scholarly journals Recent Levels of Technetium-99 in Seawater at the West Coast of Svalbard

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1507-1513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Gerland ◽  
Bjørn Lind ◽  
Mark Dowdall ◽  
Anne Kathrine Kolstad
Keyword(s):  
Additional Data ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Surface Seawater ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Nuclear Reprocessing ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Arctic Fjord ◽  
European Arctic ◽  
European Nuclear

Seawater from the western coast of Svalbard was sampled in the spring and summer of 2000 to determine levels of technetium-99 (99Tc), a conservative-behaving, manmade radionuclide originating from European nuclear reprocessing plants. This paper deals with the recent levels of this radionuclide in seawater and with the link between an Arctic fjord, Kongsfjorden, and the Western Spitsbergen Current (WSC), investigated using99Tc results. By means of the WSC, the99Tc radionuclides ultimately reach the eastern Fram Strait west of Spitsbergen (the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago). Results from oceanographic modelling and sea ice observations indicate a direct coupling between Kongsfjorden and the area west of it. The findings in connection with new radionuclide results presented in this paper concur with these assumptions. Furthermore they indicate that the inner part of Kongsfjorden is also well linked to the WSC. Surface seawater from the central part of the WSC, sampled during a cruise with RV Polarstern in the summer of 2000, shows a higher level of99Tc than those measured in Kongsfjorden in spring 2000. However, all levels measured in surface water are of the same order of magnitude. Data from sampling of deeper water in the WSC area provide information pertaining to the lateral distribution of99Tc. The results, along with additional data from spring 2001, indicate that Kongsfjorden is suitable for monitoring the levels of99Tc arriving in the European Arctic and that the sheltered setting of this fjord does not necessarily provide protection against pollution from the open sea.

scholarly journals Metabarcoding Reveals High Diversity of Benthic Foraminifera Driven by Atlantification of Coastal Svalbard

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ngoc-Loi Nguyen ◽  
Joanna Pawłowska ◽  
Inès Barrenechea Angeles ◽  
Marek Zajaczkowski ◽  
Jan Pawłowski
Keyword(s):  
Water Masses ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Reference Database ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
The Impact ◽  
High Diversity

Abstract Arctic marine biodiversity is undergoing rapid changes due to global warming and modifications of oceanic water masses circulation. These changes have been demonstrated in the case of mega- and macrofauna, but much less is known about their impact on the biodiversity of smaller size organisms, such as foraminifera that represents a main component of meiofauna in the Arctic. Several studies analysed the distribution and diversity of Arctic foraminifera. However, all these studies are based exclusively on the morphological identification of specimens sorted from sediment samples. Here, we present the first assessment of Arctic foraminifera diversity based on metabarcoding of sediment DNA samples collected in fjords and open sea areas in Svalbard Archipelago. We obtained a total of 5,968,786 reads that represented 1,384 ASVs. More than half of the ASVs (51.7%) could not be assigned to any group in the reference database suggesting a high genetic novelty of Svalbard foraminifera. The sieved and unsieved samples resolved comparable communities, sharing 1023 ASVs, comprising over 97% of reads. Our analyses show that the foraminiferal assemblage differs between the localities, with communities distinctly separated between fjord and open sea stations. Each locality was characterized by a specific assemblage, with only a small overlap in the case of open sea areas. Our study demonstrates a clear pattern of the influence of water masses on the structure of foraminiferal communities. The stations situated on the western coast of Svalbard that is strongly influenced by warm and salty Atlantic Water (AW) are characterized by much higher diversity than stations in the northern and eastern part, where the impact of AW is less pronounced. This high diversity and specificity of Svalbard foraminifera associated with water mass distribution indicate that the foraminiferal metabarcoding data can be a very useful tool for inferring present and past environmental conditions in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Content of technogenic radionuclides in water, bottom sediments and benthos of the Kara sea and shallow bays of the Novaya zemlya archipelago

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1261-1268
Author(s):  
T. A. Goryachenkova ◽  
A. P. Borisov ◽  
G. Yu. Solov`eva ◽  
E. A. Lavrinovich ◽  
I. E. Kazinskaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Detection Limit ◽  
Bottom Sediments ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Global Fallout ◽  
Kara Sea ◽  
Radioactive Cesium ◽  
Novaya Zemlya Archipelago ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

