was found for the surface sediments in the central part of the Sea of Okhotsk and the continental slope of western Kamchatka.     

Dinoflagellate cysts in the surface sediments of the White Sea

Dinoflagellate cysts were studied in 42 samples from the surface sediments of the White Sea. The total concentration of dinocysts varies from single cysts to 25 000 cyst/g of dry sediments, which reflects the biological productivity in the White Sea waters and the regional particular features of the sedimentation processes. The highest concentrations are observed in silts; they are related to the regions of propagation of the highly productive Barents Sea waters in the White Sea. Generally, the spatial distribution of dinocysts species in the surface sediments corresponds to the distribution of the major types of water masses in the White Sea. The cysts of the relatively warm-water species (Operculodinium centrocarpum, Spiniferites sp.) of North Atlantic origin that dominate in the sediments indicate an intensive intrusion of the Barents Sea water masses to the White Sea along with hydrological dwelling conditions in the White Sea favorable for the development of these species during their vegetation period. The cold-water dinocyst assemblage (Islandinium minutum, Polykrikos sp.) is rather strictly confined to the inner parts of shallow-water bays, firstly, those adjacent to the Onega and Severnaya Dvina river mouths.     

Characteristics of manganese micronodules as indicators of sedimentation conditions in pelagic sediments

Pelagic sediments from three cores in the northern tropical Pacific zone (the northeast basin) have been analyzed for particle size and composition, as well as for number, mass and the distribution of protosyngenetic authigenic manganese micronodules (MN) in them. The sequences are represented by Quaternary carbonate-free clayey–radiolarian, radiolarian–clayey oozes, miopelagic clays, sometimes enriched in radiolarians, pre-Pleistocene miopelagic and eupelagic clays, zeolite–clayey sediments, and zeolitites. Based on factual data (volume of wet sediment, weight of dry sediment and micronodules, their number and proportions of four fractions, the contribution of MN in sediment, and others), the values of different parameters were calculated. The obtained parameters are statistically similar, which allowed us to reveal background and anomalous horizons of sediments and to assume their sedimentation conditions. Similar values of Р_MN/N_MN, Р_fr > 0.05 mm, Р_MN/Р_sed and the mass of micronodules suggest that precisely these parameters reflect the main variations in conditions of pelagic sedimentation.     

Clay-mineral and grain-size distributions in surface sediments of the White Sea (Arctic Ocean): indicators of sediment sources and transport processes

In this study, the grain-size and clay-mineral compositions of 73 surface sediment samples collected in a variety of environmental settings in the White Sea are presented to characterize recent sedimentation processes, reconstruct transport pathways, and identify potential source areas of the terrigenous components. Areas >100 m deep are invariably characterized by silty clay, whereas areas <100 m deep exhibit more heterogeneous grain-size compositions plausibly explained by coastal erosion and (re-)distribution mechanisms, particularly tidal currents. The dominance of sand in the estuarine areas of the Onega and Dvina rivers as well as toward the Gorlo Strait connecting the White Sea with the Barents Sea is attributed to increased current speeds. Illite and smectite are the dominant clay minerals in recent sediments of the southwestern and eastern White Sea sectors, respectively. Their distribution patterns largely depend on the geology of the source areas, and mirror surface circulation patterns, especially in Dvina Bay. Smectite is a key clay mineral in White Sea surface sediments, as it reveals the dominating influence of the Northern Dvina’s runoff on sedimentation and water circulation throughout the basin. In comparison to other Eurasian shelf seas, the White Sea is characterized by a greater diversity of clay-mineral assemblages, which range from illite- to smectite-dominated sectors containing variable amounts of chlorite and kaolinite.     

Hydrological changes in the Laptev Sea during the Holocene inferred from the studies of aquatic palynomorphs

Based on the study of aquatic palynomorph assemblages in two Holocene sediment cores obtained from the eastern Laptev Sea shelf, the main stages in the postglacial transgression are reconstructed for the last 11.3 ky. During that period, the inner shelf of the Laptev Sea (sea depth of 51 m) was already flooded representing an area of intense freshwater sedimentation in the immediate proximity from the river mouth in the period of 11.3 to 10.3 ky B.P. Approximately 1.0–1.5 ky later, the inner shelf (sea depth of 32 m) was flooded, although it remained under the influence of the river runoff up to 7.4 ky B.P. The period of 10.3–7.4 ky B.P. was marked by the dominant dinoflagellate cysts Operculodinium centrocarpum among the aquatic palynomorphs, the appearance of more thermophilic dinoflagellate species, and elevated values of the AH ratio, which indicates an enhanced influx of relatively warm North Atlantic waters to the Laptev Sea shelf. The environment close to the present-day one became dominant on the outer and inner shelf of the Laptev Sea approximately 8.6 and 7.4 ky B.P., respectively.     

