Lena River biogeochemistry resolved by a high frequency monitoring: comparing a wet and a dry year

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bennet Juhls ◽  
Anne Morgenstern ◽  
Pier Paul Overduin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Lena River ◽  
O Isotopes ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Frequency Monitoring ◽  
Biogeochemical Parameters ◽  
Doc Flux

<p>River biogeochemistry at any location integrates environmental processes over a definable upstream area of the river watershed. Therefore, biogeochemical parameters of river water are powerful indicators of the climate change impact on the entire watershed and smaller parts of it.</p><p>The current warming of the Siberian Arctic is changing atmospheric forcing, precipitation, subsurface water storage, and runoff from rivers to the Arctic Ocean. A number of studies predict an increase of organic carbon export by rivers into the Arctic Ocean with further warming of the Arctic. Major potential drivers for this increase are the rise of river discharge and permafrost thaw, which mobilizes organic matter.</p><p>Here, we present results of high frequency monitoring program of the Lena River waters in the central part of its delta at the Laptev Sea. For the first time, a number of biogeochemical parameters such as dissolved organic carbon (DOC), coloured dissolved organic matter, electrical conductivity, temperature, and d<sup>18</sup>O isotopes were measured at an interval of every few days throughout the entire season. Currently, the data set comprises two complete years from the spring 2018 until the spring 2020, which were characterized by extremely high and low summer discharges, respectively. While 2018 to 2019 was the fourth highest on record from 1936 to present, resulting in an annual DOC flux of 6.8 Tg C yr<sup>-1</sup>, 2019 was the sixth lowest discharge year with a significantly lower DOC flux of 4.5 Tg C yr<sup>-1</sup>. Endmember analysis using electrical conductivity and d<sup>18</sup>O isotopes showed that rainwater transported less DOC in 2019 (1.5 Tg C) than in 2018 (2.9 Tg C) although the winter base flow and the snow and ice meltwater transported similar amounts.</p><p>The biogeochemical response of the Lena River water provides us with new insights into the catchment processes, including permafrost thaw and potential mobilization of previously frozen organic carbon. Our new monitoring program will serve 1) as a baseline to measure future changes and 2) as a training dataset to project changes under future climate scenarios.</p>

scholarly journals On the biogeochemical signature of the Lena River from its headwaters to the Arctic Ocean

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 2093-2143 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. P. Semiletov ◽  
I. I. Pipko ◽  
N. E. Shakhova ◽  
O. V. Dudarev ◽  
S. P. Pugach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Time Shift ◽  
Laptev Sea ◽  
Lena River ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Laptev Sea

Abstract. The Lena River integrates biogeochemical signals from its vast drainage basin and its signal reaches far out over the Arctic Ocean. Transformation of riverine organic carbon into mineral carbon, and mineral carbon into the organic form in the Lena River watershed, can be considered a quasi-equilibrated processes. Increasing the Lena discharge causes opposite effects on total organic (TOC) and inorganic (TCO2) carbon: TOC concentration increases, while TCO2 concentration decreases. Significant inter-annual variability in mean values of TCO2, TOC, and their sum (TC) has been found. This variability is determined by changes in land hydrology which cause differences in the Lena River discharge, because a negative correlation may be found between TC in September and mean discharge in August (a time shift of about one month is required for water to travel from Yakutsk to the Laptev Sea). Total carbon entering the sea with the Lena discharge is estimated to be almost 10 Tg C y−1. The annual Lena River discharge of particulate organic carbon (POC) may be equal to 0.38 Tg (moderate to high estimate). If we instead accept Lisytsin's (1994) statement concerning the precipitation of 85–95% of total particulate matter (PM) (and POC) on the marginal "filter", then only about 0.03–0.04 Tg of POC reaches the Laptev Sea from the Lena River. The Lena's POC export would then be two orders of magnitude less than the annual input of eroded terrestrial carbon onto the shelf of the Laptev and East Siberian seas, which is about 4 Tg. The Lena River is characterized by relatively high concentrations of primary greenhouse gases: CO2 and dissolved CH4. During all seasons the river is supersaturated in CO2 compared to the atmosphere: up to 1.5–2 fold in summer, and 4–5 fold in winter. This results in a narrow zone of significant CO2 supersaturation in the adjacent coastal sea. Spots of dissolved CH4 in the Lena delta channels may reach 100 nM, but the CH4 concentration decreases to 5–20 nM towards the sea, which suggests only a minor role of riverborne export of CH4 for the East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) CH4 budget in coastal waters. Instead, the seabed appears to be the source that provides most of the CH4 to the Arctic Ocean.

