scholarly journals Dissolved organic matter at the fluvial–marine transition in the Laptev Sea using in situ data and ocean colour remote sensing

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (13) ◽  
pp. 2693-2713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bennet Juhls ◽  
Pier Paul Overduin ◽  
Jens Hölemann ◽  
Martin Hieronymi ◽  
Atsushi Matsuoka ◽  
...  

Abstract. River water is the main source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Arctic Ocean. DOC plays an important role in the Arctic carbon cycle, and its export from land to sea is expected to increase as ongoing climate change accelerates permafrost thaw. However, transport pathways and transformation of DOC in the land-to-ocean transition are mostly unknown. We collected DOC and aCDOM(λ) samples from 11 expeditions to river, coastal and offshore waters and present a new DOC–aCDOM(λ) model for the fluvial–marine transition zone in the Laptev Sea. The aCDOM(λ) characteristics revealed that the dissolved organic matter (DOM) in samples of this dataset are primarily of terrigenous origin. Observed changes in aCDOM(443) and its spectral slopes indicate that DOM is modified by microbial and photo-degradation. Ocean colour remote sensing (OCRS) provides the absorption coefficient of coloured dissolved organic matter (aCDOM(λ)sat) at λ=440 or 443 nm, which can be used to estimate DOC concentration at high temporal and spatial resolution over large regions. We tested the statistical performance of five OCRS algorithms and evaluated the plausibility of the spatial distribution of derived aCDOM(λ)sat. The OLCI (Sentinel-3 Ocean and Land Colour Instrument) neural network swarm (ONNS) algorithm showed the best performance compared to in situ aCDOM(440) (r2=0.72). Additionally, we found ONNS-derived aCDOM(440), in contrast to other algorithms, to be partly independent of sediment concentration, making ONNS the most suitable aCDOM(λ)sat algorithm for the Laptev Sea region. The DOC–aCDOM(λ) model was applied to ONNS-derived aCDOM(440), and retrieved DOC concentration maps showed moderate agreement to in situ data (r2=0.53). The in situ and satellite-retrieved data were offset by up to several days, which may partly explain the weak correlation for this dynamic region. Satellite-derived surface water DOC concentration maps from Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) satellite data demonstrate rapid removal of DOC within short time periods in coastal waters of the Laptev Sea, which is likely caused by physical mixing and different types of degradation processes. Using samples from all occurring water types leads to a more robust DOC–aCDOM(λ) model for the retrievals of DOC in Arctic shelf and river waters.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bennet Juhls ◽  
Pier Paul Overduin ◽  
Jens Hölemann ◽  
Martin Hieronymi ◽  
Atsushi Matsuoka ◽  
...  

Abstract. River water is the main source of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the Arctic Ocean. DOC plays an important role in the Arctic carbon cycle and its export from land to sea is expected to increase as ongoing climate change accelerates permafrost thaw. However, transport pathways and transformation of DOC in the land-to-ocean transition are mostly unknown. We collected DOC and aCDOM(λ) samples from 11 expeditions to river, coastal and offshore waters and present a new DOC-aCDOM(λ) model for the fluvial-marine transition zone in the Laptev Sea The aCDOM(λ) characteristics revealed that the DOM in samples of this dataset are primarily of terrigenous origin. Observed changes in aCDOM and its spectral slopes indicate that DOM is modified by microbial- and photo-degradation. Ocean Color Remote Sensing (OCRS) provides the absorption coefficient of colored dissolved organic matter (aCDOM(λ)sat) at λ = 440 or 443 nm, which can be used to estimate DOC concentration at high temporal and spatial resolution over large regions. We tested the statistical performance of five OCRS algorithms and evaluated the plausibility of the spatial distribution of derived aCDOM(λ)sat. The ONNS algorithm showed the best performance compared to in situ aCDOM(440) (r2 = 0.72). Additionally, we found ONNS-derived aCDOM(440), in contrast to other algorithms, to be partly independent of sediment concentration, making ONNS the most suitable aCDOM(λ)sat algorithm for the Laptev Sea region. The DOC-aCDOM(λ) model was applied to ONNS-derived aCDOM(440) and retrieved DOC concentration maps showed moderate agreement to in situ data (r2 = 0.53). The in situ and satellite-retrieved data were offset by up to several days, which may partly explain the weak correlation for this dynamic region. Satellite-derived surface water DOC concentration maps from MERIS satellite data demonstrate rapid removal of DOC within short time periods in coastal waters of the Laptev Sea, which is likely caused by physical mixing and different types of degradation processes. Using samples from all occurring water types leads to a more robust DOC-aCDOM(λ) model for the retrievals of DOC in Arctic shelf and river waters.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4191-4210 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Heim ◽  
E. Abramova ◽  
R. Doerffer ◽  
F. Günther ◽  
J. Hölemann ◽  
...  