During the expedition on the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh research vessel in 2016 year it was established that the content of radioactive cesium in the sea water of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago bays and open sea are at a level corresponding to the global fallout (1 Bq /m3). Plutonium content in water is slightly higher .The activity of neptunium in water is an order of magnitude higher than the activity of plutonium (0.761.89 Bq/m3), although its content in global fallout is almost two orders of magnitude lower than the plutonium content. The plutonium content in the bottom sediments of the Kara Sea is 0.23.8 Bq/kg. The content of radioactive cesium is as high as possible in the mouth of the Yenisei River (up to 21 Bq/kg) Analysis of benthic samples showed that the content of radioactive cesium and plutonium in samples taken in the bays of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago is below the detection limit. The neptunium content in the benthos samples is above the detection limit and amounts to 180 Bq/kg wet weight. It was showed that the content of neptunium in benthos is one of the indicators of radioactive contamination of the marine environment.

scholarly journals Distribution, Composition, and Vertical Fluxes of Particulate Matter in Bays of Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Vaigach Island at the End of Summer

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. V. Politova ◽  
V. P. Shevchenko ◽  
V. V. Zernova
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Northwestern Part ◽  
Novaya Zemlya Archipelago ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Distribution Composition ◽  
Migration Pathways

An analysis of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and phytoplankton distribution, composition and vertical particle fluxes in Russkaya Gavan’ Bay (Northern Island of the Novaya Zemlya), Bezymyannaya Bay (Southern Island of the Novaya Zemlya), Dolgaya Bay (northwestern part of the Vaigach Island) in comparison with the data from the Svalbard Archipelago is presented. Field studies were carried out by the authors during the 9th expedition of the RV “Professor Logachev” in September 1994, the 11th, 13th, and 14th expeditions of the RV “Akademik Sergey Vavilov” in September-October 1997 and August-September 1998. The data about Spitsbergen fjords are from literature. Our results show that, on the bays of the Barents Sea islands, most SPM stays in the bays (fjords) and only small part of it reaches the open sea. This is due to the hydrodynamic conditions in the bays, the large size of the particles, flocculation, and often to the morphological barriers in the relief at the bay entrances. It is important for ecological purposes to map out migration pathways of the SPM with pollutants from bays to the open sea. Results of our investigation indicate that the western bays of the Novaya Zemlya act as traps for SPM derived from glaciers and coastal abrasion.

scholarly journals Stability Assessment and Geomorphological Evolution of Sea Natural Arches by Geophysical Measurement: The Case Study of Wied Il-Mielah Window (Gozo, Malta)

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 12538
Author(s):  
Giovanni Leucci ◽  
Raffaele Persico ◽  
Lara De Giorgi ◽  
Maurizio Lazzari ◽  
Emanuele Colica ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
The North ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Passive Seismic ◽  
Geophysical Measurement ◽  
Natural Monument ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Geomorphological Evolution ◽  
Ground Penetrating

The Wied il-Mielaħ Window (Gozo–Malta) is a limestone natural arch on the north-western coast of the island of Gozo in Malta. It is located at the end of the Wied il-Mielaħ valley north of the village of Għarb. This natural arch is less well known than the Azure Window, which collapsed in March 2017 following a heavy storm, but notwithstanding, it is an imposing and important natural monument too. In the past, the Wied il-Mielah valley was responsible for discharging wastewater from the surrounding localities to the Mediterranean directly at the Wied il-Mielah Window. The sewage flag was often clearly visible underneath the archway into the open sea. The natural features of the arch provide an outstanding touristic attraction. To avoid what happened to the Azure Window, a methodology for the evaluation of the collapse hazard, combining passive seismic, ground penetrating radar (GPR), geological/geomorphological surveys and mine engineering methods, is here proposed. In this study, a methodological approach was applied, based on the following: (i) passive seismic method to study the physical–mechanical characteristics of the rock mass that constitutes the window; (ii) GPR method in order to demonstrate the conservation state (i.e., the intensity of fracturing); (iii) geological/geomorphological surveys in order to obtain a crack pattern; and (iv) scaled span empirical analysis in order to evaluate the stability of the arch. The calculation of the safety factor, with a static method, gave a value equal to 3.75 with a probability of collapse of the marine arch within 50 and 100 years.

scholarly journals Maritime potential of the Russian sector of the south-eastern Baltic Sea and its spatial usage

Baltica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-144
Author(s):  
Marina Ulyanova ◽  
Alexandr Danchenkov
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
State Level ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Unesco World Heritage ◽  
World Heritage List ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Russian Sector ◽  
Maritime Spatial Planning ◽  
Spatial Usage