Evaluating Dissolved Organic Carbon Retrieval in the Lena River Delta using Sentinel 3 OLCI Data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rene Preusker ◽  
Jan El Kassar ◽  
Bennet Juhls
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Lena River ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Rivers

<p>As air temperatures in the Arctic continue to rise, permafrost thaw intensifies, and discharge from the Arctic rivers increases. These drastic changes are likely to accelerate mobilization of organic matter and its export through rivers into the Arctic Ocean. Therefore, thorough monitoring of these processes becomes increasingly important. The Lena River with its large catchment area is one of the major sources of the organic carbon in the Arctic Ocean and, therefore, plays a crucial role in the Arctic carbon cycle. <br>To observe current and future changes of carbon transport via the Lena River, a new monitoring program has been initiated in 2018. In situ water samples are collected from the one of the Lena Delta branches every several days. Since generally the in situ sampling in the Arctic is challenging and costly, in this study, we test the potential of remote sensing to complement the field observations. Remote sensing provides synoptic spatial coverages and high temporal resolution at high latitudes. <br>We test the retrieval of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from satellite-derived chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM). For this, we use measurements of the Ocean & Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) on board the Sentinel-3 satellites in combination with beforehand tested atmospheric correction algorithms and CDOM retrieval algorithms. The quality of the satellite retrieved DOC of the Lena River water is assessed by DOC, measured in the in situ samples. Remotely sensed DOC contributes to an improvement of DOC fluxes monitoring, which can potentially be extended to all big Arctic rivers.</p>

Particulate and dissolved organic carbon composition in the Lena River and its Delta, from Yakutsk to the Arctic Ocean.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Ogneva ◽  
Gesine Mollenhauer ◽  
Matthias Fuchs ◽  
Juri Palmtag ◽  
Tina Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Main Channel ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Laptev Sea ◽  
Lena River ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Laptev Sea ◽  
Lena Delta

<p>Rapid climate warming in the Arctic intensifies permafrost thaw, increases active layer depth in summer and enhances riverbank and coastal erosion. All of these cause additional release of organic matter (OM) into streams and rivers. OM will be (1) transformed and modified during transport and subsequently discharged into the Arctic Ocean, or (2) removed from the active cycling by sedimentation. Here, the nearshore zone (which includes deltas, estuaries and coasts) is of great importance, where the major transformation processes of terrestrial material take place. Despite the importance of deltas for the biogeochemical cycle, their functioning is poorly understood. For our study we examined the Lena River nearshore, which represents the world’s third largest delta and supplies the second highest annual water and sediment discharge into the Arctic Ocean. Running through almost the entirety of East Siberia from Lake Baikal to the Laptev Sea, the Lena River drains an area of ∼2,61×10<sup>6</sup> km<sup>2</sup>  with approximately 90% underlain by permafrost. Our aims were to investigate the spatial variation of OM concentration and isotopic composition during transit from terrestrial permafrost source to the ocean interface, and to compare riverine and deltaic OM composition. We measured particulate and dissolved organic carbon (POC and DOC) concentrations and their associated δ<sup>13</sup>C and ∆<sup>14</sup>C values in water samples collected along a ∼1500 km long Lena River transect from Yakutsk downstream to the river outlet into the Laptev Sea.</p><p>We find significant qualitative and quantitative differences between the OM composition in the Lena River main channel and its delta. Further, we found suspended matter and POC concentrations decreased during transit from river to the Arctic Ocean.  DOC concentrations in the Lena delta were almost 50% lower than OM from the main channel. We found that deltaic POC is depleted in <sup>13</sup>C relative to fluvial POC, and that its <sup>14</sup>C signature suggests a modern composition indicating phytoplankton origin. This observation likely reflects the difference in hydrological conditions between the delta and the river main channel, caused by lower flow velocity and average water depth. We propose that deltaic environments provide favorable growth conditions for riverine primary producers such as algae and aquatic plants. Deltaic DOC is depleted in <sup>14</sup>C compared to riverine, especially in samples taken from the water surface, which indicates contributions from an additional old carbon stock source, specific for the Lena Delta. We suggest that this C is released from deltaic bank erosion and partly stays floating on the surface. In conclusion, we found a strong impact of deltaic processes on the fate and dominant signatures of OM discharged into the Arctic Ocean.</p>

scholarly journals Carbon transport by the Lena River from its headwaters to the Arctic Ocean, with emphasis on fluvial input of terrestrial particulate organic carbon vs. carbon transport by coastal erosion

