Spatial and seasonal variability of polygonal tundra water balance: Lena River Delta, northern Siberia (Russia)

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Helbig ◽  
Julia Boike ◽  
Moritz Langer ◽  
Peter Schreiber ◽  
Benjamin R. K. Runkle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Balance ◽  
Seasonal Variability ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Northern Siberia ◽  
Lena River Delta

scholarly journals The exchange of carbon dioxide between wet arctic tundra and the atmosphere at the Lena River Delta, Northern Siberia

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1953-2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kutzbach ◽  
C. Wille ◽  
E.-M. Pfeiffer
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Active Period ◽  
Net Ecosystem Co2 Exchange ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Northern Siberia ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Lena River Delta

Abstract. The exchange fluxes of carbon dioxide between wet arctic polygonal tundra and the atmosphere were investigated by the micrometeorological eddy covariance method. The investigation site was situated in the centre of the Lena River Delta in Northern Siberia (72°22' N, 126°30' E). The study region is characterized by a polar and distinctly continental climate, very cold and ice-rich permafrost and its position at the interface between the Eurasian continent and the Arctic Ocean. The soils at the site are characterized by high organic matter content, low nutrient availability and pronounced water logging. The vegetation is dominated by sedges and mosses. The micrometeorological campaigns were performed during the periods July–October 2003 and May–July 2004 which included the period of snow and soil thaw as well as the beginning of soil refreeze. The main CO2 exchange processes, the gross photosynthesis and the ecosystem respiration, were found to be of a generally low intensity. The gross photosynthesis accumulated to –432 g m−2 over the photosynthetically active period (June–September). The contribution of mosses to the gross photosynthesis was estimated to be about 40%. The diurnal trend of the gross photosynthesis was mainly controlled by the incoming photosynthetically active radiation. During midday the photosynthetic apparatus of the canopy was frequently near saturation and represented the limiting factor on gross photosynthesis. The synoptic weather conditions strongly affected the exchange fluxes of CO2 by changes in cloudiness, precipitation and pronounced changes of air temperature. The ecosystem respiration accumulated to +327 g m−2 over the photosynthetically active period, which corresponds to 76% of the CO2 uptake by photosynthesis. However, the ecosystem respiration continued at substantial rates during autumn when photosynthesis had ceased and the soils were still largely unfrozen. The temporal variability of the ecosystem respiration during summer was best explained by an exponential function with surface temperature, and not soil temperature, as the independent variable. This was explained by the major role of the plant respiration within the CO2 balance of the tundra ecosystem. The wet polygonal tundra of the Lena River Delta was observed to be a substantial CO2 sink with an accumulated net ecosystem CO2 exchange of –119 g m−2 over the summer and an estimated annual net ecosystem CO2 exchange of –71 g m−2.

scholarly journals Trace metal distribution in pristine permafrost-affected soils of the Lena River delta and its hinterland, northern Siberia, Russia

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Antcibor ◽  
A. Eschenbach ◽  
S. Zubrzycki ◽  
L. Kutzbach ◽  
D. Bolshiyanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metal ◽  
Climatic Changes ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Metal Distribution ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Northern Siberia ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Trace Metal Distribution ◽  
Lena River Delta ◽  
Ice Complex

Abstract. Soils are an important compartment of ecosystems and have the ability to buffer and immobilize substances of natural and anthropogenic origin to prevent their movement to other environment compartments. Predicted climatic changes together with other anthropogenic influences on Arctic terrestrial environments may affect biogeochemical processes enhancing leaching and migration of trace elements in permafrost-affected soils. This is especially important since Arctic ecosystems are considered to be highly sensitive to climatic changes as well as to chemical contamination. This study characterises background levels of trace metals in permafrost-affected soils of the Lena River delta and its hinterland in northern Siberia (73.5–69.5° N), representing a remote region far from evident anthropogenic trace metal sources. Investigations on the element content of iron (Fe), arsenic (As), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), and mercury (Hg) in different soil types developed in different geological parent materials have been carried out. The highest median concentrations of Fe and Mn were observed in soils belonging to ice-rich permafrost sediments formed during the Pleistocene (ice-complex) while the highest median values of Ni, Pb and Zn were found in soils of both the ice-complex and the Holocene estuarine terrace of the Lena River delta region, as well as in the southernmost study unit of the hinterland area. Detailed observations of trace metal distribution on the micro scale showed that organic matter content, soil texture and iron-oxide contents influenced by cryogenic processes, temperature, and hydrological regimes are the most important factors determining the metal abundance in permafrost-affected soils. The observed range of trace element background concentrations was similar to trace metal levels reported for other pristine northern areas.

