A Baseline Survey of The Geochemical Characteristics of the Arctic Soils of Alexandra Land Within the Franz Josef Land Archipelago (Russia)

The composition of soils and their parent materials were studied within one of the most northern land areas of the world – the island of Alexandra Land of the Franz Josef Land archipelago. Contents of 65 trace and major elements were determined using atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) и inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (ICP-MS). Other analyzed characteristics included soil pH, particle-size distribution and contents of carbon and nitrogen. The mineralogical composition of rocks was determined in thin sections. The studied soils were formed on basalts with high contents of MgO, Fe2O3, TiO2, Сu, Co, V, Ni, Cr, Zn, and low contents of Pb and Hg. The composition of soils was generally similar to that of the bedrock. The median concentrations (mg kg-1) of trace elements in the soils were as follows: Cu - 160, Zn - 101, Ni - 74, Pb - 2.9, Cd - 0.14, and Hg - 0.031. The bedrock had an alkaline pH, whereas the soil pH ranged from weakly acid to alkaline. The textural class of the soils predominantly corresponded to sandy loam. The contents of clay and silt increased with depth due to the migration of these fractions with groundwater. The concentrations of ecologically hazardous Hg and Pb were slightly increased in the upper layer of soils and correlated with carbon contents, which was indicative of bioconcentration processes.

Brief communication: Increased glacier mass loss in the Russian High Arctic (2010–2017)

Glaciers in the Russian High Arctic have been subject to extensive atmospheric warming due to global climate change, yet their contribution to sea level rise has been relatively small over the past decades. Here we show surface elevation change measurements and geodetic mass balances of 93 % of all glacierized areas of Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya, and Franz Josef Land using interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements taken between 2010 and 2017. We calculate an overall mass loss rate of -22±6 Gt a−1, corresponding to a sea level rise contribution of 0.06±0.02 mm a−1. Compared to measurements prior to 2010, mass loss of glaciers on the Russian archipelagos has doubled in recent years.

Paleomagnetism of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago: Application to the Mesozoic Tectonics of the Barents Sea Continental Margin

—We report new paleomagnetic and geochronological data for rocks of the Franz Josef Land archipelago and generalize available information about the paleomagnetism of the Barents Sea continental margin as applied to the issues of the Mesozoic Arctic tectonics. Specifically, the obtained age estimates are indicative of a brief episode of mantle plume magmatism at the Barremian–Aptian boundary (Early Cretaceous). The paleomagnetic data shows that intraplate magmatism formations in the High Arctic, including the Franz Josef Land traps, are nothing else than a trace of the Iceland plume on the migrating tectonic plates of the region. Thus, the Iceland plume was geographically stationary for at least the last 125 Myr. Our paleotectonic reconstructions suggest a direct connection of the intraplate strike-slip systems of the Eurasian continent with the configuration and subsequent evolution mode of Mesozoic marginal basins and spreading axes during the initial opening stage of the Arctic Ocean.

SEISMICITY of the ARCTIC in 2015

The article provides an overview and analysis of seismicity within the boundaries of the Arctic region for 2015, a description of seismic station networks, and processing methods. The catalog of earthquakes in the Arctic region was compiled on the basis of catalogs of several organizations and seismological centers. In total, 334 earthquakes are included in the earthquake catalog. Most of the earthquakes that occurred in 2015, including all the strongest earthquakes, were located within the mid-ocean ridges of Mon, Knipovich and Gakkel. In the offshore territories, most of the earthquakes were confined to the Svalbard archipelago, in particular, to the seismically active zone in the Sturfjord strait. The renewal of instrumental seismological observations in 2011 (station ZFI) on Alexandra Land Island in the Franz Josef Land archipelago made it possible to record weak earthquakes in the north of the shelf of the Barents and Kara Seas. For twelve earthquakes, the focal mechanism parameters are presented according to the Global CMT catalog.

Triangulopteris lacunata gen. et sp. nov. (Centroplasthelida), a New Centrohelid Heliozoan from Soil †

A new genus and species of centrohelid heliozoans, Triangulopteris lacunata gen. et sp. nov. (Pterocystidae Cavalier-Smith and Heyden, 2007), from four geographically remote locations (the Crimean Peninsula, the Dnieper Lowland (the East European Plain), Franz Josef Land, and the Kolyma Lowland (North–Eastern Siberia) was examined using light and electron microscopy. The novel centrohelid is characterized by round shape, 4.3–16.3 μm in diameter, covered with two types of scales: 1.06–4.54 μm long triangular spine scales and 1.22–2.05 μm oval plate scales. Studied centrohelid heliozoan possesses a unique spine scale morphology. The base of scales is represented by a horse hoof-shaped basal plate. The inner surface and lateral wings of spine scales have numerous radial ribs with two ‘pockets’ that are located on both sides of the spine shaft. These pockets are formed by the lateral wings and ends of the basal plate. The cyst formation and transition to a spicules-bearing stage were noted. Additionally, phylogenetic tree was constructed based on SSU rRNA sequences including the strain HF-25 from the permafrost of Kolyma Lowland. The resulting phylogeny recovered it within the clade Pterista, while forming a separate sister lineage to H2 clade, which only had included freshwater environmental sequences.

Polychaete genus Pholoe (Polychaeta: Pholoidae) in the north-east region of the Barents Sea

The paper describes species composition, distribution and biology of the polychaeta genus Pholoe in the north-east region of the Barents Sea (between Franz Josef Land and north-west coast of Novaya Zemlya archipelago). One species of the genu s was identified based on the reviewed morphological descriptions – Pholoe assimilis. The highest values of population density (1130 specimens/m2) and biomass (570 mg/m2) were registered in comparatively warm coastal waters of Novaya Zemlya archipelago. Pholoe assimilis’ population size structure based on the dorsal width of the fifth chaetiger was investigated for the first time. Size-frequency histograms indicate presence of at least four size classes.