辽东湾表层沉积物碎屑矿物组合分布及其对物源和沉积物扩散的指示意义

对取自渤海辽东湾的128个表层沉积物样品进行了碎屑矿物鉴定,对矿物成分含量应用log-ratio法处理后进行统计分析。结果表明,研究区重矿物质量百分含量平均值为6.3%,高值区位于六股河口和湾西北近岸。共鉴定出7种轻矿物,38种重矿物,轻矿物以石英、斜长石和钾长石为主,重矿物以普通角闪石、绿帘石、磁铁矿、石榴子石、钛铁矿为主。根据碎屑矿物的组合分布特征,可将研究区划分为两个矿物组合区,其中又可细分为6个矿物亚区。六股河和湾西北近岸矿物亚区的碎屑矿物主要来源于六股河、湾西北入海小溪和海岸侵蚀物质,湾东北部矿物亚区沉积物主要来源于双台子河和大辽河,湾中部矿物亚区为多源混合区,湾南部矿物亚区受邻近海域和复州河沉积物影响大,湾东南部的辽东浅滩矿物亚区为潮流作用的产物。与河流入海沉积物相比,该区表层沉积物的石英/长石比值和ZTR指数明显增大。研究认为,物源是控制研究区碎屑矿物的组合与分布的主要因素,同时也受到海洋水动力和矿物性质等因素影响。     

Mineral provinces and matter provenance of the surficial sediments in the western Philippine Sea: implication for modern sedimentation in West Pacific marginal basin

The characteristics and distribution patterns of detrital minerals (0.063~0.125 mm) in marine sediments provide a significant indicator for the identification of the origin of sediment.The detrital mineral composition of 219 surface sediment samples was analysed to identify the distribution of sediments within the western Philippine Sea. The area can be divided into three mineral provinces: (I) province east of the Philippine Trench, the detrital minerals in this province are mainly composed of calcareous or siliceous organisms, with the addition of volcanogenic minerals from an adjacent island arc; (II) middle mineral province, clastic minerals including feldspar, quartz and colorless volcanic glass, sourced from seamounts with intermediate-acid volcanic rock, or erupting intermediate-acid volcano; (III) province west of the Palau—Kyūshū Ridge, the matter provenance within this province is complex; the small quantity of feldspar and quartz may be sourced from seamounts or erupting volcano with intermediate-acid composition, with a component of volcanic scoria sourced from a volcano erupting on the Palau—Kyūshū Ridge. it is suggested that, (1) Biogenic debris of the study area is closely related to water depth, with the amount of biogenic debris controlled by carbonate lysocline. (2) Volcaniclastic matter derived from the adjacent island arc can be entrained by oceanic currents and transported towards the abyssal basin over a short distance. The weathering products of volcanic rocks of the submarine plateau (e.g.,Benham Plateau) and adjacent ridges provide an important source of detrital sedimentation, and the influence scope of them is constrained by the intensity of submarine weathering. (3) Terrigenous sediments from the continent of Asia and the adjacent Philippine island arc have little influence on the sedimentation of this study area, and the felsic mineral component is probably sourced from volcanic seamounts of intermediate-acid composition.     

Microbial uncultured community of bottom sediments from the bays of Gydan and Yenisei of the Kara Sea

Using methods of molecular biology (PCR and cloning), we studied the diversity of microorganisms in the surface layers of bottom sediments from the bays of Gydan and Yenisei of the Kara Sea, which have different component composition of the pore water and mineralization level. Representatives of the domains Bacteria and Archaea were identified based on the analysis of the 16S rRNA gene fragment nucleotide sequences. The composition of the community of microorganisms in the bottom sediments changed with the changing salinity gradient of the pore waters. The phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed that the composition of the microbial communities in the southern parts of these bays was affected by fresh-water flows from rivers and streams from the lakes within the catchment area, whereas that in the northern parts was influenced by sea waters. The results indicate the presence of bacteria in the bottom sediments that are capable of using a wide range of substrates as a carbon source including hydrocarbons and organochlorine and aromatic compounds. These data can also indicate the presence of different pollutants in the sediments of these areas and the potential ability of bacteria to degrade chemical compounds that enter the waters and bottom sediments of the Kara Sea.     