scholarly journals The exchange of carbon dioxide between wet arctic tundra and the atmosphere at the Lena River Delta, Northern Siberia

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 869-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kutzbach ◽  
C. Wille ◽  
E.-M. Pfeiffer
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Active Period ◽  
Net Ecosystem Co2 Exchange ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Northern Siberia ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Lena River Delta

Abstract. The exchange fluxes of carbon dioxide between wet arctic polygonal tundra and the atmosphere were investigated by the micrometeorological eddy covariance method. The investigation site was situated in the centre of the Lena River Delta in Northern Siberia (72°22' N, 126°30' E). The study region is characterized by a polar and distinctly continental climate, very cold and ice-rich permafrost and its position at the interface between the Eurasian continent and the Arctic Ocean. The soils at the site are characterized by high organic matter content, low nutrient availability and pronounced water logging. The vegetation is dominated by sedges and mosses. The micrometeorological campaigns were performed during the periods July–October 2003 and May–July 2004 which included the period of snow and soil thaw as well as the beginning of soil refreeze. The main CO2 exchange processes, the gross photosynthesis and the ecosystem respiration, were found to be of a generally low intensity. The gross photosynthesis accumulated to −432 g m−2 over the photosynthetically active period (June–September). The contribution of mosses to the gross photosynthesis was estimated to be about 40%. The diurnal trend of the gross photosynthesis was mainly controlled by the incoming photosynthetically active radiation. During midday, the photosynthetic apparatus of the canopy was frequently near saturation and represented the limiting factor on gross photosynthesis. The synoptic weather conditions strongly affected the exchange fluxes of CO2 by changes in cloudiness, precipitation and pronounced changes of air temperature. The ecosystem respiration accumulated to +327 g m−2 over the photosynthetically active period, which corresponds to 76% of the CO2 uptake by photosynthesis. However, the ecosystem respiration continued at substantial rates during autumn when photosynthesis had ceased and the soils were still largely unfrozen. The temporal variability of the ecosystem respiration during summer was best explained by an exponential function with surface temperature, and not soil temperature, as the independent variable. This was explained by the major role of the plant respiration within the CO2 balance of the tundra ecosystem. The wet polygonal tundra of the Lena River Delta was observed to be a substantial CO2 sink with an accumulated net ecosystem CO2 exchange of −119 g m−2 over the summer and an estimated annual net ecosystem CO2 exchange of −71 g m−2.

Short-term climate and vegetation dynamics in Lena River Delta (northern Yakutia, Eastern Siberia) during early Eocene

Palaeoworld ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olesya V. Bondarenko ◽  
Nadezhda I. Blokhina ◽  
Tatiyana A. Evstigneeva ◽  
Torsten Utescher
Keyword(s):  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Early Eocene ◽  
Eastern Siberia ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Lena River Delta

The Rock Magnetic Portrait of the Devonian Section of Stolb Island (Lena River Delta)

2021 ◽  
Vol 501 (1) ◽  
pp. 906-911
Author(s):  
D. V. Metelkin ◽  
A. I. Chernova ◽  
V. A. Vernikovsky ◽  
N. E. Mikhaltsov ◽  
V. V. Abashev
Keyword(s):  
River Delta ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Lena River Delta

scholarly journals Sentinel-1 SAR Interferometry for Surface Deformation Monitoring in Low-Land Permafrost Areas

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tazio Strozzi ◽  
Sofia Antonova ◽  
Frank Günther ◽  
Eva Mätzler ◽  
Gonçalo Vieira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Surface Displacement ◽  
Deformation Monitoring ◽  
In Situ Measurements ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Lena River Delta

