Major- and trace-element composition of suspended matter in the north-east gulf of Alaska: Relationships with major sources

Seasonal variations of the distributions and chemical compositions of suspended particulate matter in the north-east Gulf of Alaska were studied during 1975–1976. Selected samples were analyzed for total suspended matter by gravimetry; particulate C and N by dry combustion gas chromatography; and particulate Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn by thin-film X-ray secondary emission spectrometry. The results showed that suspended material from the Copper River and the coastal streams which drain the Bering, Guyot, and Malaspina glaciers was carried westward along the coast and deposited in nearshore environments. However, near Kayak Island, significant quantities of suspended material of terrestrial origin were deflected to the south-west, past the edge of the outer shelf, by an anticyclonic gyre.The distribution patterns of the major and trace elements in the particulate matter and their elemental ratios with aluminum indicated that: K, Ti, Mn and Fe were primarily associated with aluminosilicate material and C and N with organic material in all samples; and Si, Ca, Cr, Ni, Cu and Zn were primarily associated with aluminosilicate material in near-shore surface and near-bottom samples and with organic material in offshore surface samples. Only C, N, Ca, Cú and Zn showed significant seasonal variations which appeared to be related to biological production of organic matter.