Five major uses of sea space in the Russian sector of the southeastern Baltic Sea (SEBS) are navigation, fishery, mining, recreation, and military uses. A brief description of each existing and future marine space user as well as conflicts between them are presented in this study. The total area of each use was calculated. The most extensive zones are occupied by commercial fishery and military uses, which cover almost the entire exclusive economical zone. Special attention was made for potential marine protected areas (especially in offshore areas of the Curonian Spit, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List), which are not under legislation of the Kaliningrad Oblast’ but require a particular defence. The area offshore of the western coast has the greatest economic activity and is the most vulnerable part of the open sea. Future intensification of the marine space use will result in increased negative load to the marine environment. Sustainable development concept and maritime spatial planning are declarative at the state level for many years, there is still no implementation mechanism.

scholarly journals Impact of seasonal variations of ambient seismic noise level on the number of registered earthquakes in the Arctic regions

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 123-128
Author(s):  
ER Morozova ◽  
AP Turova
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
Russian Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
European Arctic ◽  
Academy Of Sciences ◽  
International Seismological Centre ◽  
The Impact

Researchers at the Seismological Laboratory of the Institute of Geodynamics and Geology of the Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FCIARctic) have been engaged in the seismological monitoring of the European Arctic sector since 2011. In this paper, we present a comparative assessment of the earthquakes spatial distribution in this region based on the data from the International Seismological Centre (ISC) and the FCIARctic’s Arkhangelsk Seismic Network (ASN) obtained in 2012–2016. The paper presents the waveforms of earthquakes occurred at the Gakkel Ridge and the Svalbard archipelago processed with the use of a Russian software package WSG (Windows Seismic Grafer) recommended by the Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences. A standard 4–8 Hz bandpass filter was used for the processing of regional Arctic earthquakes. The impact of seasonal variations on the quality of earthquakes registration was analysed based on the seismograms recorded by the ASN’s island-based Arctic stations from 2012 to 2014 The same analysis was done for the central broadband sensor SPA0 of the Norwegian NORSAR-owned SPITS group installed at the Svalbard archipelago. A correlation has been established between the number of earthquakes recorded by the ASN’s island Arctic stations and SPA0 station. The number of regional earthquakes, recorded by ASN’s island Arctic stations is is smaller in summer-autumn periods than in winter periods. Forthe SPA0 station, which is part of SPITS group, there is not seasonality in the number of registered earthquakes. Generally, earthquakes are recorded uniformly, exception on January. This might be due to the increased seismic activity in the Svalbard archipelago during that period.

scholarly journals I. On the laws of the tides on the coasts of Ireland, as inferred from an extensive series of observations made in connection with the ordnance survey of Ireland

1845 ◽  
Vol 135 ◽  
pp. 1-124 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Accurate Determination ◽  
High Water ◽  
Eastern Coast ◽  
Western Coast ◽  
Ordnance Survey ◽  
The North ◽  
Small Depth ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Hydrostatic Level

In the spring of 1842 I was informed by Colonel Colby, R. E., Director of the Trigonometrical Survey, that in the operations of the Survey of Ireland it had become necessary to adopt a line of reference for the elevations ascertained in the running of various lines of level through the country; and that it was his intention to institute a series of observations of the height of the water in different states of the tide, in order to refer the levels to the mean height of the sea, or to its height at some definite phase of the tide. Colonel Colby stated also that he was desirous that the observa­tions should be made subservient to improvements in the theory of the tides, and requested my assistance in sketching a plan of observation which would be most likely to contribute to that end. In reply, I made the following suggestions:—That great care should be taken in the accurate determination of time at every station, and that for this purpose the non­commissioned officer of the Royal Sappers and Miners who had the care of the observations at each station, should be entrusted with a pocket chronometer, and that an officer should, at least twice during the series of observations, visit every station, carrying, for comparison, an itinerant chronometer whose error on Greenwich time was accurately known from astronomical observations. That stations should be chosen on the eastern as well as on the western coast, in order to determine the difference of level, if any, between an open sea and a partially inclosed sea. That on the north-eastern coast, stations should be selected at smaller intermediate distances than at other parts of the coast, with the purpose of removing, if possible, the doubt which appears to exist as to the progress of the semidiurnal tide-wave through the North Channel. That, where practicable, several stations should be selected on each of the large rivers or estuaries, in order to ascertain the nature of the modification which the tide-wave undergoes in passing up a contracted channel of comparatively small depth. That the series of observations should be so arranged, that, at every station, one complete tide (from high water to high water, or from low water to low water) should be completely observed on every day, its observations being made at small equidistant intervals. That supplementary observations, applying only to the neighbourhood of the low water or high water omitted in the observations of the complete tide, should also be made, for the development of the principal facts of diurnal tide. Finally, that the zeros of the tide-gauges should be connected with the principal lines of level, so that every observation should be referred to the same hydrostatic level.