Mineral composition of the modern bottom sediments of the White Sea

The mineral composition of the modern bottom sediments were studied in the White Sea. The single terrigenous-mineralogical province is defined; it is characterized by the mineral association of amphibole, epidote, garnet, and pyroxene. Five regions are assigned in the White Sea in accordance with the mineral composition of the surface bottom sediments. We argue that the granite-metamorphic rock complexes of the Baltic Shield are the main source of the modern sediments in the White Sea, while the East European Craton (Russian Platform) plays a secondary role.     

南海中北部表层沉积物的矿物沉积

本文研究了南海中北部500多个样品的矿物学。认为,本区表层沉积物中矿物种类繁多,分布较为普遍,碎屑矿物(含火山物质)、粘土矿物、自生矿物常有出现。以前者为最显著(共60多种,其中重矿物50多种,轻矿物近10种),主要分布于陆架区及深海盆;粘土矿物次之,多分布于陆坡～深海盆;自生矿物较少,陆架～深海盆均有分布。文中根据矿物沉积特征和环境差异,把它划分为6个矿物区。     

Suspended particulate matter and vertical fluxes of sedimentary material in bays of the Murmansk (Barents Sea) and Karelian (White Sea) coasts

Synchronous measurement of the total suspended organic and mineral particulate matter, together with vertical sedimentary matter flux, carried out in various areas of Yarnyschnaya Inlet (Murmansk coast of the Barents Sea) and Chupa Inlet (Karelian coast of the White Sea) revealed that the seston organic component plays no part in sedimentation, being almost completely utilized in the water column, while the majority of mineral matter is transported out of the bay. The total amount of suspended matter and its components in the water column is estimated, as well as the total flux of sedimentary matter to the bottom of Chupa and Yarnyschnaya inlets.     

Lithological and geochemical typification of surface bottom sediments in the Kara Sea

The Kara Sea is part of the Western Arctic shelf of Eurasia. The deposition of sediments in this shallow sea is largely determined by solid runoff from two great Siberian rivers (the Yenisei and Ob) and the glacial periods when the sea area repeatedly (during the Quaternary) dried up and was covered by continental glaciers. The rise of the World Ocean due to Holocene warming resulted in a significant expansion of the sea area to the south and complete degradation of the ice sheet. In this article, new data on the geochemical composition of the surface (0- to 2-cm) layer of sea-bottom sediments are considered, which reflects the spatial distribution of marine sediments during the maximum sea level. Cluster analysis of the variance for 24 chemical elements reveals sediment chemotypes, and critical analysis of their relationship with lithotypes is performed. The presented data have been collected on cruises of the R/V Akademik Boris Petrov in 2000, 2001, and 2003 and the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in 2015.     

Influence of the White Sea on tides in adjacent marginal seas of the North European Basin

An investigation into the interaction of surface M ₂ tides in the system of marginal seas of the North European Basin is carried out using the three-dimensional finite-element hydrostatic model QUODDY-4. Three numerical experiments are performed for this purpose. In the first (control), the model equations are solved in the system of the Norwegian, Greenland, Barents, and White seas; thereby the interaction of the tides in these seas is explicitly taken into account. In the second experiment, the White Sea is excluded from consideration and the no-flux condition is posed at the entrance to the sea. The third experiment uses an approach in which the observed tidal elevations that determine the existence of a finite horizontal transport of barotropic energy to the White Sea are specified at the open boundary of the White Sea. It is shown that changes in tidal dynamics represented by changes in the amplitudes and phases of tidal elevations and in the barotropic tidal velocity ellipse parameters are within the model noise in experiments 2 and 3 when compared with the control experiment. On the contrary, changes in energy characteristics (the horizontal wave transport, density, and dissipation rate of barotropic tidal energy) are equal to or greater (in order of magnitude) than the energy characteristics themselves.     