Abstract. Enhanced permafrost warming and increased Arctic river discharges have heightened concern about the input of terrigenous matter into Arctic coastal waters. We used optical operational satellite data from the ocean colour sensor MERIS (Medium-Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) aboard the ENVISAT satellite mission for synoptic monitoring of the pathways of terrigenous matter on the shallow Laptev Sea shelf. Despite the high cloud coverage in summer that is inherent to this Arctic region, time series from MERIS satellite data from 2006 on to 2011 could be acquired and were processed using the Case-2 Regional Processor (C2R) for optically complex surface waters installed in the open-source software ESA BEAM-VISAT. Since optical remote sensing using ocean colour satellite data has seen little application in Siberian Arctic coastal and shelf waters, we assess the applicability of the calculated MERIS C2R parameters with surface water sampling data from the Russian–German ship expeditions LENA2008, LENA2010 and TRANSDRIFT-XVII taking place in August 2008 and August and September 2010 in the southern Laptev Sea. The shallow Siberian shelf waters are optically not comparable to the deeper, more transparent waters of the Arctic Ocean. The inner-shelf waters are characterized by low transparencies, due to turbid river water input, terrestrial input by coastal erosion, resuspension events and, therefore, high background concentrations of suspended particulate matter and coloured dissolved organic matter. We compared the field-based measurements with the satellite data that are closest in time. The match-up analyses related to LENA2008 and LENA2010 expedition data show the technical limits of matching in optically highly heterogeneous and dynamic shallow inner-shelf waters. The match-up analyses using the data from the marine TRANSDRIFT expedition were constrained by several days' difference between a match-up pair of satellite-derived and in situ parameters but are also based on the more stable hydrodynamic conditions of the deeper inner- and the outer-shelf waters. The relationship of satellite-derived turbidity-related parameters versus in situ suspended matter from TRANSDRIFT data shows that the backscattering coefficient C2R_bb_spm can be used to derive a Laptev-Sea-adapted SPM algorithm. Satellite-derived Chl a estimates are highly overestimated by a minimum factor of 10 if applied to the inner-shelf region due to elevated concentrations of terrestrial organic matter. To evaluate the applicability of ocean colour remote sensing, we include the visual analysis of lateral hydrographical features. The mapped turbidity-related MERIS C2R parameters show that the Laptev Sea is dominated by resuspension above submarine shallow banks and by frontal instabilities such as frontal meanders with amplitudes up to 30 km and eddies and filaments with horizontal scales up to 100 km that prevail throughout the sea-ice-free season. The widespread turbidity above submarine shallow banks indicates inner-shelf vertical mixing that seems frequently to reach down to submarine depths of a minimum of 10 m. The resuspension events and the frontal meanders, filaments and eddies indicate enhanced vertical mixing being widespread on the inner shelf. It is a new finding for the Laptev Sea that numerous frontal instabilities are made visible, and how highly time-dependent and turbulent the Laptev Sea shelf is. The meanders, filaments and eddies revealed by the ocean colour parameters indicate the lateral transportation pathways of terrestrial and living biological material in surface waters.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Paula da Silva ◽  
Lino A. Sander de Carvalho ◽  
Evlyn Novo ◽  
Daniel S. F. Jorge ◽  
Claudio C. F. Barbosa

Abstract. Given the importance of DOM in the carbon cycling of aquatic ecosystems, information on its seasonal variability is crucial. This study assesses the use of available absorption optical indices based on in situ data to both characterize the seasonal variability of the DOM dynamics in a highly complex environment and their viability of being used for satellite remote sensing on large scale studies. The study area comprises four lakes located at the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (MSDR). Samples for the determination of coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) were acquired in situ. The Rrs was applied to simulate MSI visible bands and used in the proposed models. Differences between lakes were tested regarding CDOM indices. Significant difference in the average of aCDOM (440), aCDOM spectra and S275–295 were found between lakes located inside the flood forest and those near the river bank. The proposed model showed that aCDOM can be used as proxy of S275–295 during rising water with good validation results, demonstrating the potential of Sentinel/MSI imagery data in large scale studies on the dynamics of DOM.