scholarly journals Atmospheric composition in the European Arctic and 30 years of the Zeppelin Observatory, Ny-Ålesund

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Platt ◽  
Øystein Hov ◽  
Torunn Berg ◽  
Knut Breivik ◽  
Sabine Eckhardt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atmospheric Transport ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Atmospheric Composition ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Observation System ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Svalbard Archipelago ◽  
European Arctic ◽  
Norwegian Polar Institute

Abstract. The Zeppelin Observatory (78.90° N, 11.88° E) is located on the Zeppelin Mountain at 472 m above sea level on Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Established in 1989, the observatory is part of the “Ny-Ålesund Research Station” and an important atmospheric measurement site, one of only a few in the high Arctic and as a part of several European and global monitoring programs and research infrastructures, notably the European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme (EMEP), the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW), the Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure (ACTRIS), the Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment (AGAGE) network, and the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS). The observatory is jointly operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Stockholm University and the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU). Here we detail the establishment of the Zeppelin Observatory including historical measurements of atmospheric composition in the European Arctic leading to its construction. We present a history of the measurements at the observatory and review the current state of the European Arctic atmosphere, including results from trends in greenhouse gases, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), other traces gases, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals, aerosols and Arctic haze, and atmospheric transport phenomena.

scholarly journals Methane at Svalbard and over the European Arctic Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 17207-17224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Platt ◽  
Sabine Eckhardt ◽  
Benedicte Ferré ◽  
Rebecca E. Fisher ◽  
Ove Hermansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Mixing Ratio ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Short Course ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
European Arctic ◽  
A New Technique

Abstract. Methane (CH4) is a powerful greenhouse gas. Its atmospheric mixing ratios have been increasing since 2005. Therefore, quantification of CH4 sources is essential for effective climate change mitigation. Here we report observations of the CH4 mixing ratios measured at the Zeppelin Observatory (Svalbard) in the Arctic and aboard the research vessel (RV) Helmer Hanssen over the Arctic Ocean from June 2014 to December 2016, as well as the long-term CH4 trend measured at the Zeppelin Observatory from 2001 to 2017. We investigated areas over the European Arctic Ocean to identify possible hotspot regions emitting CH4 from the ocean to the atmosphere, and used state-of-the-art modelling (FLEXPART) combined with updated emission inventories to identify CH4 sources. Furthermore, we collected air samples in the region as well as samples of gas hydrates, obtained from the sea floor, which we analysed using a new technique whereby hydrate gases are sampled directly into evacuated canisters. Using this new methodology, we evaluated the suitability of ethane and isotopic signatures (δ13C in CH4) as tracers for ocean-to-atmosphere CH4 emission. We found that the average methane / light hydrocarbon (ethane and propane) ratio is an order of magnitude higher for the same sediment samples using our new methodology compared to previously reported values, 2379.95 vs. 460.06, respectively. Meanwhile, we show that the mean atmospheric CH4 mixing ratio in the Arctic increased by 5.9±0.38 parts per billion by volume (ppb) per year (yr−1) from 2001 to 2017 and ∼8 pbb yr−1 since 2008, similar to the global trend of ∼ 7–8 ppb yr−1. Most large excursions from the baseline CH4 mixing ratio over the European Arctic Ocean are due to long-range transport from land-based sources, lending confidence to the present inventories for high-latitude CH4 emissions. However, we also identify a potential hotspot region with ocean–atmosphere CH4 flux north of Svalbard (80.4∘ N, 12.8∘ E) of up to 26 nmol m−2 s−1 from a large mixing ratio increase at the location of 30 ppb. Since this flux is consistent with previous constraints (both spatially and temporally), there is no evidence that the area of interest north of Svalbard is unique in the context of the wider Arctic. Rather, because the meteorology at the time of the observation was unique in the context of the measurement time series, we obtained over the short course of the episode measurements highly sensitive to emissions over an active seep site, without sensitivity to land-based emissions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document