Thrombin generation assay for hemostasis assessment in trans- latitudinal Arctic voyage

Введение. Существуют данные об активации системы гемостаза в виде формирования гиперкоагуляции при вахтовой работе в циркумполярных территориях. Новым перспективным методом, способным оценить как гипер-, так и гипокоагуляционные состояния, является тест генерации тромбина (ТГТ). Цель исследования: анализ динамики параметров ТГТ в условиях трансширотного морского арктического рейса. Материалы и методы. Выполнено проспективное клинико-лабораторное исследование во время трансширотной экспедиции «ТрансАрктика-2019». Отбор образцов плазмы для ТГТ у 52 членов экспедиции выполнен в нулевой точке (г. Архангельск, 64°33’ с. ш., 40°32’ в. д.) до выхода судна в рейс и в самой высокой точке экспедиции (остров Хейса, архипелаг Франца–Иосифа, 80°34’ с. ш., 57°41’ в. д.) на 18–20-е сутки арктического рейса. Параметры кинетики тромбина определены на анализаторе Ceveron- alpha с TGA-модулем (Technoclone, Австрия). Результаты. В высокой точке транширотного рейса время лаг-фазы (tLag) и время достижения пика тромбина (tPeak) были значимо меньше, чем в исходной нулевой точке, что указывало на состояние гиперкоагуляции. Значения эндогенного потенциала тромбина (AUC) у членов экспедиции были существенно больше в высокой точке экспедиции. Заключение. Нахождение в высоких широтах возможно связано с формированием состояния гиперкоагуляции. Background. Data are exist about hemostasis activation in the form of hypercoagulation during rotational work in circumpolar territories. Thrombin generation assay (TGA) is a new perspective method for assessing both hyper- and hypocoagulation. Objectives: to analyze the dynamics of TGA parameters in trans- latitudinal Arctic sea voyage. Patients/Methods. A prospective clinical and laboratory study was carried out in 52 expedition members during the trans- latitudinal expedition “TransArktika-2019”. Plasma samples for TGA were taken at the zero point (Arkhangelsk, 64°33’ N, 40°32’ E) prior to the ship’s voyage and at the highest point of the expedition (Heiss Island, Franz Josef Land, 80°34’ N, 57°41’ E) on 18–20 days of the voyage. Thrombin kinetic parameters were determined on a Ceveron-alpha analyzer with a TGA-module (Technoclone, Austria). Results. At the highest point of the trans-latitudinal voyage, the lag phase (tLag) and the time to peak thrombin (tPeak) were statistically less than at the initial zero point that pointed to hypercoagulation. The endogenous thrombin potential (AUC) values were significantly higher at the highest point. Conclusions. Location in high latitudes is possibly associated with the formation of hypercoagulation.

Rare and trace elements in modern bottom sediments of the Barents sea. Nd, Pb and Sr isotopic composition

The article presents a brief lithological description of the modern bottom sediments of the Barents Sea, selected in the 67th voyage of the R/V “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh” at the polygons: 1) “Pechora Sea”; 2) “Western slope of Kaninskoe shoal”; 3) “Central Barents Sea (Shtokman area)”; 4) “Russkaya Gavan’ fjord”; 5) “Medvezhinsky Trench”; 6) in the area to the south of Spitsbergen; 7) “Kola meridian”; 8) “Spitsbergen – Franz Josef Land archipelago”; 9) “Cambridge Strait”. The distribution of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in samples of bottom sediments (pelitic, aleurite-pelitic and sandy-aleuritic-pelitic ooze) is compared with the background concentrations and contents of these elements in the Post-Archean Average Shale (PAAS). The data obtained are consistent with the notion that the distribution of heavy metals and other elements in the bottom sediments is controlled primarily by the global geochemical background. The relationship of the Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Th, U and rare-earth elements concentrations with content of fine pelite (< 0.001 mm) fraction and organic carbon (Corg) is considered. It was found that most of these elements are characterized by a moderate positive correlation with the amount of fine pelite fraction in samples. By the magnitude of the correlation coefficient with the Corg content, all elements are attributed into three groups: (1) with moderate positive correlation, (2) weak positive correlation, (3) practically not pronounced correlation. The distribution in the bottom sediments of the Barents Sea of the element-indicators of the source rocks composition (Sc, Th, Co, Cr, La and Sm), as well as of rare earths, make it possible to consider that the majority of bottom sediments is mature in geochemical terms material, the sources of which were rocks of the Kola Peninsula and Spitsbergen (?). The bottom sediments of the Cambridge Strait are represented by geochemically less mature material, which, apparently, entered the sea as a result of erosion of the Franz Josef Land archipelago rocks. The established isotopic characteristics (εNd, 207Pb/206Pb and 87Sr/86Sr) of 17 samples of surface sediments suggest that the main contribution to the formation of bottom deposits of the central regions of the Barents Sea is made by rocks of the mainland part located in the influence zone of the North Cape Current. Archipelagos and islands (Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, etc.) that frame the Barents Sea supply a relatively small amount of clastic material that is carried by Arctic currents. The values of εNd and 87Sr/86Sr in the surface sediments of the central part of the Barents Sea and in the ice-rafted sediments carried by the Transpolar Drift showed a significant difference. This suggests that the contribution of such material to the formation of surface sediments of the Barents Sea is relatively small