2018 ◽  
pp. 123-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit Heim ◽  
Bennet Juhls ◽  
Ekaterina Abramova ◽  
Astrid Bracher ◽  
Roland Doerffer ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Van Liem Nguyen ◽  
Birgit Wild ◽  
Örjan Gustafsson ◽  
Igor Semiletov ◽  
Oleg Dudarev ◽  
...  

<p>Widespread accelerated permafrost thawing is predicted for this century and beyond. This threatens to remobilize the large amounts of Mercury (Hg) currently ‘locked’ in Arctic permafrost soils to the Arctic Ocean and thus potentially lead to severe consequences for human and wildlife health. Future risks of Arctic Hg in a warmer climate are, however, poorly understood. One crucial knowledge gap to fill is the fate of Hg once it enters the marine environment on the continental shelves. Arctic rivers are already today suggested to be the main source of Hg into the Arctic Ocean, with dissolved and particulate organic matter (DOM and POM, respectively) identified as important vectors for the land to sea transport.</p><p>In this study, we have investigated total Hg (HgT) and monomethylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in surface sediments from the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) along a transect from the Lena river delta to the Laptev Sea continental slope. The ESAS is the world’s largest continental shelf and receives large amounts of organic carbon by the great Arctic Russian rivers (e.g., Lena, Indigirka and Kolyma), remobilized from continuous and discontinuous permafrost regions in the river catchments, and from coastal erosion. Data on HgT and MeHg levels in ESAS sediments is however limited. Here, we observed concentrations of Hg ranging from 30 to 96 ng Hg g<sup>-1</sup> d.w. of HgT, and 0.03 to 9.5 ng Hg g<sup>-1</sup> d.w. of MeHg. Similar concentrations of HgT were observed close to the river delta (54 ± 19 ng Hg g<sup>-1</sup> d.w.), where >95 % of the organic matter is of terrestrial origin, and the other section of the transect (42 ± 7 ng Hg g<sup>-1</sup> d.w.) where the terrestrial organic matter is diluted with carbon from marine sources. In contrast, we observed higher concentrations of MeHg close to the river delta (0.72 ± 0.71 ng Hg g<sup>-1</sup> d.w. as MeHg) than further out on the continental shelf (0.031 ± 0.71 ng Hg g<sup>-1</sup> d.w. as MeHg). We also observed a positive correlation between the MeHg:Hg ratio and previously characterized molecular markers of terrestrial organic matter (Bröder et al. Biogeosciences (2016) & Nature Com. (2018)). We thus suggest riverine inputs, rather than in situ MeHg formation, to explain observed MeHg trends.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Oberemok ◽  
Elena Gershelis ◽  
Andrey Grin’ko ◽  
Alexey Ruban ◽  
Elizaveta Klevantseva ◽  
...  