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 2407-2426 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. P. Semiletov ◽  
I. I. Pipko ◽  
N. E. Shakhova ◽  
O. V. Dudarev ◽  
S. P. Pugach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Coastal Erosion ◽  
River Discharge ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Lena River ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Laptev Sea ◽  
Carbon Transport

Abstract. The Lena River integrates biogeochemical signals from its vast drainage basin, and the integrated signal reaches far out over the Arctic Ocean. Transformation of riverine organic carbon (OC) into mineral carbon, and mineral carbon into the organic form in the Lena River watershed, can be considered to be quasi-steady-state processes. An increase in Lena discharge exerts opposite effects on total organic (TOC) and total inorganic (TCO2) carbon: TOC concentration increases, while TCO2 concentration decreases. Significant inter-annual variability in mean values of TCO2, TOC, and their sum (total carbon, TC) has been found. This variability is determined by changes in land hydrology which cause differences in the Lena River discharge. There is a negative correlation in the Lena River between TC in September and its mean discharge in August; a time shift of about one month is required for water to travel from Yakutsk to the Laptev Sea. Total carbon entering the sea with the Lena discharge is estimated to be almost 10 Tg C yr−1. The annual Lena River discharge of particulate organic carbon (POC) can be as high as 0.38 Tg (moderate to high estimate). If we instead accept Lisytsin's (1994) statement that 85–95 % of total particulate matter (PM) (and POC) precipitates on the marginal "filter", then only about 0.03–0.04 Tg of Lena River POC reaches the Laptev Sea. The Lena's POC export would then be two orders of magnitude less than the annual input of eroded terrestrial carbon onto the shelf of the Laptev and East Siberian seas, which is estimated to be about 4 Tg. Observations support the hypothesis of a dominant role for coastal erosion (Semiletov, 1999a, b) in East Siberian Arctic Shelf (ESAS) sedimentation and the dynamics of the carbon/carbonate system. The Lena River is characterized by relatively high concentrations of the primary greenhouse gases, dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). During all seasons the river is supersaturated in CO2 compared to the atmosphere, by up to 1.5–2 fold in summer, and 4–5 fold in winter. This results in a significant CO2 supersaturation in the adjacent coastal sea. Localized areas of dissolved CH4 along the Lena River and in the Lena delta channels may reach 100 nM, but the CH4 concentration decreases to 5–20 nM towards the sea, which suggests that riverborne export of CH4 plays but a minor role in determining the ESAS CH4 budget in coastal waters. Instead, the seabed appears to be the source that provides most of the CH4 to the Arctic Ocean.

scholarly journals Distribution, fluxes and balance of particulate organic carbon in the Arctic ocean

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-552
Author(s):  
A. A. Vetrov ◽  
E. A. Romankevich
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Particulate Organic Carbon ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Arctic Seas ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Main Component ◽  
Depth Horizon

Particulate organic carbon (POC) is one of main component of carbon cycle in the Ocean. In this study an attempt to construct a picture of the distribution and fluxes of POC in the Arctic Ocean adjusting for interchange with the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans has been made. The specificity of this construction is associated with an irregular distribution of POC measurements and complicated structure and hydrodynamics of the waters masses. To overcome these difficulties, Multiple Linear Regression technic (MLR) was performed to test the significant relation between POC, temperature, salinity, as well depth, horizon, latitude and offshore distance. The mapping of POC distribution and its fluxes was carrying out at 38 horizons from 5 to 4150 m (resolution 1°×1°). Data on temperature, salinity, meridional and zonal components of current velocities were obtained from ORA S4 database (Integrated Climate Data Center, http://icdc.cen.uni-hamburg.de/las). The import-export of POC between the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as well as between Arctic Seas was precomputed by summer fluxes. The import of POC in the Arctic Ocean is estimated to be 38±8Tg Cyr-1, and the export is -9.5±4.4Tg Cyr-1.