Clay mineral associations in fine-grained surface sediments of the North Sea

With the help of about 500 samples of surface sediments from the North Sea crude maps of the distributions of the clay minerals illite, chlorite, smectite and kaolinite were constructed. Illite, with 51%, is the dominant clay mineral, followed by smectite (27%), chlorite (12%), and kaolinite (10%). There are well-distinguished areas of different concentrations of the individual clay mineral associations. Illite and chlorite show highest values in the north, kaolinite concentrations are high in a corridor a few hundred kilometres wide between the east coast of the UK and the Danish/south Norwegian coast. Smectite is high in the German Bight and in the southwestern North Sea. The distribution patterns of the clay mineral associations are mainly explained by late Quaternary history and by recent to sub-recent sedimentary processes. During the Pleistocene cold periods illite- and chlorite-rich sediments from the Fennoscandian Shield were transported by the great inland ice-masses in a southward direction. The present high sea-level erosion on the east coast of Great Britain provides the North Sea with kaolinite-rich fine-grained sediments. Smectites inherited from Elsterian deposits in the southeast corner and probably from sub-recent Elbe sediments are responsible for their higher values in the German Bight. The high values of smectite in the southwest may have originated from Cretaceous sediments eroded on the banks of the Strait of Dover. The present contribution of riverine suspended load to the North Sea appears to be low.     

Characteristics of nitrogen forms in the southern Huanghai Sea surface sediments

The distributions of different forms of nitrogen in the surface sediments of the southern Huanghai Sea are different and affected by various factors. The contents of IEF-N, SOEF-N and TN gradually decrease eastward, and those of SAEF-N northward, while those of WAEF-N westward. Around the seaport of the old Huanghe (Yellow) River, the contents of both SOEF-N and TN are the highest. Among all the factors, the content of fine sediment is the predominant factor to affect the distributions of different forms of nitrogen. The contents of IEF-N, SOEF-N, and TN have visibly positive correlation with the content of f‘me sediments, and the correlative coefficient is 0.68, 0.58 and 0.71 respectively, showing that the contents of the three forms of nitrogen increase with those of f-me sediments. The content of WAEF-N is related to that of fine sediments to a certain extent, with a correlative coefficient of 0.35; while the content of SAEF-N is not related to that of fine sediments, showing that the content of SAEF-N is not controlled by fine grain-size fractions of sediments. In addition, the distributions of different forms of nitrogen are also interacted one another, and the contents of IEF-N and SOEF-N are obviously affected by TN, while those of inorganic nitrogen (WAEF-N, SAEF-N and IEF-N) are not affected by SOEF-N and TN obviously, although they are interacted each other.     

黄海表层沉积物的矿物组成特征及其物源分析

以黄海66个表层沉积物为研究对象,通过粒度、黏土矿物和碎屑矿物分析,研究了黄海表层沉积物的粒度分布与矿物组成特征,探讨了研究区沉积物的矿物组成特征对其物源、沉积环境的指示意义。黄海表层沉积物平均粒径为5.2Φ,分选较差;黏土矿物组合类型为伊利石-高岭石-蒙脱石-绿泥石,其中伊利石的含量最高,蒙脱石的含量最低;碎屑矿物（粒径为0.063～0.125 mm）平均含量为8.07%,标准偏差为4.03,分布趋势与平均粒径分布基本一致,轻矿物以石英和长石为主;重矿物以角闪石和绿帘石为主,其次是不透明矿物和片状矿物,重矿物主要集中分布于黄海南部。物源识别结果表明：黄海的东北部海域接受鸭绿江沉积物的供应;黄海北部主要为黄河源沉积物;南黄海西部沉积物主要为黄海沿岸流南下带来的现代黄河物质和再悬浮的老黄河沉积物;南黄海中部沉积物来源复杂以黄河沉积物为主,长江沉积物的供应较少。     

Early diagenesis in recent bottom sediments of the Dvina Bay (White Sea)

Investigations in the water column and bottom sediments including entrapped water were carried out on expeditions of the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology in the Dvina Bay, the White Sea. We studied the transformation of particulate organic matter at the biogeochemical barrier between the water and bottom and in the underlying Holocene sediments. Low rates of the early diagenesis of sediments caused by low values of primary production in the conditions of high fluxes of terrigenous organic matter were established. The low temperatures of microorganisms habitat play the secondary role.     