<p>Accelerating coastal erosion and enhancing river sediment discharge are expected to greatly increase the delivery of terrestrial organic carbon (terrOC) to the Arctic Ocean. Remobilized terrOC may be buried in shallow or outer shelf sediments, degraded and translocated to the deeper basins, or remineralized in the water column causing a positive feedback to amplified global warming. The East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS), represented by the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea, and the Russian part of the Chukchi Sea, is the widest and shallowest continental shelf of the World Ocean. In the current study, we investigated surface sediment samples collected across the Laptev Sea shelf (from the coastline to the outer shelf) during the Arctic expedition onboard the Russian <em>R/V Academician M. Keldysh</em> during fall 2018.</p><p>We analyzed 16 samples for bulk (TOC, <em>δ</em>13C) and molecular (distribution and concentration of n-alkanes and PAHs) parameters. We also performed Rock-Eval (RE) analysis in order to compare its results with the signatures provided by traditional geochemical tracers and thereby to gain new insights into the sources of organic matter in modern surface sediments. In addition, a grain-size analysis was carried out to reveal hydrodynamic control on the organic carbon transport across the studied transect. Using a combination of traditional molecular interpretations (performed in this study and published earlier) and RE parameters (Hydrogen index, Oxygen index and T<sub>peak</sub>) we attempted to distinguish riverine input and coastal erosion and disentangle processes of terrOC degradation and its replacement with fresh/marine OC during cross-shelf transport. Overall, a strong decrease of terrigenous contribution to the sedimentary organic carbon was observed on molecular level with increasing distance from the coast. According to the RE data, intensive terrOC degradation takes place in the shallow and mid-shelf sediments which is traced by sharply increasing oxygen index. The clear correlation between OI and the clay content points toward the perception that mineral matrix do not seem to be such good protector as expected, and intensive microbial degradation of the sedimentary organic matter contained in fine particles occurs during repeated resuspension.</p><p>This research is supported by Russian Science Foundation, project # 19-77-00067.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-473
Author(s):  
V.I. Petrova ◽  
G.I. Batova ◽  
A.V. Kursheva ◽  
I.V. Litvinenko ◽  
I.P. Morgunova

Abstract ––The main factors controlling the bulk sedimentation in the Siberian segment of the Lomonosov Ridge (axial part and western slope) and the Laptev Sea continental margin during the late Cenozoic were studied using a complex of geomorphological, lithological, and organic geochemical data. Samples for the study were collected during the cruises of R/V Akademik Fedorov in 2005 and 2007 and nuclear icebreaker Rossiya in 2007. Analysis of the group and molecular composition of the dispersed organic matter (DOM) in bottom sediments has shown that the input of terrigenous sediments enriched in the products of abrasion of lithified rocks determines sedimentation process on the continental slope of the Laptev Sea and in the Amundsen Basin. The individual characteristics of the DOM of the late Cenozoic sediments from the Lomonosov Ridge reflect the wide diversity of sedimentary sources and depositional environments. Subaqueous erosion of edaphogenic products and pre-Holocene sediments plays an important part in sedimentation together with terrigenous flow and ice transport.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Urban Johannes Wünsch ◽  
Boris Peter Koch ◽  
Matthias Witt ◽  
Joseph Andrew Needoba

Abstract. The in situ detection of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) at high temporal resolution is a powerful proxy to follow dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics and DOM flux to coastal oceans when FDOM measurements and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) are highly correlated. Here, we investigated the relationship between FDOM sensors and DOC concentration in the lower Columbia River, USA in spring and summer 2013. Furthermore, we studied the seasonal variability of FDOM and chromophoric DOM (CDOM) optical indices, as well as the seasonal and spatial variability for the molecular characteristics of DOM using ultrahigh resolution electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR-MS). The fieldwork was conducted concurrently with the operation of in situ sensor platforms that recorded physical and biogeochemical data at hourly intervals. In situ FDOM and DOC concentration was highly correlated and the relationship was used to quantify the river's DOC flux between March and August 2013. The average flux was 0.93 Gg d−1, which included over three-fold temporal variability (0.45 to 1.62 Gg d−1) associated with seasonal biogeochemical variability. Spectrofluorometry measurements demonstrated that FDOM parameters correlated with major seasonal biogeochemical shifts in the river associated with phytoplankton blooms and river discharge and thus revealed predictable seasonal patterns in DOM quality. FT-ICR-MS analyses elucidated these shifts on the molecular level: the relative abundance of 561 formulas, most of which contained N and S, correlated significantly with chlorophyll a, while 417 formulas (mostly CHO) correlated with CDOM absorbance at 254 nm.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander Ulyantsev ◽  
Svetlana Bratskaya ◽  
Nikolay Belyaev ◽  
Oleg Dudarev ◽  
Igor Semiletov