scholarly journals Stable silicon isotopic compositions of the Lena River and its tributaries: Implications for silicon delivery to the Arctic Ocean

2018 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. 120-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaole Sun ◽  
Carl-Magnus Mörth ◽  
Don Porcelli ◽  
Liselott Kutscher ◽  
Catherine Hirst ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Lena River ◽  
Isotopic Compositions ◽  
The Arctic Ocean

scholarly journals A 50 % increase in the mass of terrestrial particles delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic Ocean) over the last 10 years

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3551-3565 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Doxaran ◽  
E. Devred ◽  
M. Babin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Suspended Solids ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Freshwater Discharge ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Rivers ◽  
Mackenzie River

Abstract. Global warming has a significant impact on the regional scale on the Arctic Ocean and surrounding coastal zones (i.e., Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia). The recent increase in air temperature has resulted in increased precipitation along the drainage basins of Arctic rivers. It has also directly impacted land and seawater temperatures with the consequence of melting permafrost and sea ice. An increase in freshwater discharge by main Arctic rivers has been clearly identified in time series of field observations. The freshwater discharge of the Mackenzie River has increased by 25% since 2003. This may have increased the mobilization and transport of various dissolved and particulate substances, including organic carbon, as well as their export to the ocean. The release from land to the ocean of such organic material, which has been sequestered in a frozen state since the Last Glacial Maximum, may significantly impact the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle as well as marine ecosystems. In this study we use 11 years of ocean color satellite data and field observations collected in 2009 to estimate the mass of terrestrial suspended solids and particulate organic carbon delivered by the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean). Our results show that during the summer period, the concentration of suspended solids at the river mouth, in the delta zone and in the river plume has increased by 46, 71 and 33%, respectively, since 2003. Combined with the variations observed in the freshwater discharge, this corresponds to a more than 50% increase in the particulate (terrestrial suspended particles and organic carbon) export from the Mackenzie River into the Beaufort Sea.

scholarly journals Organic carbon and total nitrogen stocks in soils of the Lena River Delta

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 3507-3524 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Zubrzycki ◽  
L. Kutzbach ◽  
G. Grosse ◽  
A. Desyatkin ◽  
E.-M. Pfeiffer
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Active Layer ◽  
River Delta ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
River Terrace ◽  
Total N ◽  
Lena River ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Lena River Delta ◽  
N Pool

Abstract. The Lena River Delta, which is the largest delta in the Arctic, extends over an area of 32 000 km2 and likely holds more than half of the entire soil organic carbon (SOC) mass stored in the seven major deltas in the northern permafrost regions. The geomorphic units of the Lena River Delta which were formed by true deltaic sedimentation processes are a Holocene river terrace and the active floodplains. Their mean SOC stocks for the upper 1 m of soils were estimated at 29 kg m−2 ± 10 kg m−2 and at 14 kg m−2 ± 7 kg m−2, respectively. For the depth of 1 m, the total SOC pool of the Holocene river terrace was estimated at 121 Tg ± 43 Tg, and the SOC pool of the active floodplains was estimated at 120 Tg ± 66 Tg. The mass of SOC stored within the observed seasonally thawed active layer was estimated at about 127 Tg assuming an average maximum active layer depth of 50 cm. The SOC mass which is stored in the perennially frozen ground at the increment 50–100 cm soil depth, which is currently excluded from intense biogeochemical exchange with the atmosphere, was estimated at 113 Tg. The mean nitrogen (N) stocks for the upper 1 m of soils were estimated at 1.2 kg m−2 ± 0.4 kg m−2 for the Holocene river terrace and at 0.9 kg m−2 ± 0.4 kg m−2 for the active floodplain levels, respectively. For the depth of 1 m, the total N pool of the river terrace was estimated at 4.8 Tg ± 1.5 Tg, and the total N pool of the floodplains was estimated at 7.7 Tg ± 3.6 Tg. Considering the projections for deepening of the seasonally thawed active layer up to 120 cm in the Lena River Delta region within the 21st century, these large carbon and nitrogen stocks could become increasingly available for decomposition and mineralization processes.

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