Migration of dissolved matter at Serebryanka R. Mouth,the basin of the Sea of Japan (Sikhote Alin Reserve)

Ions of major salt composition and dissolved forms of some microelements (F, B, Sr, Rb, Cs, V, As, Mo, U) at the mouth of the Serebryanka R. (Sikhote Alin Reserve) are shown to feature conservative behavior in July 2009. The distribution of dissolved mineral phosphorus is shown to be controlled mostly by chemical processes (desorption from river suspension), even during vegetation period, while the role of biological consumption is secondary. The behavior of dissolved organic phosphorus and silicon is nearly conservative. A considerable amount of barium (up to 46% of its concentration in river water) is shown to be removed from solution, maybe because of its sorption on particulate matter of continental runoff. Ittrium and rare-earth elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Dy, Ho) show an abrupt decrease in the concentrations of their dissolved forms at the initial stages of river water penetration into the sea. This decrease is supposedly due to coagulation and flocculation of organic and organic-mineral colloids.     

Surface chemistry and reactivity of plant phytoliths in aqueous solutions

In order to better understand the reactivity of plant phytoliths in soil solutions, we determined the solubility, surface properties (electrophoretic mobilities and surface charge) and dissolution kinetics of phytoliths extracted from fresh biomass of representative plant species (larch tree and elm, horsetail, fern, and four grasses) containing significant amount of biogenic silica. The solubility product of larch, horsetail, elm and fern phytoliths is close to that of amorphous silica and soil bamboo phytoliths. Electrophoretic measurements yield isoelectric point pH_IEP = 0.9, 1.1, 2.0 and 2.2 for four grasses, elm, larch and horsetail phytoliths respectively, which is very close to that of quartz or amorphous silica. Surface acid–base titrations allowed generation of a 2-pK surface complexation model (SCM) for larch, elm and horsetail phytoliths. Phytoliths dissolution rates, measured in mixed-flow reactors at far from equilibrium conditions at 1 ≤ pH ≤ 8, were found to be very similar among the species, and close to those of soil bamboo phytoliths. Mechanistic treatment of all plant phytoliths dissolution rates provided three-parameters equation sufficient to describe phytoliths reactivity in aqueous solutions:$R(\text{mol}/{\text{cm}}^2/\text{s})=6?{10}^{?16}?a_{\text{H+}}+5.0?{10}^{?18}+3.5?{10}^{?13}?a_{\text{OH}?}^{0.33}$Alternatively, the dissolution rate dependence on pH can be modeled within the concept of surface coordination theory assuming the rate proportional to concentration of > SiOH₂⁺, > SiOH⁰ and > SiO^? species. In the range of Al concentration from 20 to 5000 ppm in the phytoliths, we have not observed any correlation between their Al content and solubility, surface acid–base properties and dissolution kinetics.It follows from the results of this study that phytoliths dissolution rates exhibit a minimum at pH ～ 3. Mass-normalized dissolution rates are similar among all four types of plant species studied and these rates are an order of magnitude higher than those of typical soil clay minerals. The minimal half life time of larch and horsetail phytoliths in the interstitial soil solution ranges from 10–12 years at pH = 2–3 to < 1 year at pH above 6, comparable with mean residence time of phytoliths in soil from natural observations.     

Geochemical and Isotope Characteristics of Carbonates from Ejecta of Mud Volcanoes of the Kura Basin,Azerbaijan

Lithology and Mineral Resources - This paper is devoted to the vein and dispersed carbonates from ejecta of mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan. The vein calcites are morphologically diverse and related to...     

Sources of Dissolved Organic Carbon in Rivers of the Yenisei River Basin

The spatial and temporal variations in concentrations of dissolved organic carbon in the Yenisei River and its major tributaries are analyzed. The results obtained suggest that the maximal contribution to the flows of dissolved organic carbon in the Yenisei River is made by cryohydromorphic forest landscapes of the Central Siberian Plateau.     

Experimental Modeling of Cyanobacterial Bloom in a Thermokarst Lake: Fate of Organic Carbon,Trace Metal,and Carbon Sequestration Potential

Thermokarst lakes, formed during permafrost thaw in Western Siberia Plain over past tens to hundreds years, cover overall territory close to million km² and may represent significant source of CO₂ and CH₄ to the atmosphere. These acidic (3 < pH < 6) and humic [10 < dissolved organic carbon (DOC) < 50 mg/L] lakes are essentially inhabited by heterotrophic bacterioplankton with rare phytoplankton bloom occurring during warm periods. In order to understand possible effects of phytoplankton bloom on thermokarst lake hydrochemistry under climate warming scenario, we cultured pure cyanobacterium (Gloeocapsa sp.) and native cyanobacterial associate separated from the natural lake water. As substrates, sterilized thermokarst lake water and peat leachate from western Siberia were used. In these laboratory microcosm experiments which lasted 10 days, we monitored daily pH, biomass, DOC, and 40 major and trace elements. Despite significant variation of pH (4 to ~10.5) and biomass (a factor of 3–5), very few dissolved elements responded to massive cyanobacterial growth. The DOC varied within a factor of 1.2–1.5, exhibiting slow increase due to exometabolite production in thermokarst lake water and an initial decrease due to photodegradation in peat leachate. Elements appreciably affected by photosynthesis in both lake water and peat leachate substrates were P, Zn, Mn, and, in a lesser degree, Cd, K, Rb, Sr, Ba, Cr, Al, and U. While P, K (Rb), Mn, and Zn removal from solution during cell growth could be linked to biological demand by cyanobacteria, the adsorption of Cd, Sr, Ba, Al, Cr, U on the cell surface in response to the pH rise is most likely. Many other trace elements did not exhibit any significant evolution of the concentration during 10-day experiment either due to their strong complexation with allochthonous organic matter and essentially organic/organo-mineral colloidal status (Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Pb, REEs, Ti, Zr, Hf, Th) or due to the lack of element interaction with cyanobacterial cells, via both adsorption and intracellular uptake (B, Si, V, Mo, As, Sb, Cs). Therefore, possible intensification of cyanobacterial bloom in thermokarst lakes caused by leaching of thawing peat will likely affect only few macronutrients and micronutrients such as P, K, Mn, and Zn, while the majority of trace elements bound to allochthonous DOC in the form of organic and organo-mineral colloids will not be affected by cyanobacterial biomass production and pH rise due to photosynthesis. Cyanobacterial bloom in organic-rich (20 mg DOC/L) thermokarst lakes exhibited significant potential of carbon sequestration from the atmosphere, which is more than an order of magnitude higher than the CO₂ evasion due to heterotrophic plankton respiration of allochthonous DOC.     

C,O, and Sr Isotope Geochemistry of the Vendian Shuram–Wonoka Anomaly and Associated Metasedimentary Rocks in the Inner Part of the Patom Upland (Central Siberia)

Lithology and Mineral Resources - The Imnyakh Formation (1500–1800 m thick), which is developed east of the Mama–Bodaibo Synclinorium (inner zone of the Patom Upland), comprises...     

New Data on the Concentrations of Dissolved Trace Elements in Waters of Russian Arctic Rivers

Doklady Earth Sciences - Published data and research results from the authors on the concentrations of dissolved trace elements (P, Si, Li, Rb, Cs, Sr, Ba, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Tl, Pb, Al,...     

Spatial and Temporal Variability of the Transformation of Dissolved Matter Runoff in the Mezen River Estuary

Oceanology - The spatial and temporal variability of the transformation of dissolved matter runoff in the Mezen River estuary is studied from data on comprehensive hydrological–hydrochemical...