<p>The modern East Siberian Arctic shelf represents a fascinating area with a vast expansion of subsea permafrost that holds a large pool of frozen immobilised organic carbon (OC). Amplified climate change at high latitudes has raised growing concerns about potential positive carbon–climate feedbacks. Degradation of permafrost in the Arctic could constitute a positive feedback to climate change due to activation of this OC stock, while recognizing the origin and peculiarities of organic matter (OM) is useful for predicting the potential for involving the ancient OC in modern carbon cycling. This paper emphasises the molecular composition of lignin-derived phenols (LDP) in bottom sediments and subsea permafrost from the Laptev Sea shelf as a proxy to describe the main sources, distribution, and preservation of terrestrial OM. The compositional pattern and concentration of LDP revealed irregular dynamics of terrigenous OM supply in the study area, that were governed primarily by continental flows. The OC concentration in the studied sediments varied from 0.04% to 23.1% (mean 1.74%, median 1.07%). The concentration of LDP in the studied 126 samples from five sediment cores obtained from Buor-Khaya Bay varied from 0.7 to 13191 (mean 539, median 63.5) µg/g of dry sediment as the sum of vanillyl, syringyl, and cinnamyl (VSC) compounds and from 0.03 to 27.6 (mean 1.61, median 0.76) mg/100 mg of OC content. All OC-rich samples showed higher concentrations of LDP and virtually non-oxidized lignin. Vegetation proxies suggested that vascular plant tissues account for a significant fraction of the lignin in the examined samples, with a strong share of gymnosperms. The concentration of LDP correlates to OC content, indicating a strong supply of terrestrial OC to the study area. Degradation proxies indicate a predominant supply of wood-rich non-oxidized terrestrial OM. The well-preserved lignin revealed in the studied deposits represents a specific feature of Quaternary lithodynamics of the Laptev Sea and is not typical for the majority of bottom sediments of the World Ocean. Good correlation between OC and lignin concentration suggests that terrigenous fluxes were the main contributor to OM supply. Distribution of specific lignin phenols and related ratios coupled with lithology and grain size revealed that fluvial processes have been leading here.</p><p>This research was supported through the Russian Scientific Foundation (grant no. 19-77-10044) within the framework of the state assignment of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS (grant no. 0149-2019-0006).</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Gabarro ◽  
Justino Martinez ◽  
Veronica Gonzalez-Gambau ◽  
Cristina González-Haro ◽  
Estrella Olmedo ◽  
...  

<p>During the last 3<span> dec</span><span>ades, the Arctic rivers have increased their discharge around 10%, mainly due to the increase of the</span> <span>g</span><span>lobal atmospheric </span>temperature. The increase of the river discharge carries higher loads of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and suspended matter (SM) entering to the Arctic Ocean. This results in increased absorption of solar energy in the mixed layer, which can potentially contribute to the general sea ice retreat. Observation based studies (e.g. Bauch et al., 2013) showed correlation between river water discharge and local sea ice melting on the Laptev sea shelf due to the change on the ocean heat. Previous studies are based with a limited number of observations, both in space and in time.</p><p>Thanks to the ESA SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) and NASA SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) missions we have daily the sea surface salinity (SSS) maps from the Arctic, which permit to observe the salinity variations due to the river discharges. The Arctic sea surface salinity products obtained from SMOS measurements have been improved considerable by the Barcelona Expert Center (BEC) team thanks to the project Arctic+Salinity, funded by ESA. The new version of the product (v3) covers the years from 2011 up to 2018, have a spatial resolution of 25km and are daily maps with 9 day averages. The Arctic+ SSS maps provide a better description of the salinity gradients and a better effective spatial resolution than the previous versions of the Arctic product, so the salinity fronts are better resolved. The quality assessment of the Arctic+SSS product is challenging because, in this region, there are scarce number of in-situ measurements.</p><p>The high effective spatial resolution of the Arctic+ SSS maps will permit to study for the first time scientific physical processes that occurs in the Arctic. We will explore if a correlation between the Lena and Ob rivers discharge with the sea ice melting and freeze up is observed with satellite data, as already stated with in-situ measurements by Bauch et al. 2013. Salinity and sea ice thickness maps from SMOS and sea ice concentration from OSISAF will be used in this study.</p><p> </p><p>Bauch, D.,Hölemann, J. , Nikulina, A. , Wegner, C., Janout, M., Timokhov, L. and Kassens, H. (2013): Correlation of river water and local sea-ice melting on the Laptev Sea shelf (Siberian Arctic) , Journal of Geophysical Research C: Oceans, 118 (1), pp. 550-561 . doi: 10.1002/jgrc.20076</p>


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