Low-land permafrost areas are subject to intense freeze-thaw cycles and characterized by remarkable surface displacement. We used Sentinel-1 SAR interferometry (InSAR) in order to analyse the summer surface displacement over four spots in the Arctic and Antarctica since 2015. Choosing floodplain or outcrop areas as the reference for the InSAR relative deformation measurements, we found maximum subsidence of about 3 to 10 cm during the thawing season with generally high spatial variability. Sentinel-1 time-series of interferograms with 6–12 day time intervals highlight that subsidence is often occurring rather quickly within roughly one month in early summer. Intercomparison of summer subsidence from Sentinel-1 in 2017 with TerraSAR-X in 2013 over part of the Lena River Delta (Russia) shows a high spatial agreement between both SAR systems. A comparison with in-situ measurements for the summer of 2014 over the Lena River Delta indicates a pronounced downward movement of several centimetres in both cases but does not reveal a spatial correspondence between InSAR and local in-situ measurements. For the reconstruction of longer time-series of deformation, yearly Sentinel-1 interferograms from the end of the summer were considered. However, in order to infer an effective subsidence of the surface through melting of excess ice layers over multi-annual scales with Sentinel-1, a longer observation time period is necessary.

scholarly journals Lena River Delta formation during the Holocene

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 4085-4122 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bolshiyanov ◽  
A. Makarov ◽  
L. Savelieva
Keyword(s):  
Sea Water ◽  
River Delta ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Laptev Sea ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Marine Terraces ◽  
Delta Formation ◽  
Carbon Reservoir ◽  
Lena River Delta

Abstract. The Lena River Delta, the largest delta of the Arctic Ocean, differs from other deltas because it consists mainly of organomineral sediments, commonly called peat, that contain a huge organic carbon reservoir. The analysis of Delta sediment radiocarbon ages showed that they could not have formed as peat during floodplain bogging, but accumulated when Laptev Sea water level was high and green mosses and sedges grew and were deposited on the surface of flooded marshes. The Lena River Delta formed as organomineral masses and layered sediments accumulated during transgressive phases when sea level rose. In regressive phases, the islands composed of these sediments and other, more ancient islands were eroded. Each new sea transgression led to further accumulation of layered sediments. As a result of alternating transgressive and regressive phases the first alluvial-marine terrace formed, consisting of geological bodies of different ages. Determining the formation age of different areas of the first terrace and other marine terraces on the coast allowed the periods of increasing (8–6 Ka, 4.5–4 Ka, 2.5–1.5 Ka, 0.4–0.2 Ka) and decreasing (5 Ka, 3 Ka, 0.5 Ka) Laptev Sea levels to be distinguished in the Lena Delta area.

scholarly journals Dynamics of the relief and sesmotectonic activity of the modern structures in the delta of the river lena

2019 ◽  
pp. 62-77
Author(s):  
L. P. Imaeva ◽  
G. S. Gusev ◽  
V. S. Imaev
Keyword(s):  
Transition Zone ◽  
North American ◽  
Active Faults ◽  
River Delta ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Lithospheric Plates ◽  
Lena River Delta

This paper presents seismogeodynamic analysis of modern structures located in the Lena river delta. These structures are key elements in the tectonic evolution of the shelf–continent transition zone in the Arctic segment of the boundary between the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates. The geological structure of the Lena river delta is predetermined by the junction of the ancient Siberian platform and the Mesozoic Laptev Sea plate. These two large geoblocks of the crust, which differ in age, are separated by a fragment of the Kharaulakh segment of the Verkhoyansk fold system. In our study aimed to reveal regularities in seismotectonic destruction of the crust, we analyzed the geological and geophysical data on the crustal structure, active faults, modern structural plan, dynamic characteristics of the modern relief, and hydrological features characterizing of the flow redistribution in the Lena riverbed. A system of active faults identified in the Lena river delta shows a contrasting kinematic plan of the junction zone of the main geostructures. According to the analysis results, shear faulting is a dominant factor of impact on the morphologic features and seismogeodynamic activation of the modern structures. A regional right-lateral strike-slip fault of the sublatitudinal strike is traced as a major structural boundary that cuts the Lena river delta into several geodynamic segments. Seismotectonic destruction of the crust in the segments differs in types (transpression, transtension and compression). The above-mentioned fault is not only the main element of the kinematic plan of the newest structures in the Lena river delta – it controls the general structural pattern and seismotectonic parameters of active fault zones in the entire northern sector of the Verkhoyansk marginal suture. The seismogeodynamic analysis results obtained in our study provide a reliable basis for estimating potential seismic hazard of the modern structures in the Lena river delta and updating the available seismic zoning maps of the shelf–continent transition zone in the Arctic segment of the boundary between the Eurasian and North American lithospheric plates.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document