Nitrogen sources in the South China Sea, as discerned from stable nitrogen isotopic ratios in rivers, sinking particles, and sediments

Stable nitrogen isotopic ratios were measured in sinking particles and surface sediments from the South China Sea (SCS) in order to study recent nitrogen sources and degradation. Average δ¹⁵N values of 16 sediment traps deployed at seven locations in the northern, central and southern SCS were uniformly low, ranging between 2.7 and 4.5‰ with a winter minimum in the northern and central SCS. Enhanced nitrogen contents and δ¹⁵N values were noted in samples affected by swimmers, comprising between 5 and 20% of total nitrogen fluxes. Nitrate sources were subsurface waters from the western Pacific, which were isotopically depleted due to the remineralization of nitrogen from nitrogen fixation in surface waters. Nitrogen fixation in the SCS contributed up to 20% to the settling particles. In the southern SCS, resuspended matter close to the shelf added to the sinking particulates. The long-term trap record from the central SCS revealed decreasing δ¹⁵N values during the 1990s, which correspond with findings from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre and may be attributable to increased nitrogen fixation due to global warming-related stratification. This trend may be restricted to the 1990s but could also persist due to the projection of more frequent occurrence of El Niño conditions.The δ¹⁵N increase from swimmer-free trap averages of 2.7–3.6‰ to values of 5–6‰ in underlying deep-sea sediments was in the same range as in other deep ocean areas. Similar to results from the northern Indian Ocean, this increase could be related to isotopic enrichment during amino acid degradation. The lowest sedimentary δ¹⁵N values characterize the Pinatubo ash layer deposited off Luzon in an event of mass sedimentation in 1991. The fast deposition of organic matter drawn from the surface waters with the ash in the form of vertical density currents evidently preserved the planktonic δ¹⁵N signal.     

渤海表层沉积物中有机碳的分布和来源

大河影响下的陆架边缘海沉积有机碳的分布和来源是全球碳循环研究的重要内容。本研究于2012年5月采集了渤海海域的29个表层沉积物样品,分析了粒度组成、总有机碳(TOC)、总氮(TN)、木质素含量和稳定碳同位素丰度(δ13C)等参数,结合基于蒙特卡洛模拟的三端元混合模型,定量研究了沉积物中有机碳的分布和来源情况,并讨论了其影响因素。结果表明,研究区域表层沉积物中TOC含量为0.19%~0.81%,渤海中部泥质区站位(大于0.65%)明显高于其周围砂质区域站位(小于0.40%);TOC与黏土含量也有显著的正相关性,说明细颗粒沉积物容易富集有机碳。沉积有机碳的δ13C范围为-23.7‰~-21.8‰,显示沉积有机碳是海源和陆源有机碳的混合输入。木质素参数,如C/V、S/V和LPVI的数值范围显示研究区域表层沉积物中木质素主要来源于被子植物草本组织与木本组织的混合,同时有少量裸子植物的贡献。基于蒙特卡洛模拟的三端元混合模型显示研究区域沉积物中有机碳主要来源于海洋浮游植物,平均为64%,陆源有机碳中来自土壤的贡献最高(平均为27%),C₃维管植物的贡献较少(平均为9%)。海洋浮游植物有机碳主要分布在渤海中部泥质区及离岸较远的区域,而土壤有机碳和C₃维管植物有机碳则主要沉积在河口附近及近岸区,并可以离岸输运到较远的地方。     

南海东北部和南部海域表层沉积物生物硅研究

本研究测定了南海东北部和南部海域表层沉积物的生物硅含量(SiO2%),其含量范围分别为1.08%-3.01%和0.79%-9.06%,平均值分别为1.76%和4.22%.研究结果表明,南海表层沉积物中的生物硅含量与站位水深呈正相关关系;南海东北部的表层沉积物中的生物硅含量与其中的矿物含量、铁离子浓度、间隙水中的营养盐浓度不存在明显的相关性;南海南部海域表层沉积物中的生物硅含量与烧失量、有机碳含量、碳酸盐含量呈正相关关系,与粘土矿物含量相关性不明显.